Fight Aging! Newsletter, September 11th 2017

This study developed the first procedure for the removal of epithelium from the lung airway with the full preservation of vascular epithelium, which could be applied in vivo to treat diseases of lung epithelium. Whole lung scaffolds with an intact vascular network may also allow for recellularization using patient-specific cells and bioengineering of chimeric lungs for transplantation. In addition to the clinical potential, lung scaffolds lacking an intact epithelial layer but with functional vascular and interstitial compartments may also serve as a valuable physiological model for investigating (i) lung development, (ii) the etiology and pathogenesis of lung diseases involving pulmonary epithelium, (iii) acute lung injury and repair, and (iv) stem cell therapies. Lung decellularization has resulted in substantial advances in lung bioengineering and the ability to create scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. We believe that our methodology can address some of the challenges that have slowed the progress in lung bioengineering by (i) preserving the vascular endothelium throughout the lung (from large vessels to capillaries) and (ii) targeting the removal of airway epithelium while maintaining structural and cellular components essential for lung repair. In summary, the creation of de-epithelialized whole lungs with functional vasculature may open new frontiers in lung bioengineering and regenerative medicine. Additionally, de-epithelialization could be applied...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs