H2020Индивидуална стипендия2019–2021

AmnioticID · Understanding the identity of the amniotic fluid stem cells

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2019-09-01 → 2021-08-31
Финансиране от ЕС: 212 934 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Стемните клетки от амниотичната течност се анализират чрез сравнение на техните протеини и генетичен профил с различни фетални тъкани. Разбирането на техния произход помага за разработването на нови стратегии в регенеративната медицина за плода и новородените.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Understanding the identity of the amniotic fluid stem cells

This project’s primary aim was to pinpoint the tissue and processes originating the Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells (AFSCs), mesenchymal cells that can be consistently isolated from the human amniotic fluid. Since their identification in 2007, the AFSCs have been ascribed to the mesenchymal stem cells lineage and proposed as a tool for autologous regenerative medicine. However, despite several achievements and breakthroughs since their discovery in 2007 (De Coppi et al., Nature Botechnology 2007), none of the therapeutic approaches based on these cells has yet entered the clinic. This lack of functional translation can be ascribed to the poor knowledge on the origin and identity of the AFSCs. Hence, the objective of this project was to understand the cell’s identity and the biological processes leading to the AFSCs presence in the amniotic fluid. This would help in developing targeted therapeutic interventions that employ these cells for the functions that they are naturally programmed to exert, ultimately leading to the development of novel foetal and perinatal regenerative medicine strategies based on these cells. Overall, for this project I studied the transcriptomic profile and protein expression of the AFSC - in comparison to similar mesenchymal cells, isolated ad hoc from a library of foetal tissues. By highlighting the analogies and differences between these cell types, I aimed at inferring the foetal origin of the AFSCs, first by tissue, then by cell type and finally by anatomical location. To develop this project, I combined three available transcriptomic technologies (bulk RNA sequencing, single cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics). Together with protein validation assays like immunofluorescence, FACS analysis and western blot, this helped demonstrating the validity of my research hypothesis and further support my findings.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

The amniotic fluid surrounds and protects the foetus during development, providing trophic and mechanical support to its growth. This liquid contains a variety of cells shedding from embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues that have long been utilised for prenatal diagnosis. In a seminal 2007 article, Professor De Coppi identified in the amniotic fluid, a small population of cells with broad multi-lineage differentiation ability defined as Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells (AFSCs). AFSCs can be isolated, expanded and differentiated during gestation, making them ideal for the development of pre-/perinatal autologous regenerative medicine strategies. In the last decade, a series of studies focused on investigating the therapeutic relevance of the AFSCs for various tissue compartments, such as skeletal and cardiac muscle, lung and liver. However, very little is known about the AFSCs origin, lineage identity and role during human development. This knowledge gaps have relevant impact on these cells' clinical translation and a list of important questions remains to be addressed: Which tissue releases the AFSCs? Are these cells constantly generated, or part of a self-renewing niche? What is the function of the AFSCs during human development? This proposal aims at addressing these questions, by using a combination of next generation sequencing analyses, cell biology assays and in vivo linage tracing approaches. Ultimately defining the origin and identity of the AFSCs will not only increase our knowledge of their physiological role, but will also allow to better direct future studies on their therapeutic implications. Thanks to this project, I will gain a comprehensive, multi-faceted understanding of the biology and regenerative potential of AFSCs. This will open up new research agendas, foster international collaborations and provide me valuable transferrable skills of crucial relevance to develop my independent career, in line with the mission of the Marie Curie action.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON · LondonКоординаторОбединеното кралство