In Vitro FVIII Encoding Transgenic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Maintain A Successful Coagulation in FVIII- Deficient Plasma Mimicking Hemophilia A

What is the rationale for mesenchymal stromal cells based therapies in the management of hemophilic arthropathies?

Hemophilia A and B are rare X-linked genetic bleeding disorders due to a complete or partial deficiency in the coagulation factors VIII or IX, respectively. The main treatment for hemophilia is prophylactic and based on coagulation factor replacement therapies. These treatments have significantly reduced bleeding and improved the patients' quality of life. Nevertheless, repeated joint bleedings (hemarthroses), even subclinical hemarthroses, can lead to hemophilic arthropathy (HA). This disabling condition is characterized by chronic pain due to synovial inflammation, cartilage and bone destruction requiring ultimately joint replacement. HA resembles to rheumatoid arthritis because of synovitis but HA is considered as having similarities with osteoarthritis as illustrated by the migration of immune cells, production of inflammatory cytokines, synovial hypertrophy and cartilage damage. Various drugs have been evaluated for the management of HA with limited success. The objective of the review is to discuss new therapeutic approaches with a special focus on the studies that have investigated the potential of using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in the management of HA. A systematic review of the literature has been made. Most of the studies have focused on the interest of MSCs for the delivery of missing factors VIII or IX but in some studies, more insight on the effect of MSC injection on synovial inflammation or cartilage structure were provided and put in perspective for possible clinical applications.

Third-generation sequencing for genetic disease

Third-generation sequencing (TGS) has led to a brave new revolution in detecting genetic diseases over the last few years. TGS has been rapidly developed for genetic disease applications owing to its significant advantages such as long read length, rapid detection, and precise detection of complex and rare structural variants. This approach greatly improves the efficiency of disease diagnosis and complements the shortcomings of short-read sequencing. In this paper, we first briefly introduce the working mechanism of one of the most important representatives of TGS, single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing by Pacific Bioscience (PacBio), followed by a review and comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of different sequencing technologies. Finally, we focused on the progress of SMRT sequencing applications in genetic disease detection. Future perspectives on the applications of TGS in other fields were also presented. With the continuous innovation of the SMRT technologies and the expansion of their fields of application, SMRT sequencing has broad clinical application prospects in genetic diseases detection, and is expected to become an important tool for the molecular diagnosis of other diseases.