A robust in vitro model for trans-lymphatic endothelial migration.

Trans-endothelial migration (TEM) is essential for leukocyte circulation. While much is known about trans-blood endothelial migration, far less is known about trans-lymphatic endothelial migration. We established an in vitro system to evaluate lymphatic TEM for various cell types across primary mouse and human lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC), and validated the model for the murine LEC cell line SVEC4-10.

Optimization of cGMP purification and expansion of umbilical cord blood-derived T-regulatory cells in support of first-in-human clinical trials.

Background Aims: Thymic-derived regulatory T cells (tTreg) are critical regulators of the immune system. Adoptive tTreg transfer is a curative therapy for murine models of autoimmunity, graft rejection, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We previously completed a "first-in-human" clinical trial using in vitro expanded umbilical cord blood (UCB)-derived tTreg to prevent GVHD in patients undergoing UCB hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).