技术资料

The cornea is the transparent outermost surface of the eye,consisting of a stratified epithelium,a collagenous stroma and an innermost single-cell layered endothelium and providing 2/3 of the refractive power of the eye. Multiple diseases of the cornea arise from genetic defects where the ultimate phenotype can be influenced by cross talk between the cell types and the extracellular matrix. Cell culture modeling of diseases can benefit from cornea organoids that include multiple corneal cell types and extracellular matrices. Here we present human iPS cell-derived organoids through sequential rounds of differentiation programs. These organoids share features of the developing cornea,harboring three distinct cell types with expression of key epithelial,stromal and endothelial cell markers. Cornea organoid cultures provide a powerful 3D model system for investigating corneal developmental processes and their disruptions in diseased conditions. View Publication

Haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy has demonstrated potential to treat many diseases. However,current state of the art requires sophisticated ex vivo gene transfer in a dedicated Good Manufacturing Practices facility,limiting availability. An automated process would improve the availability and standardized manufacture of HSC gene therapy. Here,we develop a novel program for semi-automated cell isolation and culture equipment to permit complete benchtop generation of gene-modified CD34+ blood cell products for transplantation. These cell products meet current manufacturing quality standards for both mobilized leukapheresis and bone marrow,and reconstitute human haematopoiesis in immunocompromised mice. Importantly,nonhuman primate autologous gene-modified CD34+ cell products are capable of stable,polyclonal multilineage reconstitution with follow-up of more than 1 year. These data demonstrate proof of concept for point-of-care delivery of HSC gene therapy. Given the many target diseases for gene therapy,there is enormous potential for this approach to treat patients on a global scale. View Publication

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous group of aggressive bone marrow cancers arising from transformed hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC). Therapy-related AML and MDS (t-AML/MDS) comprise a subset of AML cases occurring after exposure to alkylating chemotherapy and/or radiation and are associated with a very poor prognosis. Less is known about the pathogenesis and disease-initiating/leukemia stem cell (LSC) subpopulations of t-AML/MDS compared to their de novo counterparts. Here,we report the development of mouse models of t-AML/MDS. First,we modeled alkylator-induced t-AML/MDS by exposing wild type adult mice to N-ethyl-N-nitrosurea (ENU),resulting in several models of AML and MDS that have clinical and pathologic characteristics consistent with human t-AML/MDS including cytopenia,myelodysplasia,and shortened overall survival. These models were limited by their inability to transplant clinically aggressive disease. Second,we established three patient-derived xenograft models of human t-AML. These models led to rapidly fatal disease in recipient immunodeficient xenografted mice. LSC activity was identified in multiple HSPC subpopulations suggesting there is no canonical LSC immunophenotype in human t-AML. Overall,we report several new t-AML/MDS mouse models that could potentially be used to further define disease pathogenesis and test novel therapeutics. View Publication

Gene therapy with genetically modified human CD34(+) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) may be safer using targeted integration (TI) of transgenes into a genomic 'safe harbor' site rather than random viral integration. We demonstrate that temporally optimized delivery of zinc finger nuclease mRNA via electroporation and adeno-associated virus (AAV) 6 delivery of donor constructs in human HSPCs approaches clinically relevant levels of TI into the AAVS1 safe harbor locus. Up to 58{\%} Venus(+) HSPCs with 6-16{\%} human cell marking were observed following engraftment into mice. In HSPCs from patients with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD),caused by mutations in the gp91phox subunit of the NADPH oxidase,TI of a gp91phox transgene into AAVS1 resulted in ∼15{\%} gp91phox expression and increased NADPH oxidase activity in ex vivo-derived neutrophils. In mice transplanted with corrected HSPCs,4-11{\%} of human cells in the bone marrow expressed gp91phox. This method for TI into AAVS1 may be broadly applicable to correction of other monogenic diseases. View Publication

This protocol describes a strategy for the generation of 3D prostate organoid cultures from healthy mouse and human prostate cells (either bulk or FACS-sorted single luminal and basal cells),metastatic prostate cancer lesions and circulating tumor cells. Organoids derived from healthy material contain the differentiated luminal and basal cell types,whereas organoids derived from prostate cancer tissue mimic the histology of the tumor. We explain how to establish these cultures in the fully defined serum-free conditioned medium that is required to sustain organoid growth. Starting with the plating of digested tissue material,full-grown organoids can usually be obtained in ∼2 weeks. The culture protocol we describe here is currently the only one that allows the growth of both the luminal and basal prostatic epithelial lineages,as well as the growth of advanced prostate cancers. Organoids established using this protocol can be used to study many different aspects of prostate biology,including homeostasis,tumorigenesis and drug discovery. View Publication