Publications related to Engineered progenitor cells and methods of use

Bioengineering functional organoid models across scales

The last two decades have seen the development of organoid models for many different tissues and organs. Organoids are three-dimensional organ-mimetics derived from stem or progenitor cells comprising various specialized cell types, resembling the architec ...

EPFL2024

Programming of Multicellular Patterning with Mechano-Chemically Microstructured Cell Niches

Pierre Osteil

Multicellular patterning of stem-cell-derived tissue models is commonly achieved via self-organizing activities triggered by exogenous morphogenetic stimuli. However, such tissue models are prone to stochastic behavior, limiting the reproducibility of cell ...

WILEY2023

Bioengineering human mini-intestines with in vivo-like complexity and function

Olga Mitrofanova

Biological research heavily relies on the use of animal models, which has made it difficult to answer specific questions about human biology and disease. However, with the advent of human organoids - miniature versions of tissues generated in 3D human stem ...

EPFL2023

Engineered substrates incapable of induction of chondrogenic differentiation compared to the chondrocyte imprinted substrates

Philippe Renaud, Shahin Bonakdar, Leila Montazeri, Zahrasadat Ghazali

It is well established that surface topography can affect cell functions. However, finding a reproducible and reliable method for regulating stem cell behavior is still under investigation. It has been shown that cell imprinted substrates contain micro- an ...

IOP Publishing Ltd2023

Molecular Regulation of Muscle Stem Cell Fate during Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Aging

Sara Ancel

Muscle stem cells (MuSCs) are the primary source of myogenic progenitors during muscle repair and are essential for the long-term regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle. Following myofiber injury, MuSCs transition from a quiescent to an activated state, ...

EPFL2022

Defined matrices for epithelial organoid culture and disease modelling

Saba Rezakhani

Advances in our understanding of the biology of stem cells and their niches have provided the necessary foundation to create in vitro complex self-organizing three-dimensional (3D) structures called organoids. While organoids represent a highly promising n ...

EPFL2021

Towards an in vitro cardiac model: 3D environment, co-culture, alignment, and mechanical stimulation impact on cell behavior

Fatemeh Navaee

Our aim is to develop a 3D model unit of cardiac muscle: an in-vitro analog of the trabeculae carneae found in vivo. As a base hydrogel matrix for cardiomyocyte culture in 3D, we develop a blend of decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) and fibrin. Thi ...

EPFL2021

Co-regulation of endothelial and myogenic cell fates through intercellular crosstalk in skeletal muscle

Umji Lee

Skeletal muscle is one of the most dynamic organs in the human body, which has a vigorous potential to regenerate and adapt to environmental changes. Depending on environments, skeletal muscle enables essential life activities to survive by controlling mov ...

EPFL2021

A single-cell-based identification and characterisation of Aregs, an inhibitory subpopulation of adipose stem and precursor cells

Magda Zachara

Adipose tissue is an essential element in energy conservation mechanisms. Its unique plasticity is driven by the ability of adipocytes to accumulate and liberate lipids as a function of the energetic status of the organism. Given the recent rise in the glo ...

EPFL2020

High-throughput automated organoid culture via stem-cell aggregation in microcavity arrays

Gerardo Turcatti, Matthias Lütolf, Nathalie Brandenberg, Fabien Kuttler, Krisztian Homicsko, Nikolche Gjorevski, George Coukos, Camilla Carla Alma Ceroni

Stem-cell-derived epithelial organoids are routinely used for the biological and biomedical modelling of tissues. However, the complexity, lack of standardization and quality control of stem cell culture in solid extracellular matrices hampers the routine ...

NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP2020

Bioengineering the Human Muscle Stem-Cell Niche for Therapeutic Applications

Omid Mashinchian

In spite of decades of research, no feasible method for obtaining sufficient numbers of uncommitted muscle stem cells (MuSCs) for therapy of degenerative muscle diseases exists. One of the most fundamental problems associated with stem cell therapy of musc ...

EPFL2019

Modeling hematopoietic stem cell dynamics in bioengineered niches

Sonja Giger

Bone marrow transplantation is a well-established medical procedure for the treatment of various hematologic diseases. However, the relatively low number of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that can be harvested, especially from umbilical cord blood, limits ...

EPFL2019

Bioinspired Hydrogels for 3D Organoid Culture

Matthias Lütolf, Delphine Lorraine Perle Blondel

Organoids have stepped into the limelight as unique in vitro systems for modeling organ development, function and disease. This review provides a perspective on how chemically defined, bio-inspired hydrogels could be used for replacing ill-defined matrices ...

SWISS CHEMICAL SOC2019

Progress and potential in organoid research

Matthias Lütolf, Andrea Manfrin, Giuliana Rossi

Tissue and organ biology are very challenging to study in mammals, and progress can be hindered, particularly in humans, by sample accessibility and ethical concerns. However, advances in stem cell culture have made it possible to derive in vitro 3D tissue ...

2018

Characterization of cancer stem cell subpopulations from patient-derived xenografts of advanced prostate cancer

Markus Germann, Marina Bice Manuela Menna

Androgen-deprivation therapy is the standard treatment for prostate cancer. Despite the initial response, a fraction of cases manifest progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer. PCa recurrence is possibly due to androgen-independent cancer stem c ...

AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH2018

In vitro modeling of complex microenvironmental regulation of stem cells

Yoji Tabata

Although stem cells hold tremendous potential for clinical applications, their in vitro manipulation remains very challenging. In vivo, stem cells reside in intricate 3D microenvironments, termed niche, in which many local and systemic extrinsic factors ar ...

EPFL2017

AMPK alpha 1-LDH pathway regulates muscle stem cell self-renewal by controlling metabolic homeostasis

Kei Sakamoto, Laurent Bultot, Lin Yang, Caterina Collodet

Control of stem cell fate to either enter terminal differentiation versus returning to quiescence (self-renewal) is crucial for tissue repair. Here, we showed that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the master metabolic regulator of the cell, controls mu ...

Wiley2017

Micromotion-induced peri-prosthetic fluid flow around a cementless femoral stem

Dominique Pioletti, Alexandre Terrier, Valérie Hélène Emilie Malfroy Camine

Micromotion-induced interstitial fluid flow at the bone-implant interface has been proposed to play an important role in aseptic loosening of cementless implants. High fluid velocities are thought to promote aseptic loosening through activation of osteocla ...

Taylor & Francis2017

Stem cell niche engineering through photopatterning and microfluidics

Laura Kolb

The application of stem cells in drug screening and regenerative therapy has led to important advances in basic biology and biomedicine. Such strategies require high cell numbers and the efficient maturation into faithful functional organ or tissue units. ...

EPFL2016

Non-integrating episomal plasmid-based reprogramming of human amniotic fluid stem cells into induced pluripotent stem cells in chemically defined conditions

Lilia Salimova

Amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSC) represent an attractive potential cell source for fetal and pediatric cell-based therapies. However, upgrading them to pluripotency confers refractoriness toward senescence, higher proliferation rate and unlimited different ...

Taylor & Francis Inc2016