The Tissue #6: Some brief thoughts in turbulent times
And, as always, the latest tissue engineering news
Hello enthusiasts for living materials of all sorts,
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’re familiar with the inextricable links between our health—both personal and public—and the larger political landscape that envelops us.
From what kind of research gets funded to who pays for the resulting therapies, politics can ultimately shape how biotechnologies serve the public and win or lose our trust.
As scientists, we often say that “data tells stories,” and our country’s leaders have the powerful opportunity to directly shape and respond to those stories by issuing public funding, calling upon expert reports and testimonies, and writing or repealing laws and policies.
Our presidents do similar shaping. They frequently act on their own through executive order, such as when President Bush cut off federal funding for the creation of new embryonic stem cell lines in 2001, which Obama later reinstated in 2009. But they also act in conjunction with Congress, such as when President Biden championed the passage of the 2022 bill that created ARPA-H, this country’s $1.5 billion annual investment accelerating the next generation of health technologies.
Presidential administrations have engaged scientists during times of crisis, for which the Trump administration assembled “Operation Warp Speed,” the $18 billion initiative to accelerate Covid-19 vaccine development, enabling the bioeconomy to translate Nobel-Prize-winning science into the real world. And presidents have also minimized scientists’ concerns during times of profound uncertainty, for which Ronald Reagan’s public silence on the AIDS epidemic is the most enduring example.
We are now entering a new phase of American politics, one led by a man whose relationship with scientific research and observation is oftentimes controversial, if not harmful, who historically placed and promises to place anti-science individuals in positions of power.
How this upcoming administration shapes the next chapter of biomedical research is yet to be seen, but it is obvious that the political decisions made at the polls will continue to affect what scientific research gets funded, how it is acted upon, and who it will benefit.
With that in mind, Fleshy Futures continues to highlight excellent biomedical research and the incredible people who conduct it. Please find a small selection of some of this fall’s most exciting research from the field of regenerative medicine below. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading.
New and Interesting Publications
I’ve written extensively about Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP-2), spinal fusions, and their many challenges. However, this latest spinal fusion study conducted in sheep may help rewrite that story. Researchers in collaboration with Theradaptive tested a new recombinant BMP-2 molecule called AMP2, specifically designed to “bind to the calcium phosphate component of a carrier matrix,” helping to prolong the retention of AMP2 on the carrier and reduce off-target effects. The team tested both a low dose and a high dose of AMP2 soaked into 70% beta-tricalcium phosphate, 30% PLGA matrix and compared the results to the clinical gold standard: iliac bone crest autografts. All grafts were packed into a PEEK fusion cage. They found that their OsteoAdapt SP scaffolds accelerated bone formation at 8 weeks and performed similarly to bone autografts by 26 weeks. Theradaptive is currently recruiting candidates for clinical testing of the OsteoAdapt SP as part of their “Oasis Trial.”
Phase I clinical trial found engineered autologous nasal cartilage grafts to be safe 12 months following the repair of nasal septal perforations in 5 patients
In this phase I clinical trial out of Switzerland, autologous nasal septum chondrocyte grafts (known as N-TEC) proved safe in 5 patients following their use repairing nasal septal perforations. For the study, each patient underwent an initial biopsy of their nasal cartilage. Chondrocytes from these biopsies were then expanded in attachment culture and seeded onto collagen I/III membranes, which matured in chondrogenic media for two weeks. Plastic surgeons then used these personalized mature grafts to repair perforations in patients’ nasal cartilage. No patients suffered severe adverse reactions as a result of the N-TEC graft during the 12 month follow up period. Previously, N-TEC grafts were tested in a separate clinical study treating patients with knee cartilage lesions.
Gene-edited autologous hematopoietic stem cells increased fetal hemoglobin circulation and reduced acute pain crises in patients with sickle cell anemia
The autologous cell therapy craze continues in this month’s Tissue with the results of a very exciting Phase I/II clinical study delivering gene-edited hematopoietic stem cells to patients with sickle cell anemia. The hallmark of sickle cell anemia, an inherited disease, is the sickle-shaped, rigid red blood cells that often cause painful blood flow blockages known as vaso-occlusive crises (VOS) in those who live with the disease. For this clinical trial, scientists genetically edited patients’ own CD34+ hematopoietic stem progenitor cells to express fetal hemoglobin, which were then administered to patients in a single IV infusion. All 7 patients experienced an increase in fetal hemoglobin circulation that was sustained through the study duration. The rate of VOS across the patient cohort was also greatly reduced following the cell therapy infusion. As of publication, three of seven patients finished two years of follow up and the trial remains ongoing.
“Interleukin receptor therapeutics attenuate inflammation in canine synovium following cruciate ligament injury”
Full disclosure, Dr. Lemmon and I work in the same lab. Her latest paper out last month in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage characterizes synovitis (ie. inflammation of the synovial tissue that lines our joints) in patient dogs with naturally occurring spontaneous cruciate ligament injury, mapping the host of mechanical and transcriptional changes that occur after knee injury. She went on to test the anti-inflammatory effect of two different interleukin receptor therapies on this canine patient synovium. As both a veterinarian and a PhD holder, Dr. Lemmon has the incredible opportunity to investigate how osteoarthritis treatments may help both canine and human patients.
“Sericin coats of silk fibres, a degumming waste or future material?”
You may know that I am fascinated by silk. It is an incredible material with a host of unique properties found no where else in nature and somehow (I think quite magically) made in the bodies of living organisms. In general, silk fibers are made of two proteins: fibroin—the protein core of the silk fiber—and sericin—its outer coating. Historically, tissue engineers and other biomedical scientists were only interested in using fibroin as a material for therapies, but this new paper provides an excellent perspective on the possibility of using sericin, which is typically discarded during the process of fibroin extraction, as a next generation material for a range of applications, including scaffolding and drug delivery. It is truly a must read for all silk enthusiasts!
Until next time,
Matthew
Have news you want to share with the Fleshy Futures community, leave it in the comments below!
Great post once again, thanks for sharing these poignant insights Matt!