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Huntington’s disease (HD) is the best-known example of a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a glutamine-encoding CAG repeat in the causative gene. Growing evidence indicates that somatic CAG expansions play a key role in disease progression,providing a strong rationale for therapeutic strategies directly targeting the repeat tract. However,achieving sufficient efficacy while maintaining allele selectivity and minimizing off-target effects remains a major challenge. Here,we developed allele-selective,CAG-targeting artificial microRNA (amiRNA) molecules that exhibit significantly reduced off-target risk. This was achieved by introducing specific substitutions at selected positions within the guide strand. These molecules effectively downregulated polyglutamine (polyQ) proteins in cellular models of HD,spinocerebellar ataxias types 1 and 3,and dentatorubral pallidoluysian atrophy. The most promising candidate,amiR136-13A,reduced mutant huntingtin levels in different brain regions of the HD mouse model and did not induce toxicity up to 28 weeks following a single administration of an AAV5 vector. Transcriptomic profiling of human HD neural stem cells treated with amiR136-13A revealed minor changes in gene expression. Moreover,amiR136-13A reduced the level of HTT1a,a short pathogenic isoform of huntingtin. Collectively,these findings identify amiR136-13A as a potent,selective,and safe therapeutic candidate for HD and potentially other polyQ disorders. View Publication

Background/Objectives: Overexpression of transferrin receptor (TFR1) is common in cancer and may be associated with inferior treatment outcomes. Due to these patterns and TFR1’s essential role in iron metabolism,the protein has been targeted for cytotoxic drug delivery. More recently,increased TFR1 expression has been linked to tumor microenvironment (TME) infiltration by immune effectors in selected tumors,but a comprehensive assessment of the genomic landscape associated TFRC (the gene encoding TFR1) expression has not been conducted. Methods: By utilizing a pan-cancer database of 93,248 patients with whole-exome and whole-transcriptome sequencing,we assessed TFRC-associated multiomic patterns. Results: We found that high TFRC expression correlates with significantly worse overall survival in multiple common solid tumor types,a higher tumor mutational burden (TMB),an increase in infiltrating effector cells with upregulated immune checkpoint markers within the TME,and increased frequency of specific high-risk genomic alterations. Further assessment in cell line models revealed increased susceptibility to cytotoxic T cells when iron metabolism is elevated,despite upregulation of the checkpoint ligand PD-L1. Conclusions: High TFRC expression,therefore,indicates worse clinical risk across multiple common tumor types but potentially increased susceptibility to cytotoxic immune effectors,informing the development of TFR1 biomarker-driven therapeutic strategies. View Publication

Dpep is a cell-penetrating peptide that targets transcription factors ATF5,CEBPB and CEBPD to selectively suppress growth and survival of diverse tumor cell types in vitro and in vivo. Due to these actions and its apparent safety,the peptide has potential as a cancer therapeutic. How Dpep might be combined with other anti-cancer agents to achieve synergistic efficacy and to overcome possible peptide resistance has not been assessed in depth. Based on prior work indicating that Dpep promotes apoptotic cancer cell death and up-regulates multiple pro-apoptotic and tumor suppressor genes,we studied combinations of Dpep with ABT-263,a pro-apoptotic BCL2 family inhibitor,and decitabine,a hypomethylating drug. Combining Dpep with each agent alone or together synergistically suppressed the growth of a range of solid and liquid tumor cell types. Moreover,the combinations synergistically inhibited the growth of cells lines that were selected either in vivo or in vitro for Dpep resistance. Finally,we tested the combination of Dpep with ABT-263 in a mouse melanoma xenograft model. The combination more effectively inhibited tumor growth than either agent alone and,in contrast to vehicle or ABT-263,produced a 40% durable survival rate. Taken together,these observations highlight potential drug partners for the therapeutic development of Dpep. View Publication

Progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson’s syndrome (PSP-RS) is a primary 4R tauopathy in which early axonal dysfunction may precede overt neurodegeneration; however,the mechanisms linking Tau dysregulation to cytoskeletal vulnerability remain poorly defined. Here,we generated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived midbrain dopaminergic neurons from individuals with sporadic PSP-RS and matched healthy controls and performed integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses. PSP-RS neurons exhibited coordinated suppression of dopaminergic and synaptic programs alongside activation of cytoskeletal remodeling and stress-related pathways. These changes were accompanied by increased Tau phosphorylation,neurofilament accumulation,and structural alterations of the axonal compartment,consistent with an early axonopathic phenotype. Notably,mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling significantly increased. Pharmacological inhibition of mTOR reduced Tau phosphorylation and neurofilament levels,indicating that mTOR activity contributes to the maintenance of cytoskeletal imbalance. In conclusion,our findings support a model in which early cytoskeletal dysfunction in PSP-RS arises from the convergence of Tau dysregulation,impaired structural homeostasis,and altered signaling pathways. Rather than acting as a primary driver,mTOR appears to function as a pathogenic amplifier that sustains axonal stress. This study provides a human cellular framework to investigate early axonopathic mechanisms in sporadic PSP-RS. View Publication

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a significant challenge in oncology,contributing to a significant portion of cancer-related deaths among women. Current therapeutic options,including chemotherapy,surgery,radiation,and hormonal targeting therapies,exhibit limited efficacy,necessitating the exploration of innovative treatment modalities. The emergence of drug resistance and the persistence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) further emphasize the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. In this context,natural killer cell-derived extracellular vesicles (NK-EVs) have emerged as a promising cell-free therapeutic approach that exhibits high tumor infiltration and cytotoxicity against cancer cells and CSCs. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of NK-EVs as a therapeutic strategy for TNBC using various clinically relevant models,including patient-derived xenografts. Pathway analysis suggests strong activation of apoptosis via canonical caspase activation,as well as necrosis,thereby confirming the important cytotoxic effect of NK-EVs. Interestingly,NK-EVs were also found to suppress TNBC CSCs by disrupting their functionality and viability,and NK-EV treatment increased the expression of apoptosis markers in both CSCs and non-CSCs. By elucidating the therapeutic efficacy and translational potential of NK-EV-based interventions in TNBC,these findings offer critical insights for the development of future immunotherapeutic strategies against this aggressive subtype of breast cancer. View Publication

Microvascular dysfunction due to hypoxia is a key contributor in the pathogenesis of many disorders including cancer and retinal and cardiovascular diseases,but relevant human models are missing. Here,we present a robust 3D in vitro method with the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived blood vessel organoids to analyze in vitro microvascular remodeling. We present a detailed practical pipeline combining optical tissue clearing,high-resolution immunofluorescence,and surface marker analysis to quantitatively assess hypoxia-driven changes in endothelial cells,pericytes,and the basal lamina. Exposure of these blood vessel organoids to chronic hypoxia (1% O2) for 1 week recapitulated key pathological features,including structural remodeling and a dysregulated secretome with altered vascular endothelial growth factor signaling. This approach establishes a versatile and human-relevant platform to study microvascular remodeling induced by chronic hypoxia and other pathological stimuli and their contribution to microvascular-related diseases. View Publication

Human neural organoids (NOs) provide a powerful platform for investigating synaptic development and dysfunction during early neurodevelopment. However,methodologies for isolating functional synaptic structures from these models remain limited. Here,we present a differential centrifugation protocol enabling the enrichment of growth cone particles (GCPs) and immature synaptosomes from air‐liquid interface cerebral organoids (ALI‐COs) at distinct developmental stages (Day 90 and 150). Notably,the method avoids density gradients,requires minimal starting material while maintaining reproducibility across human and murine tissues. Quantitative proteomic profiling revealed significant enrichment of growth cone markers (e.g.,GAP43) and classical synaptosomal proteins (e.g.,PCLO,BSN,SYN1). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the presence of membrane‐enclosed GCPs with fibrous content and mitochondria in Day 90 isolates,and immature synaptosomes containing synaptic vesicles on day 150. Functional viability of both types of synaptic structures was demonstrated through KCl‐induced depolarization,which triggered phosphorylation changes in growth cone proteins (GAP43,MARCKS,MARCKSL1),cytoskeletal regulators (DCLK1,SHTN1,MARK4,MAP1B) and protein kinases (CAMK2G,PRKCE) in Day 90 GCPs,as well as classical synaptic vesicle cycle proteins (SYN1,DNM1,RPH3A) at Day 150. Overall,this study establishes a centrifugation‐based protocol for isolating growth cones and immature synapses from human organoids,capturing key stages of synaptic development and enabling scalable,patient‐compatible models to study synaptic function and dysfunction in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Synapses are implicated in several neurological disorders and psychiatric diseases. The emergence and wide use of neural organoids provide a new opportunity to study human synapses in healthy and disease settings. Therefore,we developed a simple method for the enrichment of synaptosomes and growth cone particles from forebrain organoids. The method is based on differential centrifugation,works with small tissue amounts,and is highly reproducible. We validated the functionality of the isolated structures using KCl stimulation and phosphoproteomics. The method enables detailed mapping of protein composition and function during growth cone pathfinding,synaptogenesis,and establishment of neural circuits in organoids. View Publication

Background: Diffuse Midline Glioma H3K27-altered (DMG) is an extremely aggressive and lethal childhood brain cancer that grows within the midline structure of the brain. Current treatment options are only palliative,making DMG in desperate need for therapeutic breakthroughs. One of the major challenges limiting the study of DMG is the lack of reliable preclinical models. In-vivo mouse models are expensive and technically challenging and in-vitro cell culture models lack the essential components of tumor microenvironment (TME) needed to recapitulate the complex biology of these tumors. Scalable human planar neural organoids (PNOs) with multi-cellular make-up can serve as a cost effective and reliable model system to capture DMG biology and allow effective species matched drug testing in-vitro. Methods: Using 3 separate DMG patient derived xenograft (PDX) cell lines,we spatially profiled a novel scalable human iPSC-derived PNO system containing neurons,functional astrocytes and microglia using the NanoString GeoMx spatial transcriptomics system. Results: We found that all three cell lines interact with and integrate into the human PNOs,demonstrating favorable growth conditions in a complex co-culture. Across spatially resolved regions of interest (ROI’s) tumor cells individually interact with microglia and astrocytes and transcriptomic profiling of these mixed cell ROI’s shows differences in the genetic signatures of both the normal cells (microglia/astrocytes) and the tumor cells. When compared to biopsies obtained directly from DMG patients,DMG cells within PNOs correlate strongly at both transcriptomic and proteomic levels. The multi-cellular PNOs also enabled drug target bystander toxicity screening not possible in a traditional tumor cell only monoculture. Conclusion: This study provides a proof-of-concept for scalable PNO modeling for DMG and underscores the translational relevance of this model system. View Publication

The interaction between human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) and the innate immune system has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Disruption of interferon (IFN) signaling pathways increases susceptibility and permissiveness to HRSV infection,whereas pretreatment of cells with IFN confers (partial) resistance. This suggests that HRSV disease severity is likely influenced by a pre-existing antiviral state of the respiratory epithelium,driven by baseline or primed expression of type I and type III IFNs. Here,we investigated whether prior exposure to respiratory bacteria or viruses alters in vitro susceptibility and permissiveness to HRSV infection by shaping an antiviral state using both immortalized cell lines and airway organoid models. In A549 cells,pre-exposure to S. aureus had the most significant impact by reducing HRSV infection and inducing robust interferon responses. However,this effect was not reproduced in airway organoids. Conversely,sequential virus infection experiments in airway organoids revealed that prior infection with human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV‑3) reduced the spread of subsequent HRSV infection. In addition to interferon signaling this proved to be associated with epithelial damage mediated by HPIV-3 infection. Collectively,these findings show that HRSV susceptibility and permissiveness are influenced by the up- or downregulation of specific anti- and pro-viral factors induced by prior bacterial or viral exposure,together with the maintenance or disruption of epithelial integrity. Understanding these interactions could be crucial when identifying specific risk groups for severe HRSV-associated disease and the development of targeted HRSV interventions. View Publication