Publications by authors named "Wai-In Ho"

We seek to demonstrate whether therapeutic efficacy can be improved by combination of repeated intravenous administration and local transplantation of human induced pluripotential stem cell derived MSCs (hiPSC-MSCs). In this study, mice model of hind-limb ischemia is established by ligation of left femoral artery. hiPSC-MSCs (5 × 10) is intravenously administrated immediately after induction of hind limb ischemia with or without following intravenous administration of hiPSC-MSCs every week or every 3 days.

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Article Synopsis
  • Wilson's disease (WD) is a genetic disorder leading to copper accumulation in the liver, causing serious damage if left untreated, and current therapies mainly address the symptoms rather than the root causes.
  • In a study using a mouse model of WD, liposome-encapsulated curcumin (LEC) was administered, which significantly improved liver health by reducing inflammation, enhancing lipid metabolism, and decreasing liver damage markers.
  • The mechanism behind LEC's effectiveness includes reducing immune cell infiltration in the liver and lowering levels of inflammatory cytokines, making it a promising potential treatment for WD and other similar liver conditions.
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ASGR1 is a liver-specific surface marker that has been used to purify human pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived hepatocytes (iHeps). Furthermore, ASGR1 iHeps represents a more mature subpopulation of iHeps. To utilize this marker for optimizing iHep differentiation and purification, we substituted the stop coden of ASGR1 with a fluorescent reporter protein mCherry in a human iPSC line iPSN0052 via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homologus recombination.

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Article Synopsis
  • Primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) are important for studying human liver functions but can’t be easily expanded in labs.
  • FRG mice are excellent models for cultivating these cells, allowing researchers to create humanized livers for better disease and drug studies.
  • The chapter explains how to create these chimeric FRG mice and isolate an expanded number of PHHs, potentially increasing their yield over 100 times for research purposes.
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Background & Aims: Wilson's disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism caused by loss-of-function mutations in , which encodes a copper-transporting protein. It is characterized by excessive copper deposition in tissues, predominantly in the liver and brain. We sought to investigate whether gene-corrected patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hepatocytes (iHeps) could serve as an autologous cell source for cellular transplantation therapy in WD.

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Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is mostly caused by low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) mutations and results in an increased risk of early-onset cardiovascular disease due to marked elevation of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) in blood. Statins are the first line of lipid-lowering drugs for treating FH and other types of hypercholesterolemia, but new approaches are emerging, in particular PCSK9 antibodies, which are now being tested in clinical trials. To explore novel therapeutic approaches for FH, either new drugs or new formulations, we need appropriate in vivo models.

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