396 results about "Endothelial progenitor cell" patented technology

Methods and compositions for recruiting cells circulating in the blood stream of a subject to a blood contacting surface, and in particular, devices and methods for recruiting endothelial cells to a blood contacting surface of a prosthesis as well as engineering a self-endothelializing graft in vivo by recruitment of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to form a neo-endothelium on a prosthetic structure.

A medical device for implantation into vessels or luminal structures within the body is provided, which stimulates positive blood vessel remodeling. The medical device, such as a stent and a synthetic graft, is provided with a coating with a pharmaceutical composition containing a controlled-release matrix and one or more pharmaceutical substances for direct delivery of drugs to surrounding tissues. The coating on the medical device further comprises one or more barrier layers, and a ligand such as a peptide, an antibody or a small molecule for capturing progenitor endothelial cells in the blood contacting surface of the device for restoring an endothelium at the site of injury. In particular, the drug-coated stents are for use, for example, in balloon angioplasty procedures for preventing or inhibiting restenosis.

A medical device for implantation into vessels or luminal structures within the body is provided, which stimulates positive blood vessel remodeling. The medical device, such as a stent and a synthetic graft, is coated with a pharmaceutical composition consisting of a controlled-release matrix and one or more pharmaceutical substances for direct delivery of drugs to surrounding tissues. The coating on the medical device further comprises a ligand such as a peptide, an antibody or a small molecule for capturing progenitor endothelial cells in the blood contacting surface of the device for restoring an endothelium at the site of injury. In particular, the drug-coated stents are for use, for example, in balloon angioplasty procedures for preventing or inhibiting restenosis.

Methods and devices for isolating and diagnosing disease with a cell adhesion matrix system, mimicking a metastatic, cardiovascular or placental environment, are disclosed. The cell adhesion matrix facilitates the enrichment of target cells such as metastatic tumor cells, fetal cells and endothelial progenitor cells from a fluid sample such as blood for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in treating patients afflicted with disease, such as cancerous, cardiovascular and fetal diseases, as well as for research applications in molecular analysis of metastatic, and cardiovascular and fetal diseases. Blood test prototypes and methods for the cell enrichment and detection of circulating tumor and endothelial cells using multiplex molecular analysis are described herein. In addition, methods and compositions for determining host immunity to tumor in subjects with risk of cancer progression and methods for isolating an enriched fraction of fetal cells from pregnant females for prenatal diagnosis are also described herein.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for the production of hematopoietic progenitor cells or endothelial progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells using a defined cell culture medium without the need to utilize feeder cells or serum. In some embodiments, differentiation is accomplished using hypoxic atmospheric conditions. The defined medium of the present invention may contain growth factors and a matrix component. The hematopoietic progenitor cells may be further differentiated into cell lineages including red blood cells, macrophages, granulocytes, and megakaryocytes. The endothelial progenitor cells may be further differentiated into endothelial cells. Also disclosed are screening assays for identification of candidate substances that affect differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into progenitor cells.

A medical device for drug delivery is provided which includes a stent structure and a biologically active structure attached to the stent structure. The biologically active structure is comprised of a plurality of layers, including a first layer having a first biologically active compound, such as an anti-proliferative, cytostatic or cytotoxic drug, for delivery at a first target site, such as the vascular tissue; a second layer having a second biologically active compound, such as a growth factor, for delivery into the arterial lumen and capable of promoting engraftment and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and/or endothelial progenitor cells at a second site of myocardial injury; and a third, middle layer which is substantially or selectively impermeable to both the first and second biologically active compounds.

Apparatus and methods are provided for treating an infarcted region of myocardium following acute myocardial infarction by reducing the rate of blood flow through infarcted region, and then injecting a solution containing stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells or mediators of stem cell mobilization, migration and attachment into the effected region so that the stem cells become embedded therein and promote tissue regeneration. In a first embodiment, delivery of the stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells or mediators of stem cell mobilization, migration and attachment is accomplished using a catheter that relies upon antegrade flow through the coronary artery and a flow control catheter placed in the coronary sinus. In an alternative embodiment, the delivery catheter delivers the stem cells in a retrograde manner through the coronary sinus, and the delivery catheter further comprises an occlusion balloon for controlling outflow through the coronary sinus ostium.

Compositions and methods are provided for producing a medical device such as a stent, a stent graft, a synthetic vascular graft, heart valves, coated with a biocompatible matrix which incorporates antibodies, antibody fragments, or small molecules, which recognize, bind to and/or interact with a progenitor cell surface antigen to immobilize the cells at the surface of the device. The coating on the device can also contain a compound or growth factor for promoting the progenitor endothelial cell to accelerate adherence, growth and differentiation of the bound cells into mature and functional endothelial cells on the surface of the device to prevent intimal hyperplasia. Methods for preparing such medical devices, compositions, and methods for treating a mammal with vascular disease such as restenosis, artherosclerosis or other types of vessel obstructions are disclosed.

The current invention provides a method for mobilising endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and/or mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in a patient, wherein the method comprises the steps of (i) administering a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) agonist to the patient; and (ii) administering an antagonist of CXCR4 to the patient. Also provided are uses of EPC and MSC harvested using the methods of the invention.

The present invention relates to preparation of biological artificial blood vessel capable of in vivo capturing endothelial ancestral cell, and features that the biological artificial blood vessel may be prepared with composite blood vessel material or homogeneous or heterogeneous blood vessel with the antigen eliminated and through surface modification. The biological artificial blood vessel may be used as tissue engineering blood vessel rack, on which smooth muscle cell and/or endothelial cell may be planted. The biological artificial blood vessel of the present invention has excellent mechanical performance and anticoagulant property, and may be in different calibers. It may be in vivo reshaped and in vivo induced to plant endothelial ancestral cell. It can antagonize intravascular thrombogenesis and inhibit the pathological proliferation of smooth muscle cell to avoid angiostenosis and blood vessel blocking.

The present invention relates to a method of immortalizing progenitor cells by providing a population of progenitor cells (e.g, neural progenitor cells) and immortalizing the progenitor cells either before or after they are enriched or purified. The present invention is also directed to an enriched or purified population of immortalized progenitor cells (e.g., neural progenitor cells).

The present invention provides a method for expanding an endothelial progenitor cell in vitro. More particularly, the present invention provides a method for culturing a hemangioblast comprising incubating a hemangioblast in a serum-free culture medium containing one or more factors selected from the group consisting of stem cell growth factor, interleukin-6, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 and thrombopoietin, and a vascular endothelial cell produced by the method; and a serum-free culture medium containing one or more factors selected from the group consisting of stem cell growth factor, interleukin-6, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 and thrombopoietin, and a kit for the preparation of the serum-free culture medium and the like.

The invention is embodied in methods for finding gene expression signatures of circulating melanoma cells, ovarian, breast, colorectal cancer cells, and circulating endothelial progenitor cells, which signatures are effective in distinguishing the circulating cancer cell from normal circulating cells and can also distinguish between different types of circulating cancer cells.

The present invention relates to populations and compositions of stem and progenitor cells derived from the umbilical cord, and methods of obtaining the same. In some embodiments, one or more entire umbilical cords or sections thereof are subjected to a process where a cell population is derived without prior removal of any blood vessel. The population may be derived using mechanical and chemical means. The presently disclosed process may be applied to a single umbilical cord or to a plurality of umbilical cords, for example, as a batch process. Optionally, this process includes removing some or all cord blood before deriving the population. In some embodiments, presently disclosed cell populations include mesenchymal stem cells derived from Wharton's jelly and endothelial progenitor cells derived from a wall of a blood vessel of an umbilical cord. Optionally, the cell population includes stem cells derived from cord blood. The presently disclosed cell populations and compositions may be banked and/or used in a number of clinical or other applications. Exemplary applications include but are not limited to applications related to regenerative medicine, for screening compounds, for research, and for gene therapy.

This application discloses a light-responsive hydrogel-based platform that can modulate multiple microenvironmental signals to direct the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells (hiPSC-NPCs) into neuronal cells. The invention provides novel methods for directing differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons useful for treatment of degenerative diseases or disorders, including but not limited to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or spinal cord injury (SCI).

A medical device for implantation into vessels or luminal structures within the body is provided, which stimulates positive blood vessel remodeling. The medical device, such as a stent and a synthetic graft, is coated with a pharmaceutical composition consisting of a controlled-release matrix and one or more pharmaceutical substances for direct delivery of drugs to surrounding tissues. The coating on the medical device further comprises a ligand such as a peptide, an antibody or a small molecule for capturing progenitor endothelial cells in the blood contacting surface of the device for restoring an endothelium at the site of injury. In particular, the drug-coated stents are for use, for example, in balloon angioplasty procedures for preventing or inhibiting restenosis.

The invention discloses a minorcaliber tissue engineering artificial vessel. The excised extract cell umbilical vessel is taken as a bracket, the gap part of the bracket is filled with smooth muscle cells and mechanocyte; the endothelial progenitor cells or mesenchymal stem cells are planted in the surface of the inner wall of the excised extract cell umbilical vessel. The minorcaliber tissue engineering artificial vessel has good biocompatibility and has the abilities of inducing, supporting and maintaining cell functions, thus reducing the reciprocal infection of virus among seeds. The artificial vessel produced by the invention overcomes the problem that the supply of autologous vessel plantation is limited and the failure problem of the synthesized implants for formation of thrombosis and/or endometrial hyperplasia, thus improving the long transplantation patency that the minorcaliber tissue engineering artificial vessel is planted into human body, leading the sufferers to avoid a secondary operation. The raw materials of the artificial vessel are obtained easily, the preparation method is simple, and cost is low, thus being accepted by the sufferers and having vast social benefit and economic benefit.

Aspects of the present invention are drawn to methods and compositions for producing endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in vitro from pluripotent stem cells and compositions containing such EPCs. The methods produce sufficient EPCs to use in therapeutic applications. In certain embodiments the EPCs are bipotent, giving rise to both vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells. In certain embodiments, EPCs express one or more of the following gene products: LYVE-1, PV-1/PAL-E, CD31, and CD34.

Disclosed is an in vitro method of transdifferentiating an epidermal basal cell into a cell having one or more morphological, physiological and/or immunological features of a glial cell. Also disclosed are such transdifferentiated cells and cell cultures derived from them. A kit for converting, in vitro, epidermal basal cells into cells having one or more morphological, physiological and/or immunological features of a glial cell is also disclosed.

A method is provided for use with extracted blood, including (a) applying blood to a first gradient suitable for selecting first-pass cells having a density less than 1.077 g/ml; (b) applying the first-pass cells to a second gradient suitable for selecting second-pass cells having a density between 1.055 and 1.074 g/ml; (c) increasing the number of cells having a density between 1.055 and 1.074 g/ml, by culturing the second-pass cells for a period lasting between 3 and 30 days; and (d) identifying endothelial progenitor cells in the cultured cells. Other embodiments are also described.

Endothelialization of vascular surfaces. According to one aspect, the invention involves a technique for re-endothelializing an artery whose endothelial layer has been damaged by balloon angioplasty. The technique comprises, in one embodiment, introducing into the bloodstream of a patient, prior to performing the angioplasty, a quantity of a bispecific antibody, the bispecific antibody having a first antigen binding site directed against a surface marker common to both endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) and having a second antigen binding site directed against a subendothelial epitope. The bispecific antibody is introduced in a quantity sufficient to bind a substantial percentage of circulating EPCs and circulating ECs. In this manner, once the angioplasty has been performed and the target epitopes on the subendothelium have been exposed, the bispecific antibodies that have already become bound to the circulating EPCs and ECs also then bind to the subendothelium. Thus seeded by the bound EPCs and ECs, the exposed subendothelium is covered after a short period of proliferation and differentiation.