Project description:RNA seq analysis on cardiac tissue samples 21 days after the intramyocardial injection of an acellular hydrogel in infarcted sheep hearts.
Project description:Background MicroRNAs are potent regulators of biology and disease. The miR-15 family has been shown to regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation and antimiR-based inhibition induces a cardioprotective effect after myocardial infarction in mice. However, systemic delivery of antimiRs leads to accumulation in kidneys and liver, with relatively poor cardiac exposure. pH-responsive injectable hydrogels serve as a sustained-release drug delivery depot and could potentially be used to improve cardiac efficacy of antimiR therapeutics. Objective Examine whether hydrogel can improve local delivery of antimiR-195 in ischemic hearts to increase cardiac efficacy and limit off-target effects. Methods Study the effect of intramyocardial injections of hydrogel-formulated antimiR-195 under both baseline conditions and after ischemic injury. Results Intracardiac injections of UPy-PEG induced a transient inflammatory response that was no longer present 7 days post-injection. In vitro experiments showed that antimiR-195 was released from the gel, and induced microRNA inhibition leading to downstream cardiomyocyte proliferation. In vivo, intramyocardial delivery of antimiR-195 in UPy-PEG enhanced cardiac target de-repression compared to PBS-dissolved antimiR-195, despite a low cardiac retention. After ischemic injury, this translated into a greater therapeutic effect by increasing both target de-repression and cardiomyocyte proliferation. Conclusions UPy-PEG can be used as a cardiac delivery vehicle of antimiRs and intramyocardial injection of UPy-PEG formulated antimiR-195 is sufficient to improve cardiac efficacy of antimiR-195. Follow up experiments in large animals will enable us to assess the true added value of using UPy-PEG to increase cardiac exposure of antimiR therapies.
Project description:Purpose: rHCI hydrogel injection improves cardiac function within 2 days of treatment in a mouse model of myocardial infarction. The goal of this study was to determine the differences in gene expression with rHCI hydrogel injection post-myocardial infarction. Methods: Total RNA was isolated from left ventricle tissue of samples and mRNA stranded libraries were prepared and sequenced in Illumina NovaSeq 6000 with a depth of 50 million reads per sample. Differential expression analysis of aligned reads was done to compared gene expression between PBS vs. rHCI, PBS vs. sham, and rHCI vs. sham comparisons. Results: Differentially expressed genes between sham and PBS as well as rHCI and PBS showed known gene signatures of myocardial infarction. Seven differentially expressed genes were detected with rHCI hydrogel injection compared to PBS. Conclusions: The target gene ERDR1 that is downregulated with rHCI injection led to discovery of changes in cardiomyocyte apoptosis and reduction of oxidative stress adducts with rHCI injection post-myocardial infarction.
Project description:Background MicroRNAs are potent regulators of biology and disease. The miR-15 family has been shown to regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation and antimiR-based inhibition induces a cardioprotective effect after myocardial infarction in mice. However, systemic delivery of antimiRs leads to accumulation in kidneys and liver, with relatively poor cardiac exposure. pH-responsive injectable hydrogels serve as a sustained-release drug delivery depot and could potentially be used to improve cardiac efficacy of antimiR therapeutics. Objective Examine whether hydrogel can improve local delivery of antimiR-195 in ischemic hearts to increase cardiac efficacy and limit off-target effects. Methods Study the effect of intramyocardial injections of hydrogel-formulated antimiR-195 under both baseline conditions and after ischemic injury. Results Intracardiac injections of UPy-PEG induced a transient inflammatory response that was no longer present 7 days post-injection. In vitro experiments showed that antimiR-195 was released from the gel, and induced microRNA inhibition leading to downstream cardiomyocyte proliferation. In vivo, intramyocardial delivery of antimiR-195 in UPy-PEG enhanced cardiac target de-repression compared to PBS-dissolved antimiR-195, despite a low cardiac retention. After ischemic injury, this translated into a greater therapeutic effect by increasing both target de-repression and cardiomyocyte proliferation. Conclusions UPy-PEG can be used as a cardiac delivery vehicle of antimiRs and intramyocardial injection of UPy-PEG formulated antimiR-195 is sufficient to improve cardiac efficacy of antimiR-195. Follow up experiments in large animals will enable us to assess the true added value of using UPy-PEG to increase cardiac exposure of antimiR therapies.
Project description:DNA barcodes can be used to identify single cells in a sequencing data space while optical codes can be used to track single live cells in an image data space. We have developed dual image and DNA (ID)-coding, which identifies individual single cells in both live image and sequencing data spaces. Samples provided here are relevant to proof-of-concept studies of ID-coding presented in the associated publication. DNA barcoded micro-particles were encapsulated in hydrogel droplets with or without single cells. The hydrogel droplets were then subjected to “single-droplet sequencing” where whole polyA-bearing nucleic acid components within a hydrogel droplet (i.e. mRNA from cells and synthetic DNA on beads) were concatenated by the same cell barcodes.
Project description:Explore the role of these hydrogels in wound healing, this study assessed the effects of both, Dersani Hydrogel with Alginate (DHA) and Dersani Hydrogel (DH), in human skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts gene expression profiles in a wound healing context. Sodium alginate (SA) and culture medium were also included as controls.
Project description:We investigated the ALDH2*2 genetic polymorphism and its underlying mechanisms for the first time in a human model system of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) generated from individuals carrying the most common heterozygous form of the ALDH2*2 genotype. We showed that the ALDH2*2 mutation confers elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and toxic aldehydes such as 4HNE, thereby inducing cell cycle arrest and activation of apoptotic signaling pathways, especially during ischemic injury. ALDH2 exerts control of cell survival decisions via modulation of oxidative stress levels. This regulatory circuitry was found to be dysfunctional in the loss-of-function ALDH2*2 genotype, causing upregulation of apoptosis in cardiomyocytes following ischemic insult. These results reveal a novel function of the metabolic enzyme ALDH2 in modulation of cell survival decisions. Molecular mechanism of increased ischemic damage in cardiomyocytes of ALDH2*2 genotype.