Rapid Induction of Cerebral Organoids From Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Chemically Defined Hydrogel and Defined Cell Culture Medium.

Unlabelled: Tissue organoids are a promising technology that may accelerate development of the societal and NIH mandate for precision medicine. Here we describe a robust and simple method for generating cerebral organoids (cOrgs) from human pluripotent stem cells by using a chemically defined hydrogel material and chemically defined culture medium. By using no additional neural induction components, cOrgs appeared on the hydrogel surface within 10-14 days, and under static culture conditions, they attained sizes up to 3 mm in greatest dimension by day 28.

Mesenchymal stromal cells inhibit murine syngeneic anti-tumor immune responses by attenuating inflammation and reorganizing the tumor microenvironment.

The potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to inhibit anti-tumor immunity is becoming increasingly well recognized, but the precise steps affected by these cells during the development of an anti-tumor immune response remain incompletely understood. Here, we examined how MSCs affect the steps required to mount an effective anti-tumor immune response following administration of adenovirus Fas ligand (Ad-FasL) in the Lewis lung carcinoma (LL3) model. Administration of bone marrow-derived MSCs with LL3 cells accelerated tumor growth significantly.

Stimulation with Concanavalin-A Induces IL-17 Production by Canine Peripheral T Cells.

The characteristics of canine IL-17-producing cells are incompletely understood. Expression of mRNA encoding orthologs of IL-17 and the IL-17 receptor has been documented in tissues from dogs with arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and lymphoma; however, no associations have been found between IL-17 gene expression and disease phenotype in these conditions. Robust assessment of the role of IL-17-producing cells in dogs will require measuring the frequency of these cells in health and disease in balance with other lymphocyte subsets.

A chitosan-hyaluronan-based hydrogel-hydrocolloid supports in vitro culture and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem/stromal cells.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture platforms are increasingly utilized due to their ability to more closely mimic the in vivo microenvironment compared to traditional two-dimensional methods. Limitations of currently available 3D materials include lack of cell attachment, long polymerization times, and inclusion of undefined xenobiotics, and cytotoxic cross-linkers. Evaluated here is a unique hydrogel comprised of polyelectrolytic complex (PEC) fibers formed by hyaluronic acid and chitosan (CT).

Comparisons of phenotype and immunomodulatory capacity among rhesus bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, multipotent adult progenitor cells, and dermal fibroblasts.

Background: Potent immunomodulatory effects have been reported for mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs), and fibroblasts. However, side-by-side comparisons of these cells specifically regarding immunophenotype, gene expression, and suppression of proliferation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocyte populations have not been reported.

Methods: We developed MAPC and MSC lines from rhesus macaque bone marrow and fibroblast cell lines from rhesus dermis and assessed phenotypes based upon differentiation potential, flow cytometric analysis of immunophenotype, and quantitative RT-PCR analysis of gene expression.