Polyglycerol-Amine Covered Nanosheets Target Cell-Free DNA to Attenuate Acute Kidney Injury

Increased levels of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Scavenging cfDNA by nanomaterials is regarded as a promising remedy for cfDNA-associated diseases, but a nanomaterial-based cfDNA scavenging strategy has not yet been reported for AKI treatment. Herein, polyglycerol-amine (PGA)-covered MoS2 nanosheets with suitable size are synthesized to bind negatively charged cfDNA in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo models. The nanosheets exhibit higher cfDNA binding capacity than polymer PGA and PGA-based nanospheres owing to the flexibility and crimpability of their 2D backbone. Moreover, with low cytotoxicity and mild protein adsorption, the nanosheets effectively reduced serum cfDNA levels and predominantly accumulated in the kidneys to inhibit the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps and renal inflammation, thereby alleviating both lipopolysaccharide and ischemia-reperfusion induced AKI in mice. Further, they decreased the serum cfDNA levels in samples from AKI patients. Thus, PGA-covered MoS2 nanosheets can serve as a potent cfDNA scavenger for treating AKI and other cfDNA-associated diseases. In addition, this work demonstrates the pivotal feature of a 2D sheet-like structure in the development of the cfDNA scavenger, which can provide a new insight into the future design of nanoplatforms for modulating inflammation.

Reverting the molecular fingerprint of tumor dormancy as a therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is an aggressive and invasive brain malignancy with high mortality rates despite current treatment modalities. In this study, we show that a 7-gene signature, previously found to govern the switch of glioblastomas from dormancy to aggressive tumor growth, correlates with improved overall survival of patients with glioblastoma. Using glioblastoma dormancy models, we validated the role of 2 genes from the signature, thrombospondin-1 ( TSP-1) and epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR), as regulators of glioblastoma dormancy and explored their therapeutic potential. EGFR up-regulation was reversed using EGFR small interfering RNA polyplex, antibody, or small-molecule inhibitor. The diminished function of TSP-1 was augmented via a peptidomimetic. The combination of EGFR inhibition and TSP-1 restoration led to enhanced therapeutic efficacy in vitro, in 3-dimensional patient-derived spheroids, and in a subcutaneous human glioblastoma model in vivo. Systemic administration of the combination therapy to mice bearing intracranial murine glioblastoma resulted in marginal therapeutic outcomes, probably due to brain delivery challenges, p53 mutation status, and the aggressive nature of the selected cell line. Nevertheless, this study provides a proof of concept for exploiting regulators of tumor dormancy for glioblastoma therapy. This therapeutic strategy can be exploited for future investigations using a variety of therapeutic entities that manipulate the expression of dormancy-associated genes in glioblastoma as well as in other cancer types.-Tiram, G., Ferber, S., Ofek, P., Eldar-Boock, A., Ben-Shushan, D., Yeini, E., Krivitsky, A., Blatt, R., Almog, N., Henkin, J., Amsalem, O., Yavin, E., Cohen, G., Lazarovici, P., Lee, J. S., Ruppin, E., Milyavsky, M., Grossman, R., Ram, Z., Calderón, M., Haag, R., Satchi-Fainaro, R. Reverting the molecular fingerprint of tumor dormancy as a therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma.