Towards a biotechnological platform for the production of human pro-angiogenic growth factors in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

The recent use of photosynthetic organisms such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in biomedical applications has demonstrated their potential for the treatment of acute and chronic tissue hypoxia. Moreover, transgenic microalgae have been suggested as an alternative in situ drug delivery system. In this study, we set out to identify the best available combination of strains and expression vectors to establish a robust platform for the expression of human pro-angiogenic growth factors, i.

Development of photosynthetic sutures for the local delivery of oxygen and recombinant growth factors in wounds.

Surgical sutures represent the gold standard for wound closure, however, their main purpose is still limited to a mechanical function rather than playing a bioactive role. Since oxygen and pro-regenerative growth factors have been broadly described as key players for the healing process, in this study we evaluated the feasibility of generating photosynthetic sutures that, in addition to mechanical fixation, could locally and stably release oxygen and recombinant human growth factors (VEGF, PDGF-BB, or SDF-1α) at the wound site. Here, photosynthetic genetically modified microalgae were seeded in commercially available sutures and their distribution and proliferation capacity was evaluated.

Towards autotrophic tissue engineering: Photosynthetic gene therapy for regeneration.

The use of artificial tissues in regenerative medicine is limited due to hypoxia. As a strategy to overcome this drawback, we have shown that photosynthetic biomaterials can produce and provide oxygen independently of blood perfusion by generating chimeric animal-plant tissues during dermal regeneration. In this work, we demonstrate the safety and efficacy of photosynthetic biomaterials in vivo after engraftment in a fully immunocompetent mouse skin defect model.

Photosynthetic biomaterials: a pathway towards autotrophic tissue engineering.

Engineered tissues are highly limited by poor vascularization in vivo, leading to hypoxia. In order to overcome this challenge, we propose the use of photosynthetic biomaterials to provide oxygen. Since photosynthesis is the original source of oxygen for living organisms, we suggest that this could be a novel approach to provide a constant source of oxygen supply independently of blood perfusion.

Development of photosynthetic biomaterials for in vitro tissue engineering.

Tissue engineering has opened a new therapeutic avenue that promises a revolution in regenerative medicine. To date, however, the translation of engineered tissues into clinical settings has been highly limited and the clinical results are often disappointing. Despite decades of research, the appropriate delivery of oxygen into three-dimensional cultures still remains one of the biggest unresolved problems for in vitro tissue engineering.