Enforced mesenchymal stem cell tissue colonization counteracts immunopathology.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are distributed within all tissues of the body. Though best known for generating connective tissue and bone, these cells also display immunoregulatory properties. A greater understanding of MSC cell biology is urgently needed because culture-expanded MSCs are increasingly being used in treatment of inflammatory conditions, especially life-threatening immune diseases.

Enhanced anti-inflammatory effects of mesenchymal stromal cells mediated by the transient ectopic expression of CXCR4 and IL10.

Background: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) constitute one of the cell types most frequently used in cell therapy. Although several studies have shown the efficacy of these cells to modulate inflammation in different animal models, the results obtained in human clinical trials have been more modest. Here, we aimed at improving the therapeutic properties of MSCs by inducing a transient expression of two molecules that could enhance two different properties of these cells.

Successful engraftment of gene-corrected hematopoietic stem cells in non-conditioned patients with Fanconi anemia.

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a DNA repair syndrome generated by mutations in any of the 22 FA genes discovered to date. Mutations in FANCA account for more than 60% of FA cases worldwide. Clinically, FA is associated with congenital abnormalities and cancer predisposition.

Pain chronification and chronic pain impair a defensive behavior, but not the ability of acute pain to facilitate it, through the activation of an endogenous analgesia circuit.

The endogenous ability to decrease pain perception during life-threatening situations is crucial to the prevention of recuperative behaviors and to leave the subject free to engage in appropriated defensive responses. We have previously shown that acute pain activates the ascending nociceptive control-an endogenous analgesia circuit dependent on opioid mechanisms within nucleus accumbens-to facilitate the tonic immobility response, an innate defensive behavior. Now we asked whether chronic pain and pain chronification impairs either the tonic immobility response or the ability of acute pain to facilitate it by activating the ascending nociceptive control.

Engraftment and in vivo proliferation advantage of gene-corrected mobilized CD34 cells from Fanconi anemia patients.

Previous Fanconi anemia (FA) gene therapy studies have failed to demonstrate engraftment of gene-corrected hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from FA patients, either after autologous transplantation or infusion into immunodeficient mice. In this study, we demonstrate that a validated short transduction protocol of G-CSF plus plerixafor-mobilized CD34 cells from FA-A patients with a therapeutic lentiviral vector corrects the phenotype of in vitro cultured hematopoietic progenitor cells. Transplantation of transduced FA CD34 cells into immunodeficient mice resulted in reproducible engraftment of myeloid, lymphoid, and CD34 cells.