Fibrin Gel Suspended Autologous Chondrocytes as Cell-based Material for long-term Injection Laryngoplasty.

Objectives/hypothesis: Injection laryngoplasty of materials for unilateral vocal-fold paralysis has shown various results regarding the long-term stability of the injected material. We evaluated a fibrin-gel based cell suspension with autologous chondrocytes in-vitro and in-vivo as long-term-stable vocal-fold augmentation material in an animal model.

Study Design: This study compises an in vitro cell-culture part as well as an in vivo animal study with New Zealand White Rabbits.

Uncultivated stromal vascular fraction is equivalent to adipose-derived stem and stromal cells on porous polyurethrane scaffolds forming adipose tissue in vivo.

Objectives/hypothesis: To find an alternative approach to contemporary techniques in tissue augmentation and reconstruction, tissue engineering strategies aim to involve adipose-derived stem and stromal cells (ASCs) harboring a strong differentiation potential into various tissue types such as bone, cartilage, and fat.

Study Design: Animal research.

Methods: The stromal vascular fraction (SVF) was used directly as a cell source to provide a potential alternative to contemporary ASC-based adipose tissue engineering.

Delivered adipose-derived stromal cells improve host-derived adipose tissue formation in composite constructs in vivo.

Objectives/hypothesis: Adipose tissue engineering aims to provide functional tissue surrogates for the restoration of soft tissue defects and contour deformities in the face. Many studies involve the delivery of cells; however, the impact and the exact role of the implanted cells is not yet fully elucidated.

Study Design: Animal research.

Donor-dependent variances of human adipose-derived stem cells in respect to the in-vitro endothelial cell differentiation capability.

Human adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) have been shown to differentiate into mature adipocytes and to play an important role in creating the vasculature, necessary for white adipose tissue to function. To study the stimulatory capacity of ASC on endothelial progenitor cells we used a commercially available co-culture system (V2a - assay). ASC, isolated from lipoaspirates of 18 healthy patients, were co-cultured for 13 d on endothelial progenitor cells.

Development of volume-stable adipose tissue constructs using polycaprolactone-based polyurethane scaffolds and fibrin hydrogels.

Adipose tissue engineering aims at the restoration of soft tissue defects and the correction of contour deformities. It is therefore crucial to provide functional adipose tissue implants with appropriate volume stability. Here, we investigate two different fibrin formulations, alone or in combination with biodegradable polyurethane (PU) scaffolds as additional support structures, with regard to their suitability to generate volume-stable adipose tissue constructs.

A generic RNA-pulsed dendritic cell vaccine strategy for renal cell carcinoma.

We present a generic dendritic cell (DC) vaccine strategy for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) based on the use of RNA as a source of multiplex tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Instead of preparing RNA from tumor tissue of each individual RCC patient, we propose to substitute RNA prepared from a well characterized highly immunogenic RCC cell line (RCC-26 tumor cells) as a generic source of TAAs for loading of DCs. We demonstrate here that efficient RNA transfer can be achieved using lipofection of immature DCs, which are subsequently matured with a cytokine cocktail to express high levels of MHC and costimulatory molecules as well as the chemokine receptor CCR7.

Cell-based vaccines for renal cell carcinoma: genetically-engineered tumor cells and monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Initial vaccine developments for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have concentrated on cell-based approaches in which tumor cells themselves provide mixtures of unknown tumor-associated antigens as immunizing agents. Antigens derived from autologous tumors can direct responses to molecular composites characteristic of individual tumors, whereas antigens derived from allogeneic tumor cells must be commonly shared by RCC. Three types of cell-based vaccine for RCC have been investigated: isolated tumor cell suspensions, gene modified tumor cells and dendritic cells (DCs) expressing RCC-associated antigens.