Ruslan Rust receives SNF Spark Grant to develop a brain-shuttle for cell therapies
Drug delivery strategies to overcome the blood brain barrier included ultrasound, nanoparticles, or intranasal drug delivery and have all shown only very limited translational success; mainly due to the complex, multi-cellular BBB anatomy and specialized junctions. Here, we propose an alternative route of administration by bypassing the BBB through the choroidal plexus (CP), a single-cell-layer of ependymal cells separating the blood and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) at the ventricles of the brain. There is increasing evidence for migration of immune cells including macrophages and T-cells across CP for immune surveillance, which is reinforced following brain injury e.g. after stroke. New trafficking pathways across the CP have been recently discovered that may function as a shuttle system for transplanted cells to enter the brain. In this project, we will express specific brain-shuttle-antigens on cells to reinforce paracellular migration to the brain. Engineered cells will be systemically infused in stroked, immunosuppressed mice and continuously tracked using in vivo bioluminescence imaging. Recovery of mice will be assessed through detailed kinematic functional testing based on deep neural networks (DeepLabCut). In order to assess high spatial distribution of the cells, whole brains will be cleared using CLARITY and imaged with single plane illumination microscopy (SPIM). Successful implication of the project can be directly transferred into clinical practice in optimizing efficacy of future cell-based therapies for stroke. Moreover, efficacy of cell therapies applied to other major neurological diseases may equally profit from the gained knowledge including acute injuries e.g. traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury as well as chronic neurological disorders e.g. Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s Disease.
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- 2nd IREM Scientific Art Photo Competition 2021
- Nature - Scientific Reports publication by M. Y. Emmert/ S. Motta and E. Fioretta (first authors)
- Spark grant 2020-2021 awarded to Sarah Motta
- New Publication by Rebecca Weber and Ruslan Rust in Frontiers in Physiology
- Visiting Professor Sandra Loerakker
- New publication in Nature Reviews Cardiology by M.Y. Emmert and colleagues
- Distinct changes in all major components of the neurovascular unit across different neuropathological stages of Alzheimer's disease
- New University Research Priority Programs (URPP) ITINERARE
- Kyoto University and the University of Zurich have officially established a strategic partnership
- Human Cardiac Organoids for Modeling Genetic Cardiomyopathy
- New Minor in BioMed Entrepreneurship at IREM
- Therapeutic antibodies targeting CNS : Comparative Study by Correa et al. of intrathecal, intravenous, and subcutaneous anti-Nogo A antibody treatment after stroke in rats
- Wrona et al.: CRISPR-Directed Therapeutic Correction at the NCF1 Locus Is Challenged by Frequent Incidence of Chromosomal Deletions
- Two of our IREM scientists – Debora Kehl and Ruslan Rust – have been selected to participate on the 70th Nobel Laureate Meeting
- Ruslan Rust et al. in Frontiers in Neuroscience: A Practical Guide to the Automated Analysis of Vascular Growth, Maturation and Injury in the Brain
- IREM Organization Update
- Ruslan Rust et al. in JCBFM: "Insights Into the Dual Role of Angiogenesis Following Stroke"
- New publication of Fioretta et al. in JACC: Basic to Translational Science.
- Prof. Dr. Janine Reichenbach new associate professor for Somatic Gene Therapy
- IREM Professor Janine Reichenbach is member of the new HMZ flagship project Immuno-TargET.
- IREM Professor Max Emmert receives Techno-College Innovation Award
- Fixing Hearts, Saving Lives
- Rust et al: Anti-Nogo-A antibodies prevent vascular leakage and act as pro-angiogenic factors following stroke.
- Unconventional research and novel scientific approaches: Two Spark grants awarded to IREM researchers
- First iPSC lecture will take place at the University of Zurich
- New analysis of study results showed clinical benefit of Aducanumab
- UZH IncubatorLab: Mit Era-107 den Appetit sanft bändigen
- ISACB+ISVTE conference abstracts published
- ERC Starting Grant awarded to Prof. Maximilian Emmert
- S. Motta et al.: Human cell-derived tissue-engineered heart valve with integrated Valsalva sinuses: towards native-like transcatheter pulmonary valve replacements; new publication in npj Regenerative Medicine - Nature.
- Autologous endothelialized small-caliber vascular grafts engineered from blood-derived induced pluripotent stem cells
- Rust et al: Review on Therapeutic Angiogenesis in «Trends in Neurosciences»
- Sherida de Leeuw and Christian Tackenberg, “Alzheimer’s in a dish – Induced pluripotent stem cell-based disease modeling”, published in Translational Neurodegeneration
- Frank Baaijens, Rektor TU Eindhoven and Visiting Professor IREM: Die TU Eindhoven stellt nur noch Frauen ein.
- Rust et al: New Therapy Promotes Vascular Repair Following Stroke
- Debora Kehl et al. in "Nature Regenerative Medicine"
- Janine Reichenbach in UZH magazine
- Visiting Professor Frank Baaijens
- Annual meeting 2019 of medAlumni UZH took place at IREM
- RESTORE (with IREM participation) is one of the winners of a pan-European competition addressing grand scientific and technological challenges that could change our future.
- Review about iPSC microglia in “Stem Cells”
- Article in «Tages-Anzeiger» from 25 Jan 2019 portrays the Wyss Zurich Lab at Moussonstrasse and their Co-Director Simon P. Hoerstrup.
- Cover Story and Cover Picture on "Science Translational Medicine"
- Neuroscience Center Zurich Membership for Dr. Christian Tackenberg
- Certificate of Excellence for Dr. Katrin Rauen
- Sex differences in Alzheimer disease ‒ the gateway to precision medicine: Article in "Nature Reviews Neurology"
- RESTORE successfully passed the first round of the FET Flagship competition and is preparing for the next phase
- Computer-designed heart valves implanted into sheep for the first time
- UZH Start-Up Funding for Young Innovators
- Vom Computer massgeschneiderte regenerative Herzklappen
- IREM Director Prof. Simon Hoerstrup meets Dr. Craig Venter (J.Craig Venter Institute and Human Longevity Inc., La Jolla, California
- Award-Winning Medical Research
- Biogen Reports New Data from Phase 1b Study of Investigational Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Aducanumab
- Standort Zürich hat Trümpfe für Biotechnologie in der Hand
- IREM research project awarded with UZH Forschungskredit
- IREM in Boston
- Engineering heart valves for the many
- Stammzellenforschung: Mitwachsende Prothesen für Babyherzen
- Article "The antibody aducanumab reduces Aβ plaques in Alzheimer’s disease" among top 100 most-discussed journal articles of 2016 Foreign Policy magazine recognizes Prof. R. Nitsch as one of the "Top 100 Global Thinkers 2016"
- Antibody Aducanumab Reduces Brain Amyloid Plaques in Alzheimer's Patients
- The Aino University in Osaka, Japan, conferred on the IREM Director Prof. Roger M. Nitsch the title of distinction "Overseas Visiting Professor of Health Science". In honor of outstanding performance and dedication in the field of education and research of health science.
- Royal Society of Medicine London, UK: Living engineered matrices to regenerate the heart (LifeMatrix); Interview with Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub and Professor Simon P. Hoerstrup / Royal Society of Medicine London, GB: Lebende Matrices zur Wiederherstellung des Herzens (LifeMatrix); Interview mit Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub und Professor Simon P. Hoerstrup
- 3D-printer in medicine - bio-ink for organs / 3D-Drucker in der Medizin - Bio-Tinte für neue Organe
- Zurich meets London: From Russell Square to Oxford Circus / Zürich trifft London: Vom Russel Square zum Oxford Circus
- At the "Dies academicus 2016 " at the University of Zurich Prof. Dr. Maximilian Emmert was awarded by the science prize of Walter and Gertrud Siegenthaler Foundation / Am "Dies academicus 2016" der Universität Zürich wurde der Wissenschaftspreis der Walter und Gertrud Siegenthaler Stiftung an Prof. Dr. Maximilian Emmert vergeben
- Start of Clinical Study with Aducanumab / Start einer klinischen Studie zu Aducanumab
- Roger Nitsch honored at Alzheimer's translation and therapeutic panel and luncheon by the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)
- ETH and University of Zurich found Wyss Translational Center Zurich / ETH und Universität Zürich gründen Wyss Translational Center Zurich
- Swiss researchers transplanted first artificial skin / Schweizer Forscher verpflanzen erstmals Kunsthaut
- Growing heart valves - spare valves for the heart with regeneration potential / Mitwachsende Herzklappen - Regenerationsfähige Ersatzventile für das Herz
- The University of Zurich and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University start partnership / Die Universität Zürich und das Wyss Institute der Harvard University gehen Partnerschaft ein
- From our own breeding / Aus eigener Zucht
- Researchers are working on heart valves for babies / Forscher arbeiten an Herzklappen für Babys
- Cell- and Tissue Biobank (CTBB) membership "Gemeinschaft Deutscher Kryobanken e.V."
- Tissue for heart repair / Gewebe für Herzreparatur
- It will be possible to recreate organs in the laboratory / Es wird möglich sein, Organe im Labor nachzubauen
- Artificial skin for burn victims / Künstliche Haut für Brandopfer
- The science in the footsteps of Prometheus / Die Wissenschaft auf den Spuren von Prometheus
- Researchers from Zurich grow skin for children with burns / Zürcher Forscher züchten Haut für Kinder mit Verbrennungen
- Vein replacement from their own stem cells / Venen-Ersatz aus den eigenen Stammzellen
- With tissue engineering against tissue and organ damage / Mit Tissue Engineering gegen Gewebe- und Organschäden
- Organs out of the bioreactor / Organe aus dem Bioreaktor
- 9.9 million euros for the research project "Life VALVE" at the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich / 9.9 Millionen Euro für das Forschungsprojekt „LifeVALVE” an der Universität und am UniversitätsSpital Zürich