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Corneal endothelial diseases are the leading cause of corneal transplantation. The global shortage of donor corneas has resulted in the investigation of alternative methods, such as cell therapy and tissue-engineered endothelial keratoplasty (TEEK), using primary cultures of human corneal endothelial cells (hCECs). The main challenge is optimizing the hCEC culture process to increase the endothelial cell density (ECD) and overall yield while preventing endothelial–mesenchymal transition (EndMT). Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is necessary for hCEC expansion but contains TGF-βs, which have been shown to be detrimental to hCECs. Therefore, we investigated various TGF-β signaling pathways using inhibitors to improve hCEC culture. Initially, we confirmed that TGF-β1, 2, and 3 induced EndMT on confluent hCECs without FBS. Using this TGF-β-induced EndMT model, we validated NCAM as a reliable biomarker to assess EndMT. We then demonstrated that, in a culture medium containing 8% FBS for hCEC expansion, TGF-β1 and 3, but not 2, significantly reduced the ECD and caused EndMT. TGF-β receptor inhibition had an anti-EndMT effect. Inhibition of the ROCK pathway, notably that of the P38 MAPK pathway, increased the ECD, while inhibition of the ERK pathway decreased the ECD. In conclusion, the presence of TGF-β1 and 3 in 8% FBS leads to a reduction in ECD and induces EndMT. The use of SB431542 or LY2109761 may prevent EndMT, while Y27632 or Ripasudil, and SB203580 or SB202190, can increase the ECD.

Beta-thalassemia is one of the most common monogenic disorders. Standard treatment of the most severe forms, i.e., transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) with long-term transfusion and iron chelation, represents a considerable medical, psychological, and economic burden. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from an HLA-identical donor is a curative treatment with excellent results in children. Recently, several gene therapy approaches were evaluated in academia or industry-sponsored clinical trials as alternative curative options for children and young adults without an HLA-identical donor. Gene therapy by addition of a functional beta-globin gene using self-inactivating lentiviral vectors in autologous stem cells resulted in transfusion independence for a majority of TDT patients across different age groups and genotypes, with a current follow-up of multiple years. More recently, promising results were reported in TDT patients treated with autologous hematopoietic stem cells edited with the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas9 technology targeting erythroid BCL11A expression, a key regulator of the normal switch from fetal to adult globin production. Patients achieved high levels of fetal hemoglobin allowing for discontinuation of transfusions. Despite remarkable clinical efficacy, 2 major hurdles to gene therapy access for TDT patients materialized in 2021: (1) a risk of secondary hematological malignancies that is complex and multifactorial in origin and not limited to the risk of insertional mutagenesis, (2) the cost—even in high-income countries—is leading to the arrest of commercialization in Europe of the first gene therapy medicinal product indicated for TDT despite conditional approval by the European Medicines Agency.

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is important for learning and memory and is altered early in Alzheimer's disease. As hippocampal neurogenesis is modulated by the circulatory systemic environment, evaluating a proxy of how hippocampal neurogenesis is affected by the systemic milieu could serve as an early biomarker for Alzheimer's disease progression. Here, we used an in vitro assay to model the impact of systemic environment on hippocampal neurogenesis. A human hippocampal progenitor cell line was treated with longitudinal serum samples from individuals with mild cognitive impairment, who either progressed to Alzheimer's disease or remained cognitively stable. Mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease progression was characterized most prominently with decreased proliferation, increased cell death and increased neurogenesis. A subset of 'baseline' cellular readouts together with education level were able to predict Alzheimer's disease progression. The assay could provide a powerful platform for early prognosis, monitoring disease progression and further mechanistic studies.Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is altered early in the course of Alzheimer's disease. Maruszak et al. show that serum from patients with MCI who do versus do not progress to Alzheimer's disease differentially affects the fate of hippocampal stem cells in vitro, suggesting that this assay could help predict disease progression.

International audience; Evaluating lipid profiles in human tissues and biofluids is critical in identifying lipid metabolites in dysregulated metabolic pathways. Due to various chemical characteristics, single-run lipid analysis has not yet been documented. Such approach is essential for analysing pathology-related lipid metabolites. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in western countries, is emblematic of this limitation. Several studies have identified alterations in individual lipids, but the majority are based on targeted approaches. In this study, we analyzed and identified approximately 500 lipid species in human biofluids (plasma and erythrocytes) and ocular tissues (retina and retinal pigment epithelium) using the complementarity of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase chromatography (RPC), coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). For that, lipids were extracted from human eyeglobes and blood from 10 subjects and lipidomic analysis was carried out through analysis in HILIC and RPC, alternately. Furthermore, we illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of both techniques for lipid characterization. RPC showed greater sensitivity in hydrophobicity-based lipid separation, detecting diglycerides (DAG), triglycerides (TAG), cholesterol (Chol), and cholesterol esters (CEs), whereas no signal of these molecules was obtained in HILIC. However, due to coelution, RPC was less effective in separating polar lipids like phospholipids, which were separated effectively in HILIC in both ionization modes. The complementary nature of these analytical approaches was essential for the detection and identification of lipid classes/subclasses, which can then provide distinct insights into lipid metabolism, a determinant of the pathophysiology of several diseases involving lipids, notably AMD.

Data are limited on prostate cancer (PC) management in patients with haemophilia (PWH).To describe PC screening and diagnosis, treatment modalities and bleeding complications in a group of unselected PWH followed at French Haemophilia Treatment Centres (HTCs) PATIENTS AND METHODS: PC screening, management and bleeding complications were retrospectively investigated at 14 French HTCs between 2003 and 2018.Among1549 50-year-old PWHs, 73 (4.7%) underwent PC screening (median age 71.1 years; 67/6 HA/HB, 17/56 severe-moderate/mild). At diagnosis, haematuria was infrequent. Prophylaxis was administered during 76/86 (88%) prostate biopsies (PB) (n = 67 clotting factor concentrates, CFC; n = 9 desmopressin; n = 17 associated with tranexamic acid, TA). Bleeding (11/86, 12.8%) occurred mainly post-prophylaxis (median delay: 7 days): haematuria (9/11, 81.8%), and rectal bleeding (2/11, 18.2%) including one major (1.2%). PC was confirmed in 50/86 PB and in two prostatectomy specimens (total n = 50 patients, n = 6 with only active surveillance). Surgery (n = 28/44 patients) was managed with CFC. Fifteen patients had radiotherapy/brachytherapy, 10 had hormone therapy; CFC-based prophylaxis was only prescribed for brachytherapy (n = 2). Major bleedings occurred in 3/28 (10.7%) and 2/15 (13.3%) patients who underwent surgery and radio/brachytherapy, respectively. No bleeding risk factor was found.Our data indicate that PB requires prophylaxis for atleast 7 days, using CFC, desmopressin or TA in function of haemophilia severity. PC surgery should be considered at high bleeding risk. Long-term post-procedural CFC or oral TA could be discussed. Radiotherapy/brachytherapy also should be managed with prophylaxis (CFC or TA).