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Chai YC, To SK, Simorgh S, Zaunz S, Zhu Y, Ahuja K, Lemaitre A, Ramezankhani R, van der Veer BK, Wierda K, Verhulst S, van Grunsven LA, Pasque V, Verfaillie C. Spatially Self-Organized Three-Dimensional Neural Concentroid as a Novel Reductionist Humanized Model to Study Neurovascular Development. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2024; 11:e2304421. [PMID: 38037510 PMCID: PMC10837345 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202304421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Although human pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived brain organoids have enabled researchers to gain insight into human brain development and disease, these organoids contain solely ectodermal cells and are not vascularized as occurs during brain development. Here it is created less complex and more homogenous large neural constructs starting from PSC-derived neuroprogenitor cells (NPC), by fusing small NPC spheroids into so-called concentroids. Such concentroids consisted of a pro-angiogenic core, containing neuronal and outer radial glia cells, surrounded by an astroglia-dense outer layer. Incorporating PSC-derived endothelial cells (EC) around and/or in the concentroids promoted vascularization, accompanied by differential outgrowth and differentiation of neuronal and astroglia cells, as well as the development of ectodermal-derived pericyte-like mural cells co-localizing with EC networks. Single nucleus transcriptomic analysis revealed an enhanced neural cell subtype maturation and diversity in EC-containing concentroids, which better resemble the fetal human brain compared to classical organoids or NPC-only concentroids. This PSC-derived "vascularized" concentroid brain model will facilitate the study of neurovascular/blood-brain barrier development, neural cell migration, and the development of effective in vitro vascularization strategies of brain mimics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoke Chin Chai
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - San Kit To
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationLeuven Institute for Single Cell Omics (LISCO)KU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Susan Simorgh
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Samantha Zaunz
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - YingLi Zhu
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Karan Ahuja
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Alix Lemaitre
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Roya Ramezankhani
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Bernard K. van der Veer
- Laboratory for Stem Cell and Developmental EpigeneticsDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Keimpe Wierda
- Electrophysiology Expert UnitVIB‐KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuven3000Belgium
| | - Stefaan Verhulst
- Liver Cell Biology Research GroupVrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)Brussels1090Belgium
| | - Leo A. van Grunsven
- Liver Cell Biology Research GroupVrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)Brussels1090Belgium
| | - Vincent Pasque
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationLeuven Institute for Single Cell Omics (LISCO)KU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Catherine Verfaillie
- Stem Cell Institute LeuvenDepartment of Development and RegenerationKU Leuven, O&N4, Herestraat 49Leuven3000Belgium
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Minaei N, Ramezankhani R, Tamimi A, Piryaei A, Zarrabi A, Aref AR, Mostafavi E, Vosough M. Immunotherapeutic approaches in Hepatocellular carcinoma: Building blocks of hope in near future. Eur J Cell Biol 2023; 102:151284. [PMID: 36584598 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2022.151284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary hepatic cancer and is among the major causes of mortality due to cancer. Due to the lack of efficient conventional therapeutic options for this cancer, particularly in advanced cases, novel treatments including immunotherapy have been considered. However, despite the encouraging clinical outcomes after implementing these innovative approaches, such as oncolytic viruses (OVs), adoptive cell therapies (ACT), immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs), and cancer vaccines, several factors have restricted their therapeutic effect. The main concern is the existence of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Combination of different ICBs or ICBs plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors have shown promising results in overcoming these limiting factors to some extent. Combination of programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) antibody Atezolizumab and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody Bevacizumab has become the standard of care in the first-line therapy for untestable HCC, approved by regulatory agencies. This paper highlighted a wide overview of the direct and indirect immunotherapeutic strategies proposed for the treatment of HCC patients and the common challenges that have hindered their further clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Minaei
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran; Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran; Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran; Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Atena Tamimi
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Piryaei
- Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Zarrabi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Istanbul 34396, Turkey
| | - Amir Reza Aref
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ebrahim Mostafavi
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Massoud Vosough
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran; Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran; Experimental Cancer Medicine, Institution for Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital-Huddinge, Sweden.
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Ramezankhani R, Ghavidel AA, Rashidi S, Rojhannezhad M, Abolkheir HR, Mirhosseini M, Taleahmad S, Vosough M. Gender-related differentially expressed genes in pancreatic cancer: possible culprits or accomplices? Front Genet 2022; 13:966941. [DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.966941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide, and its incidence and mortality rate in several regions is higher in male patients. Although numerous efforts have been made to enhance the clinical outcomes of existing therapeutic regimens, their efficiency is still low, and drug resistance usually occurs in many patients. In addition, the exact underlying molecular basis that makes PC slightly more prevalent among males remains unknown. Providing information regarding the possible association between gender and PC tumorigenesis may offer important clues for how certain molecular cross-talks can affect PC initiation and/or progression. In this study, we used several microarray expression data to identify the common up- and downregulated genes within one specific gender, which were also specified to have binding sites for androgen and/or estrogen receptors. Using functional enrichment analysis among the others, for all the gene sets found in this study, we have shed light on the plausible importance of the androgenic effectors in tumorigenesis, such as the androgen-regulated expression of the GLI transcription factor and the potential role of testosterone in the extracellular matrix (ECM)–cell interaction, which are known for their importance in tumorigenesis. Moreover, we demonstrated that the biological process axon guidance was highlighted regarding the upregulated genes in male patients. Overall, identification of gene candidates as the possible link between gender and PC progression or survival rates may help in developing strategies to reduce the incidence of this cancer.
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Ramezankhani R, Solhi R, Chai YC, Vosough M, Verfaillie C. Organoid and microfluidics-based platforms for drug screening in COVID-19. Drug Discov Today 2022; 27:1062-1076. [PMID: 34954328 PMCID: PMC8695520 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Proposing efficient prophylactic and therapeutic strategies for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) requires precise knowledge of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogenesis. An array of platforms, including organoids and microfluidic devices, have provided a basis for studies of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we summarize available models as well as novel drug screening approaches, from simple to more advanced platforms. Notably, organoids and microfluidic devices offer promising perspectives for the clinical translation of basic science, such as screening therapeutics candidates. Overall, modifying these advanced micro and macro 3D platforms for disease modeling and combining them with recent advances in drug screening has significant potential for the discovery of novel potent drugs against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Science and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran,Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Leuven, Belgium,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Roya Solhi
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran,Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yoke Chin Chai
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Massoud Vosough
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Science and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Catherine Verfaillie
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
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Ramezankhani R, Minaei N, Haddadi M, Solhi R, Taleahmad S. The impact of sex on susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis; a bioinformatics point of view. Cell Signal 2021; 88:110171. [PMID: 34662716 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2021.110171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The unknown etiology of systemic autoimmune diseases, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), with a remarkable predominance of female, have prompted many researchers for unveiling the precise molecular mechanisms involved in this gender bias. In fact, depending on hormones and transcribed genes from sex chromosomes, at least, the initial mechanisms involved in pathogenesis might differ largely. With the aim of elucidating the above mechanisms, we have tried to specify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) extracted from microarray libraries from both female and male SLE and RA patients. Subsequently, the androgen and estrogen receptor elements (ARE and ERE) among differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) and the DEGs located on X or Y chromosomes have been determined. Moreover, the pathways regarding the common DEGs in both sexes are enriched. Our data revealed several ARE and ERE-containing genes (LCN2, LTF, RPL31, RPL9, RPS17, RPS24, RPS27L, S100A8, ABCA1, HIST1H2BD, ISG15, MAFB, GNLY, EVL, and HDC) to be associated with the related autoimmune disease and sex. Also, two DEGs (KDM5D and RPS4Y1) in SLE patients were determined to be on Y chromosome with one had been proved to be associated with autoantigens in SLE. Altogether, our data showed a number of plausible pathways in both autoimmune conditions together with the relevance of several sex-related genes in the mentioned diseases pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Science and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, ACER, Tehran, Iran; Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Neda Minaei
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Science and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, ACER, Tehran, Iran; Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahnaz Haddadi
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Roya Solhi
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sara Taleahmad
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
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Nami F, Ramezankhani R, Vandenabeele M, Vervliet T, Vogels K, Urano F, Verfaillie C. Fast and Efficient Generation of Isogenic Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines Using Adenine Base Editing. CRISPR J 2021; 4:502-518. [PMID: 34406036 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2021.0006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines are currently mostly created by homology directed repair evoked by a double-strand break (DSB) generated by CRISPR-Cas9. However, this process is in general lengthy and inefficient. This problem can be overcome, specifically for correction or insertion of transition mutations, by using base editing (BE). BE does not require DSB formation, hence avoiding creation of genomic off-target breaks and insertions and deletions, and as it is highly efficient, it also does not require integration of selection cassettes in the genome to enrich for edited cells. BE has been successfully used in many cell types as well as in some in vivo settings to correct or insert mutations, but very few studies have reported generation of isogenic iPSC lines using BE. Here, we describe a simple and fast workflow to generate isogenic iPSCs efficiently with a compound heterozygous or a homozygous Wolfram syndrome 1 (WFS1) mutation using adenine BE, without the need to include a genomic selection cassette and without off-target modifications. We demonstrated that correctly base-edited clones can be generated by screening only five cell clones in less than a month, provided that the mutation is positioned in a correct place with regards to the protospacer adjacent motif sequence and no putative bystander bases exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeharefeh Nami
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Stamcelinstituut, Leuven, Belgium; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Stamcelinstituut, Leuven, Belgium; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Marjan Vandenabeele
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Stamcelinstituut, Leuven, Belgium; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration Research Group, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Tim Vervliet
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Signaling, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Kristy Vogels
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Stamcelinstituut, Leuven, Belgium; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Fumihiko Urano
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Catherine Verfaillie
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Stamcelinstituut, Leuven, Belgium; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Ramezankhani R, Torabi S, Minaei N, Madani H, Rezaeiani S, Hassani SN, Gee AP, Dominici M, Silva DN, Baharvand H, Hajizadeh-Saffar E. Two Decades of Global Progress in Authorized Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products: An Emerging Revolution in Therapeutic Strategies. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:547653. [PMID: 33392179 PMCID: PMC7773756 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.547653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) to the global pharma market has been revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry and has opened new routes for treating various types of cancers and incurable diseases. In the past two decades, a noticeable part of clinical practices has been devoting progressively to these products. The first step to develop such an ATMP product is to be familiar with other approved products to obtain a general view about this industry trend. The present paper depicts an overall perspective of approved ATMPs in different countries, while reflecting the degree of their success in a clinical point of view and highlighting their main safety issues and also related market size as a whole. In this regard, published articles regarding safety, efficacy, and market size of approved ATMPs were reviewed using the search engines PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. For some products which the related papers were not available, data on the relevant company website were referenced. In this descriptive study, we have introduced and classified approved cell, gene, and tissue engineering-based products by different regulatory agencies, along with their characteristics, manufacturer, indication, approval date, related regulatory agency, dosage, product description, price and published data about their safety and efficacy. In addition, to gain insights about the commercial situation of each product, we have gathered accessible sale reports and market size information that pertain to some of these products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Sciences and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shukoofeh Torabi
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Sciences and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Neda Minaei
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Sciences and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hoda Madani
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Sciences and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Siamak Rezaeiani
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyedeh Nafiseh Hassani
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product Technology Development Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Adrian P. Gee
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Massimo Dominici
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Daniela Nascimento Silva
- Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Health Institute of Technology, SENAI-CIMATEC, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Hossein Baharvand
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product Technology Development Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ensiyeh Hajizadeh-Saffar
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Sciences and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
- Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product Technology Development Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
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Ramezankhani R, Solhi R, Es HA, Vosough M, Hassan M. Novel molecular targets in gastric adenocarcinoma. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 220:107714. [PMID: 33172596 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. A high mortality rate and resistance to treatment protocols due to a heterogeneous molecular pathogenesis has made discovering the key etiologic molecular alterations of the utmost importance. The remarkable role played by epigenetic modifications in repressing or activating many cancer-related genes and forming new epigenetic signatures can affect cancer initiation and progression. Hence, targeting the key epigenetic drivers could potentially attenuate cancer progression. MLLs, ARID1A and EZH2 are among the major epigenetic players that are frequently mutated in GACs. In this paper, we have proposed the existence of a network between these proteins that, together with PCAF and KDM6A, control the 3D chromatin structure and regulate the expression of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) and oncogenes in GAC. Therefore, we suggest that manipulating the expression of EZH2, PCAF, and KDM6A or their downstream targets may reduce the cancerous phenotype in GAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, Faculty of Basic Science and Advanced Medical Technologies, Royan Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran; Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roya Solhi
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Massoud Vosough
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran; Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Moustapha Hassan
- Experimental Cancer Medicine, Institution for Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; ECM, Clinical research center (KFC), Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Sweden.
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Ramezankhani R, Minaei N, Haddadi M, Torabi S, Hesaraki M, Mirzaei H, Vosough M, Verfaillie CM. Gene editing technology for improving life quality: A dream coming true? Clin Genet 2020; 99:67-83. [PMID: 32506418 DOI: 10.1111/cge.13794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The fact that monogenic diseases are related to mutations in one specific gene, make gene correction one of the promising strategies in the future to treat genetic diseases or alleviate their symptoms. From this perspective, and along with recent advances in technology, genome editing tools have gained momentum and developed fast. In fact, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) are regarded as novel technologies which are able to correct a number of genetic aberrations in vitro and in vivo. The number of ongoing clinical trials employing these tools has been increased showing the encouraging outcomes of these tools. However, there are still some major challenges with respect to the safety profile and directed delivery of them. In this paper, we provided updated information regarding the history, nature, methods of delivery, and application of the above-mentioned gene editing tools along with the meganucleases (an older similar tool) based on published in vitro and in vivo studies and introduced clinical trials which employed these technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Neda Minaei
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahnaz Haddadi
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shukoofeh Torabi
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Hesaraki
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamed Mirzaei
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Massoud Vosough
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Catherine M Verfaillie
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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10
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Farivar S, Ramezankhani R, Mohajerani E, Ghazimoradi MH, Shiari R. Gene Expression Analysis of Chondrogenic Markers in Hair Follicle Dermal Papillae Cells Under the Effect of Laser Photobiomodulation and the Synovial Fluid. J Lasers Med Sci 2019; 10:171-178. [PMID: 31749941 DOI: 10.15171/jlms.2019.27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Regarding the limited ability of the damaged cartilage cells to self-renew, which is due to their specific tissue structure, subtle damages can usually cause diseases such as osteoarthritis. In this work, using laser photobiomodulation and an interesting source of growth factors cocktail called the synovial fluid, we analyzed the chondrogenic marker genes in treated hair follicle dermal papilla cells as an accessible source of cells with relatively high differentiation potential. Methods: Dermal papilla cells were isolated from rat whisker hair follicle (Rattus norvegicus) and established cell cultures were treated with a laser (gallium aluminum arsenide diode Laser (λ=780 nm, 30 mW) at 5 J/cm2 ), the synovial fluid, and a combination of both. After 1, 4, 7, and 14 days, the morphological changes were evaluated and the expression levels of four chondrocyte marker genes (Col2a1, Sox-9, Col10a1, and Runx-2) were assessed by the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: It was monitored that treating cells with laser irradiation can accelerate the rate of proliferation of cells. The morphology of the cells treated with the synovial fluid altered considerably as in the fourth day they surprisingly looked like cultured articular chondrocytes. The gene expression analysis showed that all genes were up-regulated until the day 14 following the treatments although not equally in all the cell groups. Moreover, the cell groups treated with both irradiation and the synovial fluid had a significantly augmented expression in gene markers. Conclusion: Based on the gene expression levels and the morphological changes, we concluded that the synovial fluid can have the potential to make the dermal papilla cells to most likely mimic the chondrogenic and/or osteogenic differentiation, although this process seems to be augmented by the irradiation of the low-level laser.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Farivar
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, General Campus, Tehran, Iran
| | - Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, General Campus, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ezedin Mohajerani
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, General Campus, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hosein Ghazimoradi
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, General Campus, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Shiari
- Laser Application in Medical Sciences Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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