@article{SchwabMeeuwsenEhlickeetal.2017, author = {Schwab, Andrea and Meeuwsen, Annick and Ehlicke, Franziska and Hansmann, Jan and Mulder, Lars and Smits, Anthal and Walles, Heike and Kock, Linda}, title = {Ex vivo culture platform for assessment of cartilage repair treatment strategies}, series = {ALTEX - Alternatives to animal experimentation}, volume = {34}, journal = {ALTEX - Alternatives to animal experimentation}, number = {2}, doi = {10.14573/altex.1607111}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-181665}, pages = {267-277}, year = {2017}, abstract = {There is a great need for valuable ex vivo models that allow for assessment of cartilage repair strategies to reduce the high number of animal experiments. In this paper we present three studies with our novel ex vivo osteochondral culture platform. It consists of two separated media compartments for cartilage and bone, which better represents the in vivo situation and enables supply of factors pecific to the different needs of bone and cartilage. We investigated whether separation of the cartilage and bone compartments and/or culture media results in the maintenance of viability, structural and functional properties of cartilage tissue. Next, we valuated for how long we can preserve cartilage matrix stability of osteochondral explants during long-term culture over 84 days. Finally, we determined the optimal defect size that does not show spontaneous self-healing in this culture system. It was demonstrated that separated compartments for cartilage and bone in combination with tissue-specific medium allow for long-term culture of osteochondral explants while maintaining cartilage viability, atrix tissue content, structure and mechanical properties for at least 56 days. Furthermore, we could create critical size cartilage defects of different sizes in the model. The osteochondral model represents a valuable preclinical ex vivo tool for studying clinically relevant cartilage therapies, such as cartilage biomaterials, for their regenerative potential, for evaluation of drug and cell therapies, or to study mechanisms of cartilage regeneration. It will undoubtedly reduce the number of animals needed for in vivotesting.}, language = {en} } @article{WeissenbergerWagenbrennerNickeletal.2023, author = {Weißenberger, Manuel and Wagenbrenner, Mike and Nickel, Joachim and Ahlbrecht, Rasmus and Blunk, Torsten and Steinert, Andre F. and Gilbert, Fabian}, title = {Comparative in vitro treatment of mesenchymal stromal cells with GDF-5 and R57A induces chondrogenic differentiation while limiting chondrogenic hypertrophy}, series = {Journal of Experimental Orthopaedics}, volume = {10}, journal = {Journal of Experimental Orthopaedics}, doi = {10.1186/s40634-023-00594-z}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357770}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Purpose Hypertrophic cartilage is an important characteristic of osteoarthritis and can often be found in patients suffering from osteoarthritis. Although the exact pathomechanism remains poorly understood, hypertrophic de-differentiation of chondrocytes also poses a major challenge in the cell-based repair of hyaline cartilage using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). While different members of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) family have been shown to promote chondrogenesis in MSCs, the transition into a hypertrophic phenotype remains a problem. To further examine this topic we compared the effects of the transcription growth and differentiation factor 5 (GDF-5) and the mutant R57A on in vitro chondrogenesis in MSCs. Methods Bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) were placed in pellet culture and in-cubated in chondrogenic differentiation medium containing R57A, GDF-5 and TGF-ß1 for 21 days. Chondrogenesis was examined histologically, immunohistochemically, through biochemical assays and by RT-qPCR regarding the expression of chondrogenic marker genes. Results Treatment of BMSCs with R57A led to a dose dependent induction of chondrogenesis in BMSCs. Biochemical assays also showed an elevated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content and expression of chondrogenic marker genes in corresponding pellets. While treatment with R57A led to superior chondrogenic differentiation compared to treatment with the GDF-5 wild type and similar levels compared to incubation with TGF-ß1, levels of chondrogenic hypertrophy were lower after induction with R57A and the GDF-5 wild type. Conclusions R57A is a stronger inducer of chondrogenesis in BMSCs than the GDF-5 wild type while leading to lower levels of chondrogenic hypertrophy in comparison with TGF-ß1.}, language = {en} } @article{ReuterHaufImdahletal.2023, author = {Reuter, Christian and Hauf, Laura and Imdahl, Fabian and Sen, Rituparno and Vafadarnejad, Ehsan and Fey, Philipp and Finger, Tamara and Jones, Nicola G. and Walles, Heike and Barquist, Lars and Saliba, Antoine-Emmanuel and Groeber-Becker, Florian and Engstler, Markus}, title = {Vector-borne Trypanosoma brucei parasites develop in artificial human skin and persist as skin tissue forms}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {14}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-023-43437-2}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-358142}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Transmission of Trypanosoma brucei by tsetse flies involves the deposition of the cell cycle-arrested metacyclic life cycle stage into mammalian skin at the site of the fly's bite. We introduce an advanced human skin equivalent and use tsetse flies to naturally infect the skin with trypanosomes. We detail the chronological order of the parasites' development in the skin by single-cell RNA sequencing and find a rapid activation of metacyclic trypanosomes and differentiation to proliferative parasites. Here we show that after the establishment of a proliferative population, the parasites enter a reversible quiescent state characterized by slow replication and a strongly reduced metabolism. We term these quiescent trypanosomes skin tissue forms, a parasite population that may play an important role in maintaining the infection over long time periods and in asymptomatic infected individuals.}, language = {en} } @article{BasslerKnoblichGerhardHartmannetal.2023, author = {Bassler, Miriam C. and Knoblich, Mona and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and Mukherjee, Ashutosh and Youssef, Almoatazbellah and Hagen, Rudolf and Haug, Lukas and Goncalves, Miguel and Scherzad, Agmal and St{\"o}th, Manuel and Ostertag, Edwin and Steinke, Maria and Brecht, Marc and Hackenberg, Stephan and Meyer, Till Jasper}, title = {Differentiation of salivary gland and salivary gland tumor tissue via Raman imaging combined with multivariate data analysis}, series = {Diagnostics}, volume = {14}, journal = {Diagnostics}, number = {1}, issn = {2075-4418}, doi = {10.3390/diagnostics14010092}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-355558}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Salivary gland tumors (SGTs) are a relevant, highly diverse subgroup of head and neck tumors whose entity determination can be difficult. Confocal Raman imaging in combination with multivariate data analysis may possibly support their correct classification. For the analysis of the translational potential of Raman imaging in SGT determination, a multi-stage evaluation process is necessary. By measuring a sample set of Warthin tumor, pleomorphic adenoma and non-tumor salivary gland tissue, Raman data were obtained and a thorough Raman band analysis was performed. This evaluation revealed highly overlapping Raman patterns with only minor spectral differences. Consequently, a principal component analysis (PCA) was calculated and further combined with a discriminant analysis (DA) to enable the best possible distinction. The PCA-DA model was characterized by accuracy, sensitivity, selectivity and precision values above 90\% and validated by predicting model-unknown Raman spectra, of which 93\% were classified correctly. Thus, we state our PCA-DA to be suitable for parotid tumor and non-salivary salivary gland tissue discrimination and prediction. For evaluation of the translational potential, further validation steps are necessary.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kuehnemundt2024, author = {K{\"u}hnemundt, Johanna}, title = {Defined microphysiologic 3D tumour models with aspects from the tumour microenvironment for the evaluation of cellular immunotherapies}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-27667}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-276674}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Adoptive cellular immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells is highly effective in haematological malignancies. This success, however, has not been achieved in solid tumours so far. In contrast to hematologic malignancies, solid tumours include a hostile tumour microenvironment (TME), that poses additional challenges for curative effects and consistent therapeutic outcome. These challenges manifest in physical and immunological barriers that dampen efficacy of the CAR T cells. Preclinical testing of novel cellular immunotherapies is performed mainly in 2D cell culture and animal experiments. While 2D cell culture is an easy technique for efficacy analysis, animal studies reveal information about toxicity in vivo. However, 2D cell culture cannot fully reflect the complexity observed in vivo, because cells are cultured without anchorage to a matrix and only short-term periods are feasible. Animal studies provide a more complex tissue environment, but xenografts often lack human stroma and tumour inoculation occurs mostly ectopically. This emphasises the need for standardisable and scalable tumour models with incorporated TME-aspects, which enable preclinical testing with enhanced predictive value for the clinical outcome of immunotherapies. Therefore, microphysiologic 3D tumour models based on the biological SISmuc (Small Intestinal mucosa and Submucosa) matrix with preserved basement membrane were engaged and improved in this work to serve as a modular and versatile tumour model for efficacy testing of CAR T cells. In order to reflect a variety of cancer entities, TME-aspects, long-term stability and to enhance the read-out options they were further adapted to achieve scalable and standardisable defined microphysiologic 3D tumour models. In this work, novel culture modalities (semi-static, sandwich-culture) were characterised and established that led to an increased and organised tissue generation and long-term stability. Application of the SISmuc matrix was extended to sarcoma and melanoma models and serial bioluminescence intensity (BLI)-based in vivo imaging analysis was established in the microphysiologic 3D tumour models, which represents a time-efficient read-out method for quality evaluation of the models and treatment efficacy analysis, that is independent of the cell phenotype. Isolation of cancer-associated-fibroblasts (CAFs) from lung (tumour) tissue was demonstrated and CAF-implementation further led to stromal-enriched microphysiologic 3D tumour models with in vivo-comparable tissue-like architecture. Presence of CAFs was confirmed by CAF-associated markers (FAP, α-SMA, MMP-2/-9) and cytokines correlated with CAF phenotype, angiogenesis, invasion and immunomodulation. Additionally, an endothelial cell barrier was implemented for static and dynamic culture in a novel bioreactor set-up, which is of particular interest for the analysis of immune cell diapedesis. Studies in microphysiologic 3D Ewing's sarcoma models indicated that sarcoma cells could be sensitised for GD2-targeting CAR T cells. After enhancing the scale of assessment of the microphysiologic 3D tumour models and improving them for CAR T cell testing, the tumour models were used to analyse their sensitivity towards differently designed receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) CAR T cells and to study the effects of the incorporated TME-aspects on the CAR T cell treatment respectively. ROR1 has been described as a suitable target for several malignancies including triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), as well as lung cancer. Therefore, microphysiologic 3D TNBC and lung cancer models were established. Analysis of ROR1 CAR T cells that differed in costimulation, spacer length and targeting domain, revealed, that the microphysiologic 3D tumour models are highly sensitive and can distinguish optimal from sub-optimal CAR design. Here, higher affinity of the targeting domain induced stronger anti-tumour efficacy and anti-tumour function depended on spacer length, respectively. Long-term treatment for 14 days with ROR1 CAR T cells was demonstrated in dynamic microphysiologic 3D lung tumour models, which did not result in complete tumour cell removal, whereas direct injection of CAR T cells into TNBC and lung tumour models represented an alternative route of application in addition to administration via the medium flow, as it induced strong anti-tumour response. Influence of the incorporated TME-aspects on ROR1 CAR T cell therapy represented by CAF-incorporation and/or TGF-β supplementation was analysed. Presence of TGF-β revealed that the specific TGF-β receptor inhibitor SD-208 improves ROR1 CAR T cell function, because it effectively abrogated immunosuppressive effects of TGF-β in TNBC models. Implementation of CAFs should provide a physical and immunological barrier towards ROR1 CAR T cells, which, however, was not confirmed, as ROR1 CAR T cell function was retained in the presence of CAFs in stromal-enriched microphysiologic 3D lung tumour models. The absence of an effect of CAF enrichment on CAR T cell efficacy suggests a missing component for the development of an immunosuppressive TME, even though immunomodulatory cytokines were detected in co-culture models. Finally, improved gene-edited ROR1 CAR T cells lacking exhaustion-associated genes (PD-1, TGF-β-receptor or both) were challenged by the combination of CAF-enrichment and TGF-β in microphysiologic 3D TNBC models. Results indicated that the absence of PD-1 and TGF-β receptor leads to improved CAR T cells, that induce strong tumour cell lysis, and are protected against the hostile TME. Collectively, the microphysiologic 3D tumour models presented in this work reflect aspects of the hostile TME of solid tumours, engage BLI-based analysis and provide long-term tissue homeostasis. Therefore, they present a defined, scalable, reproducible, standardisable and exportable model for translational research with enhanced predictive value for efficacy testing and candidate selection of cellular immunotherapy, as exemplified by ROR1 CAR T cells.}, subject = {Immuntherapie}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Choi2024, author = {Choi, Jihyoung}, title = {Development of an Add-On Electrode for Non-Invasive Monitoring in Bioreactor Cultures and Medical Devices}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-35823}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-358232}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a valuable technique analyzing electrochemical behavior of biological systems such as electrical characterization of cells and biomolecules, drug screening, and biomaterials in biomedical field. In EIS, an alternating current (AC) power signal is applied to the biological system, and the impedance of the system is measured over a range of frequencies. In vitro culture models of endothelial or epithelial barrier tissue can be achieved by culturing barrier tissue on scaffolds made with synthetic or biological materials that provide separate compartments (apical and basal sides), allowing for further studies on drug transport. EIS is a great candidate for non-invasive and real-time monitoring of the electrical properties that correlate with barrier integrity during the tissue modeling. Although commercially available transendothelial/transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurement devices are widely used, their use is particularly common in static transwell culture. EIS is considered more suitable than TEER measurement devices in bioreactor cultures that involve dynamic fluid flow to obtain accurate and reliable measurements. Furthermore, while TEER measurement devices can only assess resistance at a single frequency, EIS measurements can capture both resistance and capacitance properties of cells, providing additional information about the cellular barrier's characteristics across various frequencies. Incorporating EIS into a bioreactor system requires the careful optimization of electrode integration within the bioreactor setup and measurement parameters to ensure accurate EIS measurements. Since bioreactors vary in size and design depending on the purpose of the study, most studies have reported using an electrode system specifically designed for a particular bioreactor. The aim of this work was to produce multi-applicable electrodes and established methods for automated non-invasive and real-time monitoring using the EIS technique in bioreactor cultures. Key to the electrode material, titanium nitride (TiN) coating was fabricated on different substrates (materials and shape) using physical vapor deposition (PVD) and housed in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structure to allow the electrodes to function as independent units. Various electrode designs were evaluated for double-layer capacitance and morphology using EIS and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The TiN-coated tube electrode was identified as the optimal choice. Furthermore, EIS measurements were performed to examine the impact of influential parameters related to culture conditions on the TiN-coated electrode system. In order to demonstrate the versatility of the electrodes, these electrodes were then integrated into in different types of perfusion bioreactors for monitoring barrier cells. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) cells were cultured in the newly developed dynamic flow bioreactor, while human umblical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) and Caco-2 cells were cultured in the miniature hollow fiber bioreactor (HFBR). As a result, the TiN-coated tube electrode system enabled investigation of BBB barrier integrity in long-term bioreactor culture. While EIS measurement could not detect HUVECs electrical properties in miniature HFBR culture, there was the possibility of measuring the barrier integrity of Caco-2 cells, indicating potential usefulness for evaluating their barrier function. Following the bioreactor cultures, the application of the TiN-coated tube electrode was expanded to hemofiltration, based on the hypothesis that the EIS system may be used to monitor clotting or clogging phenomena in hemofiltration. The findings suggest that the EIS monitoring system can track changes in ion concentration of blood before and after hemofiltration in real-time, which may serve as an indicator of clogging of filter membranes. Overall, our research demonstrates the potential of TiN-coated tube electrodes for sensitive and versatile non-invasive monitoring in bioreactor cultures and medical devices.}, subject = {Monitoring}, language = {en} } @article{SiverinoFahmyGarciaNiklausetal.2023, author = {Siverino, Claudia and Fahmy-Garcia, Shorouk and Niklaus, Viktoria and Kops, Nicole and Dolcini, Laura and Misciagna, Massimiliano Maraglino and Ridwan, Yanto and Farrell, Eric and van Osch, Gerjo J. V. M. and Nickel, Joachim}, title = {Addition of heparin binding sites strongly increases the bone forming capabilities of BMP9 in vivo}, series = {Bioactive Materials}, volume = {29}, journal = {Bioactive Materials}, doi = {10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.07.010}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350470}, pages = {241-250}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Highlights • Despite not being crucial for bone development BMP9 can induce bone growth in vivo. • BMP9 induced bone formation is strongly enhanced by introduced heparin binding sites. • BMP9s bone forming capabilities are triggered by extracellular matrix binding. • Heparin binding BMP9 (BMP9 HB) can improve the current therapies in treating bone fractures. Abstract Bone Morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) like BMP2 and BMP7 have shown great potential in the treatment of severe bone defects. In recent in vitro studies, BMP9 revealed the highest osteogenic potential compared to other BMPs, possibly due to its unique signaling pathways that differs from other osteogenic BMPs. However, in vivo the bone forming capacity of BMP9-adsorbed scaffolds is not superior to BMP2 or BMP7. In silico analysis of the BMP9 protein sequence revealed that BMP9, in contrast to other osteogenic BMPs such as BMP2, completely lacks so-called heparin binding motifs that enable extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions which in general might be essential for the BMPs' osteogenic function. Therefore, we genetically engineered a new BMP9 variant by adding BMP2-derived heparin binding motifs to the N-terminal segment of BMP9′s mature part. The resulting protein (BMP9 HB) showed higher heparin binding affinity than BMP2, similar osteogenic activity in vitro and comparable binding affinities to BMPR-II and ALK1 compared to BMP9. However, remarkable differences were observed when BMP9 HB was adsorbed to collagen scaffolds and implanted subcutaneously in the dorsum of rats, showing a consistent and significant increase in bone volume and density compared to BMP2 and BMP9. Even at 10-fold lower BMP9 HB doses bone tissue formation was observed. This innovative approach of significantly enhancing the osteogenic properties of BMP9 simply by addition of ECM binding motifs, could constitute a valuable replacement to the commonly used BMPs. The possibility to use lower protein doses demonstrates BMP9 HB's high translational potential.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Peindl2024, author = {Peindl, Matthias}, title = {Refinement of 3D lung cancer models for automation and patient stratification with mode-of-action studies}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-31069}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-310693}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Lung cancer is the main cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite the availability of several targeted therapies and immunotherapies in the clinics, the prognosis for lung cancer remains poor. A major problem for the low benefit of these therapies is intrinsic and acquired resistance, asking for pre-clinical models for closer investigation of predictive biomarkers for refined personalized medicine and testing of possible combination therapies as well as novel therapeutic approaches to break resistances. One third of all lung adenocarcinoma harbor mutations in the KRAS gene, of which 39 \% are transitions from glycine to cysteine in codon 12 (KRASG12C). Being considered "undruggable" in previous decades, KRASG12C-inhibitors now paved the way into the standard-of-care for lung adenocarcinoma treatment in the clinics. Still, the overall response rates as well as overall survival of patients treated with KRASG12C-inhibitors are sobering. Therefore, 3D KRASG12C-biomarker in vitro models were developed based on a decellularized porcine jejunum (SISmuc) using commercial and PDX-derived cell lines and characterized in regards of epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT), stemness, proliferation, invasion and c-MYC expression as well as the sensitivity towards KRASG12C-inhibiton. The phenotype of lung tumors harboring KRAS mutations together with a c-MYC overexpression described in the literature regarding invasion and proliferation for in vivo models was well represented in the SISmuc models. A higher resistance towards targeted therapies was validated in the 3D models compared to 2D cultures, while reduced viability after treatment with combination therapies were exclusively observed in the 3D models. In the test system neither EMT, stemness nor the c-MYC expression were directly predictive for drug sensitivity. Testing of a panel of combination therapies, a sensitizing effect of the aurora kinase A (AURKA) inhibitor alisertib for the KRASG12C-inhibitor ARS-1620 directly correlating with the level of c-MYC expression in the corresponding 3D models was observed. Thereby, the capability of SISmuc tumor models as an in vitro test system for patient stratification was demonstrated, holding the possibility to reduce animal experiments. Besides targeted therapies the treatment of NSCLC with oncolytic viruses (OVs) is a promising approach. However, a lack of in vitro models to test novel OVs limits the transfer from bench to bedside. In this study, 3D NSCLC models based on the SISmuc were evaluated for their capability to perform efficacy and risk assessment of oncolytic viruses (OVs) in a pre-clinical setting. Hereby, the infection of cocultures of tumor cells and fibroblasts on the SISmuc with provided viruses demonstrated that in contrast to a wildtype herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) based OV, the attenuated version of the OV exhibited specificity for NSCLC cells with a more advanced and highly proliferative phenotype, while fibroblasts were no longer permissive for infection. This approach introduced SISmuc tumor models as novel test system for in vitro validation of OVs. Finally, a workflow for validating the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies in 3D tumor spheroids was established for the transfer to an automated platform based on a two-arm-robot system. In a proof-of-concept process, H358 spheroids were characterized and treated with the KRASG12C-inhibitor ARS-1620. A time- and dose-dependent reduction of the spheroid area after treatment was defined together with a live/dead-staining as easy-to-perform and cost-effective assays for automated drug testing that can be readily performed in situ in an automated system.}, subject = {Krebs }, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kruse2024, author = {Kruse, Daniel}, title = {Quantitative Analyse histologischer Aufnahmen der Haut}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-35294}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-352946}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Diese Arbeit hatte zum Ziel quantitative Analysen histologischer Aufnahmen der Haut nach unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten zu etablieren. Im ersten Abschnitt wurde die bildgest{\"u}tzte Quantifizierung der epidermalen Histomorphologie untersucht. Nach Sichtung und Beurteilung von 2145 hochaufl{\"o}senden Fotografien HE-gef{\"a}rbter Epidermis- und Vollhautmodellen jeglichen Zustands, wurde der BSGC-Score als Facettenklassifikation mit seinen insgesamt 40 Beurteilungskriterien aufgestellt. Die unterschiedlichen epidermalen Strata wurden mit Wichtungsfaktoren belegt. Die Bewertungskategorien sind mit einem Ampelsystem unterlegt. Eine Befundungsformel wurde aufgestellt. Weitere Bestandteile des BSGC-Scores sind eine Anleitung mit Bildbeilage sowie Dokumentationselemente. Die Anwendung erfolgte erfolgreich im Rahmen der Qualit{\"a}tssicherung an Chargentests und zur Verlaufsbeurteilung eines In-vitro-Verbrennungsmodells aus humaner Epidermis durch Schneider et al. (2021) Der BSGC-Score dient als z{\"u}gig durchf{\"u}hrbares Evaluationstool zur Befundung von In-vitro-Epidermismodellen und nicht als diagnostisches Mittel. Der zweite Abschnitt besch{\"a}ftigt sich mit der Vaskularisierung als Parameter der kutanen Wundheilung. Es wurden aSMA-IF-gef{\"a}rbte Abbildungen porciner Verwundungsmodelle betrachtet und nach der Entfernung dr{\"u}siger Strukturen Gef{\"a}ßanschnitte zu Beginn manuell ausgez{\"a}hlt. Hieraus wurden die n{\"o}tigen Einstellungen f{\"u}r die Bildbearbeitungssoftware ImageJ ermittelt und die Abbildungen dieser anschließend zugef{\"u}hrt. Es erfolgte die automatisierte Quantifizierung elliptischer Formationen mit einer Gr{\"o}ße ≥ 30 Pixel. Im n{\"a}chsten Schritt wurden die Abbildungen in die Bereiche Wundrand, Wundgrund und Wundheilung unterteilt. In dem Bereich Wundheilung zeigte sich eine signifikant gr{\"o}ßere Revaskularisierung als in Wundgrund. Abschließend erfolgte der Vergleich sekund{\"a}rer Wundauflagen. Der Vergleich der Quotienten Wundheilung/Wundgrund nicht-okklusiver und okklusiver Wundauflagen zeigte keinen signifikanten Unterschied in der Neovaskularisierung. Die isolierte Betrachtung der Revaskularisierung als einzelner Prozess der Wundheilung kann nicht als generelles Kriterium f{\"u}r die Gesamtbeurteilung dienen. Hier findet die gew{\"a}hlte Methodik ihre Limitation. Zuk{\"u}nftige Anwendungsbereiche des BSGC-Scores sind die Ausweitung auf Vollhautmodelle und andere Verwundungsmodalit{\"a}ten. Eine automatisierte und durch eine KI-gest{\"u}tzte Befundung ist ebenfalls aufgrund des zugrundeliegenden umfangreichen Datensatzes denkbar. Auch kann eine automatisierte softwaregest{\"u}tzte Quantifizierung der Vaskularisierung als {\"u}berblickende und z{\"u}gige Beurteilung der Wundheilung sinnvoll erscheinen.}, subject = {Wundheilung}, language = {de} } @article{DaeullaryImdahlDietrichetal.2023, author = {D{\"a}ullary, Thomas and Imdahl, Fabian and Dietrich, Oliver and Hepp, Laura and Krammer, Tobias and Fey, Christina and Neuhaus, Winfried and Metzger, Marco and Vogel, J{\"o}rg and Westermann, Alexander J. and Saliba, Antoine-Emmanuel and Zdzieblo, Daniela}, title = {A primary cell-based in vitro model of the human small intestine reveals host olfactomedin 4 induction in response to Salmonella Typhimurium infection}, series = {Gut Microbes}, volume = {15}, journal = {Gut Microbes}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1080/19490976.2023.2186109}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350451}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Infection research largely relies on classical cell culture or mouse models. Despite having delivered invaluable insights into host-pathogen interactions, both have limitations in translating mechanistic principles to human pathologies. Alternatives can be derived from modern Tissue Engineering approaches, allowing the reconstruction of functional tissue models in vitro. Here, we combined a biological extracellular matrix with primary tissue-derived enteroids to establish an in vitro model of the human small intestinal epithelium exhibiting in vivo-like characteristics. Using the foodborne pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, we demonstrated the applicability of our model to enteric infection research in the human context. Infection assays coupled to spatio-temporal readouts recapitulated the established key steps of epithelial infection by this pathogen in our model. Besides, we detected the upregulation of olfactomedin 4 in infected cells, a hitherto unrecognized aspect of the host response to Salmonella infection. Together, this primary human small intestinal tissue model fills the gap between simplistic cell culture and animal models of infection, and shall prove valuable in uncovering human-specific features of host-pathogen interplay.}, language = {en} } @article{XuFahmyGarciaWesdorpetal.2023, author = {Xu, Jietao and Fahmy-Garcia, Shorouk and Wesdorp, Marinus A. and Kops, Nicole and Forte, Lucia and De Luca, Claudio and Misciagna, Massimiliano Maraglino and Dolcini, Laura and Filardo, Giuseppe and Labbert{\´e}, Margot and Vanc{\´i}kov{\´a}, Karin and Kok, Joeri and van Rietbergen, Bert and Nickel, Joachim and Farrell, Eric and Brama, Pieter A. J. and van Osch, Gerjo J. V. M.}, title = {Effectiveness of BMP-2 and PDGF-BB adsorption onto a collagen/collagen-magnesium-hydroxyapatite scaffold in weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing osteochondral defect bone repair: in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo evaluation}, series = {Journal of Functional Biomaterials}, volume = {14}, journal = {Journal of Functional Biomaterials}, number = {2}, issn = {2079-4983}, doi = {10.3390/jfb14020111}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304019}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Despite promising clinical results in osteochondral defect repair, a recently developed bi-layered collagen/collagen-magnesium-hydroxyapatite scaffold has demonstrated less optimal subchondral bone repair. This study aimed to improve the bone repair potential of this scaffold by adsorbing bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and/or platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) onto said scaffold. The in vitro release kinetics of BMP-2/PDGF-BB demonstrated that PDGF-BB was burst released from the collagen-only layer, whereas BMP-2 was largely retained in both layers. Cell ingrowth was enhanced by BMP-2/PDFG-BB in a bovine osteochondral defect ex vivo model. In an in vivo semi-orthotopic athymic mouse model, adding BMP-2 or PDGF-BB increased tissue repair after four weeks. After eight weeks, most defects were filled with bone tissue. To further investigate the promising effect of BMP-2, a caprine bilateral stifle osteochondral defect model was used where defects were created in weight-bearing femoral condyle and non-weight-bearing trochlear groove locations. After six months, the adsorption of BMP-2 resulted in significantly less bone repair compared with scaffold-only in the femoral condyle defects and a trend to more bone repair in the trochlear groove. Overall, the adsorption of BMP-2 onto a Col/Col-Mg-HAp scaffold reduced bone formation in weight-bearing osteochondral defects, but not in non-weight-bearing osteochondral defects.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Schlesinger2024, author = {Schlesinger, Tobias}, title = {Autolog zellbesiedelte Matrix zum Verschluss gastraler Inzisionen: Eine Machbarkeitsstudie im Schweinemodell}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-30583}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-305832}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Einleitung: Strukturelle Defekte der gastrointestinalen Hohlorgane stellen ein allgegen-w{\"a}rtiges Problem im klinischen Alltag dar. Sie entstehen meist auf dem Boden einer ent-z{\"u}ndlichen oder tumor{\"o}sen Grunderkrankung und k{\"o}nnen außerdem traumatisch sowie durch medizinische Eingriffe hervorgerufen werden. In der Folge kommt es zur Kontami-nation des umliegenden Gewebes mit Magen- bzw. Darminhalt, wodurch delet{\"a}re Folgen wie eine systemische Infektion, also eine Sepsis mit Multiorganversagen drohen k{\"o}nnen. Vor diesem Hintergrund sind gastrointestinale Defekte immer als potenziell lebensbedroh-lich f{\"u}r den Patienten zu betrachten. Die ad{\"a}quate und kausale Behandlung erfolgt je nach {\"A}tiologie und Zustand des Patienten durch eine Operation oder eine endoskopische Inter-vention. Hierzu stehen zahlreiche etablierte, operative und interventionelle Therapieme-thoden zur Verf{\"u}gung. In manchen F{\"a}llen stoßen die etablierten Techniken jedoch an ihre Grenzen. Bei Patienten mit schwerwiegenden Komorbidit{\"a}ten oder im Rahmen neuer me-dizinischer Verfahren sind Innovationen gefragt. Die Grundidee der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Entwicklung einer biotechnologischen Therapieoption zur Versorgung gastrointesti-naler Hohlorganperforationen. Methoden: Zur Durchf{\"u}hrung einer Machbarkeitsstudie wurden zehn G{\"o}ttinger Mi-nischweine in zwei Gruppen mit jeweils 5 Tieren aufgeteilt. Den Tieren der Experimental-gruppe wurden Hautbiopsien entnommen und daraus Fibroblasten isoliert, welche vo-r{\"u}bergehend konserviert wurden. Unter Verwendung von azellularisiertem Schweinedarm erfolgte die Herstellung von Implantaten nach den Prinzipien des Tissue Engineerings. Die Tiere beider Gruppen wurden einer Minilaparotomie und einer ca. 3cm-Inzision der Ma-genvorderwand unterzogen. Die anschließende Versorgung wurde in der Experimental-gruppe durch Implantation der neuartigen Konstrukte erzielt. In der Kontrollgruppe wur-de im Sinne des Goldstandards eine konventionelle Naht durchgef{\"u}hrt. Anschließend wurden die Tiere f{\"u}r vier Wochen beobachtet. Eine bzw. zwei Wochen nach dem pri-m{\"a}ren Eingriff wurde bei allen Tieren beider Gruppen eine Laparoskopie bzw. Gastrosko-pie durchgef{\"u}hrt. Am Ende der klinischen Observationsphase wurden die Versuchstiere get{\"o}tet und die entsprechenden Magenareale zur histologischen Untersuchung explantiert. Ergebnisse: Die Herstellung der Implantate konnte auf der Basis standardisierter zellbio-logischer Methoden problemlos etabliert werden. Alle Tiere beider Gruppen {\"u}berlebten den Prim{\"a}reingriff sowie das vierw{\"o}chige Nachbeobachtungsintervall und zeigten dabei keine klinischen Zeichen m{\"o}glicher Komplikationen. Die durchgef{\"u}hrten Laparoskopien und Gastroskopien ergaben bei keinem der Tiere Hinweise auf Leckagen oder lokale Infek-tionsprozesse. Die histologische Aufarbeitung zeigte im Bereich des urspr{\"u}nglichen De-fekts eine bindegewebige {\"U}berbr{\"u}ckung sowie ein beginnendes Remodeling der Magen-schleimhaut in beiden Gruppen. Schlussfolgerungen: Durch die Verkn{\"u}pfung von Einzelprozessen der Zellkultur und dem Großtier-OP konnte ein neues Verfahren zum Verschluss gastrointestinaler Defekt erfolgreich demonstriert und etabliert werden. Das Projekt konnte reibungslos durchge-f{\"u}hrt werden und lieferte Ergebnisse, die dem Goldstandard nicht unterlegen waren. Auf-grund der kleinen Fallzahl und weiterer methodischer Limitationen sind jedoch nur einge-schr{\"a}nkt Schlussfolgerungen m{\"o}glich, weshalb die Durchf{\"u}hrung gr{\"o}ßerer und gut geplan-ter Studien notwendig ist. Die Erkenntnisse dieser Pilotstudie liefern eine solide Basis f{\"u}r die Planung weiterf{\"u}hrender Untersuchungen.}, subject = {Magenkrankheit}, language = {de} } @article{StefanakisBasslerWalczuchetal.2023, author = {Stefanakis, Mona and Bassler, Miriam C. and Walczuch, Tobias R. and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and Youssef, Almoatazbellah and Scherzad, Agmal and St{\"o}th, Manuel Bernd and Ostertag, Edwin and Hagen, Rudolf and Steinke, Maria R. and Hackenberg, Stephan and Brecht, Marc and Meyer, Till Jasper}, title = {The impact of tissue preparation on salivary gland tumors investigated by Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy}, series = {Journal of Clinical Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine}, number = {2}, issn = {2077-0383}, doi = {10.3390/jcm12020569}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304887}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Due to the wide variety of benign and malignant salivary gland tumors, classification and malignant behavior determination based on histomorphological criteria can be difficult and sometimes impossible. Spectroscopical procedures can acquire molecular biological information without destroying the tissue within the measurement processes. Since several tissue preparation procedures exist, our study investigated the impact of these preparations on the chemical composition of healthy and tumorous salivary gland tissue by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy. Sequential tissue cross-sections were prepared from native, formalin-fixed and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue and analyzed. The FFPE cross-sections were dewaxed and remeasured. By using principal component analysis (PCA) combined with a discriminant analysis (DA), robust models for the distinction of sample preparations were built individually for each parotid tissue type. As a result, the PCA-DA model evaluation showed a high similarity between native and formalin-fixed tissues based on their chemical composition. Thus, formalin-fixed tissues are highly representative of the native samples and facilitate a transfer from scientific laboratory analysis into the clinical routine due to their robust nature. Furthermore, the dewaxing of the cross-sections entails the loss of molecular information. Our study successfully demonstrated how FTIR microspectroscopy can be used as a powerful tool within existing clinical workflows.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{SchliermanngebStratmann2023, author = {Schliermann [geb. Stratmann], Anna Theresa}, title = {The Role of FGF Receptor 2 in GDF5 mediated Signal Transduction}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-19288}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-192889}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are involved in various aspects of cell-cell communication in complex life forms. They act as morphogens, help differentiate different cell types from different progenitor cells in development, and are involved in many instances of intercellular communication, from forming a body axis to healing bone fractures, from sugar metabolism to angiogenesis. If the same protein or protein family carries out many functions, there is a demand to regulate and fine-tune their biological activities, and BMPs are highly regulated to generate cell- and context-dependent outcomes. Not all such instances can be explained yet. Growth/differentiation factor (GDF)5 (or BMP14) synergizes with BMP2 on chondrogenic ATDC5 cells, but antagonizes BMP2 on myoblastic C2C12 cells. Known regulators of BMP2/GDF5 signal transduction failed to explain this context-dependent difference, so a microarray was performed to identify new, cell-specific regulatory components. One identified candidate, the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)2, was analyzed as a potential new co-receptor to BMP ligands such as GDF5: It was shown that FGFR2 directly binds BMP2, GDF5, and other BMP ligands in vitro, and FGFR2 was able to positively influence BMP2/GDF5-mediated signaling outcome in cell-based assays. This effect was independent of FGFR2s kinase activity, and independent of the downstream mediators SMAD1/5/8, p42/p44, Akt, and p38. The elevated colocalization of BMP receptor type IA and FGFR2 in the presence of BMP2 or GDF5 suggests a signaling complex containing both receptors, akin to other known co-receptors of BMP ligands such as repulsive guidance molecules. This unexpected direct interaction between FGF receptor and BMP ligands potentially opens a new category of BMP signal transduction regulation, as FGFR2 is the second receptor tyrosine kinase to be identified as BMP co-receptor, and more may follow. The integration of cell surface interactions between members of the FGF and BMP family especially may widen the knowledge of such cellular communication mechanisms which involve both growth factor families, including morphogen gradients and osteogenesis, and may in consequence help to improve treatment options in osteochodnral diseases.}, subject = {Molekularbiologie}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Fey2023, author = {Fey, Philipp}, title = {KI-gest{\"u}tzte MR-Klassifizierung von Zellen und zellul{\"a}rer Differenzierung}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-34516}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-345164}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {F{\"u}r die Verwendung von zellbasierten Therapeutika ist vor allem die korrekt Identifikation sowohl vom Ausgangsmaterial wie auch dem produziertem Material von zentraler Wichtigkeit. In dieser Arbeit wurde eine Methodik entwickelt, welche eine nicht-invasive Klassifizierung von Zellen und zellul{\"a}rer Entwicklung aufgrund ihrer zweidimensionalen Magnetresonanz-Korrelationsspektren erm{\"o}glichte. Hierzu wurde ein mobiler MR-Scanner mit einer Feldst{\"a}rke von 0.5T und einem Isozentrum von 1 cm3 verwendet. Aufgrund der kompakten und leichten Bauweise war es m{\"o}glich, das System in normalen Zellkulturlaboren zu verwenden. Von den Proben wurde ein zweidimensionales T1/T2 -Korrelationsspektrum aufgenommen, anhand dessen die Zellen klassifiziert werden sollten. Mithilfe von Agarose-Dotagraf® -Zell- Phantomen konnte die Stabilit{\"a}t und Reproduzierbarkeit des Messsystems und der verwendeten Sequenz validiert werden. Aufgrund der unter Umst{\"a}nden recht langen Messzeiten der MR-Technologie war auch die Handhabung und Kultur der Zellproben w{\"a}hrend des Messprozesses von großer Bedeutung. Um hierf{\"u}r den Durchsatz an Proben zu erh{\"o}hen, wurde eine kosteng{\"u}nstige und ebenfalls mobile Robotikanlage entwickelt. Diese basierte auf dem kommerziell erh{\"a}ltlichen Roboterarm Braccio, welcher durch einen Arduino Mega Mikrocontroller gesteuert wurde. Mit bis zu 24 Proben pro Tag konnte durch die Automatisierung der Durchsatz an Proben um den Faktor 3 - 4 gesteigert werden. Durch den entwickelten Prozess war es m{\"o}glich, eine umfangreiche Datenbank - bestehend aus 362 unabh{\"a}ngigen Messungen (biologische Replikate) - aufzubauen. Die Datenbank enthielt Messungen von zehn unterschiedlichen Zelllinien. Zus{\"a}tzlich wurden T1/T2 -Korrelationsspektren von mesenchymalen Stromazellen (MSCs) vor und nach deren Differenzierung zu Adipocyten aufgenommen, um ihre zellul{\"a}re Entwicklung nicht-invasiv charakterisieren zu k{\"o}nnen. Die aufgenommenen Daten wurden mithilfe einer geeigneten Support Vector Machine wie auch angepassten k{\"u}nstlichen neuronalen Netzwerken klassifiziert. Mithilfe dieser Methoden konnten die Zelllinien und MSCs anhand ihrer aufgenommenen Korrelationsspektren mit einer Genauigkeit von bis zu 98\% klassifiziert werden. Diese hohe Treffsicherheit legte den Schluss nahe, dass die Kombination aus nichtinvasiver, zweidimensionaler T1/T2 -MR-Relaxometrie und der Verwendung von geeigneten Methoden des machine learning und der k{\"u}nstlichen Intelligenz eine effiziente Methodik f{\"u}r die nicht-invasive Klassifizierung von Zellen sowie zellul{\"a}rer Entwicklung darstellt.}, subject = {Kernspintomografie}, language = {de} } @article{FeiglStahringerPeindletal.2023, author = {Feigl, Frederik Fabian and Stahringer, Anika and Peindl, Matthias and Dandekar, Gudrun and Koehl, Ulrike and Fricke, Stephan and Schmiedel, Dominik}, title = {Efficient redirection of NK cells by genetic modification with chemokine receptors CCR4 and CCR2B}, series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, volume = {24}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, number = {4}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms24043129}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304049}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Natural killer (NK) cells are a subset of lymphocytes that offer great potential for cancer immunotherapy due to their natural anti-tumor activity and the possibility to safely transplant cells from healthy donors to patients in a clinical setting. However, the efficacy of cell-based immunotherapies using both T and NK cells is often limited by a poor infiltration of immune cells into solid tumors. Importantly, regulatory immune cell subsets are frequently recruited to tumor sites. In this study, we overexpressed two chemokine receptors, CCR4 and CCR2B, that are naturally found on T regulatory cells and tumor-resident monocytes, respectively, on NK cells. Using the NK cell line NK-92 as well as primary NK cells from peripheral blood, we show that genetically engineered NK cells can be efficiently redirected using chemokine receptors from different immune cell lineages and migrate towards chemokines such as CCL22 or CCL2, without impairing the natural effector functions. This approach has the potential to enhance the therapeutic effect of immunotherapies in solid tumors by directing genetically engineered donor NK cells to tumor sites. As a future therapeutic option, the natural anti-tumor activity of NK cells at the tumor sites can be increased by co-expression of chemokine receptors with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) or T cell receptors (TCR) on NK cells can be performed in the future.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{SchmidtgebSchmid2023, author = {Schmidt [geb. Schmid], Freia Florina}, title = {Ein dreidimensionales kutanes Melanommodell f{\"u}r den Einsatz in der pr{\"a}klinischen Testung}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32925}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-329255}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Das maligne Melanom nimmt als Tumorerkrankung mit hoher Metastasierungsrate und steigenden Inzidenzraten bei h{\"o}chster Mortalit{\"a}t aller Hauttumoren eine zunehmende Bedeutung in der modernen Onkologie ein. Fr{\"u}hzeitige Diagnosem{\"o}glichkeiten und moderne Behandlungen konnten das {\"U}berleben der Patienten bereits erheblich verbessern. Jedoch besteht nach wie vor Bedarf an geeigneten Modellen, um die Melanomprogression vollst{\"a}ndig zu verstehen und neue wirksame Therapien zu entwickeln. Hierf{\"u}r werden h{\"a}ufig Tiermodelle verwendet, diese spiegeln jedoch nicht die menschliche Mikroumgebung wider. Zweidimensionalen Zellkulturen fehlen dagegen entscheidende Elemente der Tumormikroumgebung. Daher wurde in dieser Arbeit ein dreidimensionales epidermales Tumormodell des malignen Melanoms, welches aus prim{\"a}ren humanen Keratinozyten und verschiedenen Melanomzelllinien besteht, entwickelt. Die eingesetzten Melanomzelllinien variieren in ihren Treibermutationen, wodurch das Modell in der Lage ist, Wirkstoffe zu untersuchen, die spezifisch auf diese Mutationen wirken. Mit Techniken des Tissue Engineerings konnte ein dreidimensionales Hautmodell aufgebaut werden, das alle charakteristischen Schichten der Epidermis aufweist und im Bereich des stratum basale Melanomcluster ausbildet. Diese reichen je nach Gr{\"o}ße und Ausdehnung bis in suprabasale Epidermisschichten hinein. Die Tumor-Histopathologie, der Tumorstoffwechsel sowie tumorassoziierte Proteinsekretionen ließen sich im in vitro Modell nachweisen. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus konnte ein Protokoll entwickelt werden, mit dem einzelne Zellen aus den Modellen reisoliert werden k{\"o}nnen. Dies erm{\"o}glichte es, den Proliferationszustand innerhalb des jeweiligen Modells zu charakterisieren und die Wirkung von Antitumortherapien gezielt zu bewerten. Die Anwendbarkeit als Testsystem im Bereich der Tumortherapeutika wurde mit dem in der Klinik h{\"a}ufig verwendeten v-raf-Maus-Sarkom-Virus-Onkogen-Homolog B (BRAF)-Inhibitor Vemurafenib demonstriert. Der selektive BRAF-Inhibitor reduzierte erfolgreich das Tumorwachstum in den Modellen mit BRAF-mutierten Melanomzellen, was durch eine Verringerung der metabolischen Aktivit{\"a}t, der proliferierenden Zellen und des Glukoseverbrauchs gezeigt wurde. F{\"u}r die Implementierung des Modells in die pr{\"a}klinische Therapieentwicklung wurde B-B-Dimethylacrylshikonin, ein vielversprechender Wirkstoffkandidat, welcher einen Zellzyklusarrest mit anschließender Apoptose bewirkt, im Modell getestet. Bei einer Anwendung der Modelle im Bereich der Testung topischer Behandlungen ist eine Barrierefunktion der Modelle notwendig, die der in vivo Situation nahe kommt. Die Barriereeigenschaften der Haut{\"a}quivalente wurden durch die Melanomzellen nachweislich nicht beeinflusst, sind aber im Vergleich zur in vivo Situation noch unzureichend. Eine signifikante Steigerung der Hautbarriere konnte durch die Bereitstellung von Lipiden und die Anregung hauteigener Regenerationsprozesse erreicht werden. {\"U}ber den Nachweis des transepidermalen Wasserverlusts konnte eine Messmethode zur nicht-invasiven Bestimmung der Hautbarriere etabliert und {\"u}ber den Vergleich zur Impedanzspektroskopie validiert werden. Hierbei gelang es, erstmals die Korrelation der Hautmodelle zur in vivo Situation {\"u}ber ein solches Verfahren zu zeigen. Das entwickelte epidermale Modell konnte durch die Integration eines dermalen Anteils und einer Endothelzellschicht noch weiter an die komplexe Struktur und Physiologie der Haut angepasst werden um Untersuchungen, die mit der Metastierung und Invasion zusammenh{\"a}ngen, zu erm{\"o}glichen. Die artifizielle Dermis basiert auf einem Kollagen-Hydrogel mit prim{\"a}ren Fibroblasten. Eine dezellularisierte Schweinedarmmatrix ließ sich zur Erweiterung des Modells um eine Endothelzellschicht nutzen. Dabei wanderten die prim{\"a}ren Fibroblasten apikal in die nat{\"u}rliche Schweindarmmatrix ein, w{\"a}hrend die Endothelzellen basolateral eine geschlossene Schicht bildeten. Die in dieser Arbeit entwickelten Gewebemodelle sind in der Lage, die Vorhersagekraft der in vitro Modelle und die in vitro - in vivo Korrelation zu verbessern. Durch die Kombination des Melanommodells mit einer darauf abgestimmten Analytik wurde ein neuartiges Werkzeug f{\"u}r die pr{\"a}klinische Forschung zur Testung von pharmazeutischen Wirkstoffen geschaffen.}, subject = {Tissue Engineering}, language = {de} } @article{KoenigRammeFaustetal.2022, author = {Koenig, Leopold and Ramme, Anja Patricia and Faust, Daniel and Mayer, Manuela and Fl{\"o}tke, Tobias and Gerhartl, Anna and Brachner, Andreas and Neuhaus, Winfried and Appelt-Menzel, Antje and Metzger, Marco and Marx, Uwe and Dehne, Eva-Maria}, title = {A human stem cell-derived brain-liver chip for assessing blood-brain-barrier permeation of pharmaceutical drugs}, series = {Cells}, volume = {11}, journal = {Cells}, number = {20}, issn = {2073-4409}, doi = {10.3390/cells11203295}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-290375}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Significant advancements in the field of preclinical in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) models have been achieved in recent years, by developing monolayer-based culture systems towards complex multi-cellular assays. The coupling of those models with other relevant organoid systems to integrate the investigation of blood-brain barrier permeation in the larger picture of drug distribution and metabolization is still missing. Here, we report for the first time the combination of a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived blood-brain barrier model with a cortical brain and a liver spheroid model from the same donor in a closed microfluidic system (MPS). The two model compounds atenolol and propranolol were used to measure permeation at the blood-brain barrier and to assess metabolization. Both substances showed an in vivo-like permeation behavior and were metabolized in vitro. Therefore, the novel multi-organ system enabled not only the measurement of parent compound concentrations but also of metabolite distribution at the blood-brain barrier.}, language = {en} } @article{WussmannGroeberBeckerRiedletal.2022, author = {Wußmann, Maximiliane and Groeber-Becker, Florian Kai and Riedl, Sabrina and Alihodzic, Dina and Padaric, Daniel and Gerlitz, Lisa and Stallinger, Alexander and Liegl-Atzwanger, Bernadette and Zweytick, Dagmar and Rinner, Beate}, title = {In model, in vitro and in vivo killing efficacy of antitumor peptide RDP22 on MUG-Mel2, a patient derived cell line of an aggressive melanoma metastasis}, series = {Biomedicines}, volume = {10}, journal = {Biomedicines}, number = {11}, issn = {2227-9059}, doi = {10.3390/biomedicines10112961}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-297525}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The host defense derived peptide was assessed in different model systems with increasing complexity employing the highly aggressive NRAS mutated melanoma metastases cell line MUG-Mel2. Amongst others, fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy, as well as cell death studies were applied for liposomal, 2D and 3D in vitro models including tumor spheroids without or within skin models and in vivo mouse xenografts. Summarized, MUG-Mel2 cells were shown to significantly expose the negatively charged lipid phosphatidylserine on their plasma membranes, showing they are successfully targeted by RDP22. The peptide was able to induce cell death in MUG-Mel2 2D and 3D cultures, where it was able to kill tumor cells even inside the core of tumor spheroids or inside a melanoma organotypic model. In vitro studies indicated cell death by apoptosis upon peptide treatment with an LC\(_{50}\) of 8.5 µM and seven-fold specificity for the melanoma cell line MUG-Mel2 over normal dermal fibroblasts. In vivo studies in mice xenografts revealed effective tumor regression upon intratumoral peptide injection, indicated by the strong clearance of pigmented tumor cells and tremendous reduction in tumor size and proliferation, which was determined histologically. The peptide RDP22 has clearly shown high potential against the melanoma cell line MUG-Mel2 in vitro and in vivo.}, language = {en} } @article{EderHollmannMandasarietal.2022, author = {Eder, Sascha and Hollmann, Claudia and Mandasari, Putri and Wittmann, Pia and Schumacher, Fabian and Kleuser, Burkhard and Fink, Julian and Seibel, J{\"u}rgen and Schneider-Schaulies, J{\"u}rgen and Stigloher, Christian and Beyersdorf, Niklas and Dembski, Sofia}, title = {Synthesis and characterization of ceramide-containing liposomes as membrane models for different T cell subpopulations}, series = {Journal of Functional Biomaterials}, volume = {13}, journal = {Journal of Functional Biomaterials}, number = {3}, issn = {2079-4983}, doi = {10.3390/jfb13030111}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-286130}, year = {2022}, abstract = {A fine balance of regulatory (T\(_{reg}\)) and conventional CD4\(^+\) T cells (T\(_{conv}\)) is required to prevent harmful immune responses, while at the same time ensuring the development of protective immunity against pathogens. As for many cellular processes, sphingolipid metabolism also crucially modulates the T\(_{reg}\)/T\(_{conv}\) balance. However, our understanding of how sphingolipid metabolism is involved in T cell biology is still evolving and a better characterization of the tools at hand is required to advance the field. Therefore, we established a reductionist liposomal membrane model system to imitate the plasma membrane of mouse T\(_{reg}\) and T\(_{conv}\) with regards to their ceramide content. We found that the capacity of membranes to incorporate externally added azide-functionalized ceramide positively correlated with the ceramide content of the liposomes. Moreover, we studied the impact of the different liposomal preparations on primary mouse splenocytes in vitro. The addition of liposomes to resting, but not activated, splenocytes maintained viability with liposomes containing high amounts of C\(_{16}\)-ceramide being most efficient. Our data thus suggest that differences in ceramide post-incorporation into T\(_{reg}\) and T\(_{conv}\) reflect differences in the ceramide content of cellular membranes.}, language = {en} }