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A soft-hearted approach to healing

Cardiac fibroblasts can be directly reprogrammed to form beating heart muscle cells on soft surfaces that match the elasticity of native myocardium. This approach shows increased functional maturation and spontaneously beating iCMs, with implications for treating heart failure and myocardial infarction.

SourceUniversity of Tsukuba·JournalStem Cell Reports·DateAug 30, 2020

How do scars form? Fascia function as a repository of mobile scar tissue

Researchers found that fascia tissue is the origin of scars and contains specialized fibroblasts that pre-assemble to heal wounds. This discovery challenges traditional views of wound healing and opens up new biological concepts for scar-related diseases, potentially leading to novel therapeutic approaches.

Mayo scientists reverse fibrosis in preclinical studies

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified a way to slow and reverse fibrosis by targeting a dopamine receptor, which blocks the growth of scar-forming cells. The approach reversed fibrotic processes in lung and liver models, offering a new treatment concept for fibrotic diseases.

SourceMayo Clinic·JournalScience Translational Medicine·DateOct 30, 2019

New insights into the healing capacity of the heart

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine discovered that inactivating the Hippo pathway in cardiac fibroblasts promotes cardiac fibrosis and adversely affects cardiac function. This finding highlights the need for specific targeting of the Hippo pathway in cardiac muscle cells for safe and effective heart failure therapy.

SourceBaylor College of Medicine·JournalGenes & Development·DateSep 25, 2019

Bioengineers explore cardiac tissue remodeling after aortic valve replacement procedures

Researchers create biomaterial-based models of heart tissues to understand the impact of aortic valve replacement procedures on cardiac tissue remodeling. The study reveals key proteins associated with myofibroblast deactivation and offers potential for developing innovative therapies for fibrotic diseases of the heart.

SourceUniversity of Colorado at Boulder·JournalScience Translational Medicine·DateSep 11, 2019

Gene-edited disease monkeys cloned in China

A team of scientists has successfully cloned gene-edited monkeys with disease phenotypes using somatic cell nuclear transfer. The monkeys, which exhibit circadian disorder phenotypes, can be used to study the pathogenesis and therapeutic treatments for human diseases such as sleep disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

SourceScience China Press·JournalNational Science Review·DateJan 23, 2019

Turning cells against pancreatic cancer

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have identified molecular signals that can convert tumor-promoting fibroblasts into beneficial ones in pancreatic tumors. By manipulating these signals, they aim to recruit tumor-restricting cells into the anticancer fight and develop a combination therapy approach.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalCancer Discovery·DateOct 26, 2018

Cardiac macrophages found to contribute to a currently untreatable type of heart failure

A Massachusetts General Hospital team discovered that macrophages, immune cells known for removing debris, are actively involved in the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Elevated levels of inflammatory cardiac macrophages were found in both mouse models and human patients with HFpEF.

SourceMassachusetts General Hospital·JournalJournal of Experimental Medicine·DateFeb 14, 2018

CNIO researchers discover a potential new therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer

CNIO researchers have identified a subpopulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts that foster tumour growth and discovered the Saa3 gene as a key player. Eliminating this gene reprograms the cells, losing their pro-tumour properties, opening a new avenue for therapeutic strategies.

SourceCentro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO)·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateFeb 1, 2018

Exploring periodontitis in patients with Chédiak-Higashi syndrome

A study explores the relationship between Chédiak-Higashi syndrome and periodontitis, revealing that LYST mutations affect TLRs and lead to a dysregulated immune response. Classic CHS patients with bone marrow transplantation exhibited mild chronic periodontitis, while atypical CHS patients showed no evidence of aggressive periodontitis.

SourceInternational Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research·JournalJDR Clinical & Translational Research·DateAug 31, 2017