scholarly journals Progress and Challenges in the Use of a Liver-on-a-Chip for Hepatotropic Infectious Diseases

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 842
Author(s):  
Kasem Kulkeaw ◽  
Worakamol Pengsart

The liver is a target organ of life-threatening pathogens and prominently contributes to the variation in drug responses and drug-induced liver injury among patients. Currently available drugs significantly decrease the morbidity and mortality of liver-dwelling pathogens worldwide; however, emerging clinical evidence reveals the importance of host factors in the design of safe and effective therapies for individuals, known as personalized medicine. Given the primary adherence of cells in conventional two-dimensional culture, the use of these one-size-fit-to-all models in preclinical drug development can lead to substantial failures in assessing therapeutic safety and efficacy. Advances in stem cell biology, bioengineering and material sciences allow us to develop a more physiologically relevant model that is capable of recapitulating the human liver. This report reviews the current use of liver-on-a-chip models of hepatotropic infectious diseases in the context of precision medicine including hepatitis virus and malaria parasites, assesses patient-specific responses to antiviral drugs, and designs personalized therapeutic treatments to address the need for a personalized liver-like model. Second, most organs-on-chips lack a monitoring system for cell functions in real time; thus, the review discusses recent advances and challenges in combining liver-on-a-chip technology with biosensors for assessing hepatocyte viability and functions. Prospectively, the biosensor-integrated liver-on-a-chip device would provide novel biological insights that could accelerate the development of novel therapeutic compounds.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii70-ii70
Author(s):  
Javier Urcuyo ◽  
Andrea Hawkins-Daarud ◽  
Susan Massey ◽  
Jeffrey Bruce ◽  
Peter Canoll ◽  
...  

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the one of the most aggressive and common primary brain malignancies, with a poor median overall survival of less than 15 months. While the immune system is activated and brain-resident microglia and blood-derived macrophages combat the tumor, the tumor can convert some microglia and macrophages to instead exhibit an immune-suppressive phenotype. These co-opted immune cells are thereby termed ‘glioma-associated microglia and macrophages’ (GAMMs), as they allow for continued tumor growth. However, limited clinical data has been collected to understand this phenomenon. As a result, we have collected spatially-distributed image-localized biopsies from a cohort of patients and performed RNA sequencing on each sample. Correlations between normalized RNA counts of genetic markers for macrophages (i.e., CD68, CD163), tumor populations (i.e., SOX2, OLIG2), and key cell functions (i.e., KI67, CASP3) were analyzed. To further investigate the temporal effects that GAMMs have on GBM growth, we proposed the Proliferation-Invasion-Macrophage (PIM) model. This system of partial differential equations incorporates the proliferative and invasive behavior of GBM, as well as populations for both ‘healthy’ and ‘glioma-associated’ macrophages. By exploring the parameter space, we classified the various dynamics of tumor progression and how they relate to the immune response. With further insights of the interactions between GBM and macrophage populations, we can begin to parameterize the model on a patient-specific basis and provide insights to personalized immunotherapies and other novel immune-targeted treatments.


Author(s):  
Ioannis N. Anastopoulos ◽  
Chloe K. Herczeg ◽  
Kasey N. Davis ◽  
Atray C. Dixit

While the clinical approval process is able to filter out medications whose utility does not offset their adverse drug reaction profile in humans, it is not well suited to characterizing lower frequency issues and idiosyncratic multi-drug interactions that can happen in real world diverse patient populations. With a growing abundance of real-world evidence databases containing hundreds of thousands of patient records, it is now feasible to build machine learning models that incorporate individual patient information to provide personalized adverse event predictions. In this study, we build models that integrate patient specific demographic, clinical, and genetic features (when available) with drug structure to predict adverse drug reactions. We develop an extensible graph convolutional approach to be able to integrate molecular effects from the variable number of medications a typical patient may be taking. Our model outperforms standard machine learning methods at the tasks of predicting hospitalization and death in the UK Biobank dataset yielding an R2 of 0.37 and an AUC of 0.90, respectively. We believe our model has potential for evaluating new therapeutic compounds for individualized toxicities in real world diverse populations. It can also be used to prioritize medications when there are multiple options being considered for treatment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih Yea Sylvia Wu ◽  
Bridget Faire ◽  
Edward Gane

VIEKIRA PAK (ritonavir-boosted paritaprevir/ombitasvir and dasabuvir) is an approved treatment for compensated patients with genotype 1 (GT1) chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This oral regimen has minimal adverse effects and is well tolerated. Cure rates are 97% in patients infected with HCV GT 1a and 99% in those with HCV GT 1b. We report the first case of life-threatening allergic pneumonitis associated with VIEKIRA PAK. This unexpected serious adverse event occurred in a 68-year-old Chinese female with genotype 1b chronic hepatitis C and Child-Pugh A cirrhosis. One week into treatment with VIEKIRA PAK without ribavirin, she was admitted to hospital with respiratory distress and acute kidney injury requiring intensive care input. She was initially diagnosed with community acquired pneumonia and improved promptly with intravenous antibiotics and supported care. No bacterial or viral pathogens were cultured. Following complete recovery, she recommenced VIEKIRA PAK but represented 5 days later with more rapidly progressive respiratory failure, requiring intubation and ventilation, inotropic support, and haemodialysis. The final diagnosis was drug induced pneumonitis.


Author(s):  
Michele Mussap ◽  
Vassilios Fanos

Abstract Human Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection activates a complex interaction host/virus, leading to the reprogramming of the host metabolism aimed at the energy supply for viral replication. Alterations of the host metabolic homeostasis strongly influence the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, forming the basis of a wide range of outcomes, from the asymptomatic infection to the onset of COVID-19 and up to life-threatening acute respiratory distress syndrome, vascular dysfunction, multiple organ failure, and death. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms associated with the individual susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection calls for a system biology approach; this strategy can address multiple goals, including which patients will respond effectively to the therapeutic treatment. The power of metabolomics lies in the ability to recognize endogenous and exogenous metabolites within a biological sample, measuring their concentration, and identifying perturbations of biochemical pathways associated with qualitative and quantitative metabolic changes. Over the last year, a limited number of metabolomics- and lipidomics-based clinical studies in COVID-19 patients have been published and are discussed in this review. Remarkable alterations in the lipid and amino acid metabolism depict the molecular phenotype of subjects infected by SARS-CoV-2; notably, structural and functional data on the lipids-virus interaction may open new perspectives on targeted therapeutic interventions. Several limitations affect most metabolomics-based studies, slowing the routine application of metabolomics. However, moving metabolomics from bench to bedside cannot imply the mere determination of a given metabolite panel; rather, slotting metabolomics into clinical practice requires the conversion of metabolic patient-specific data into actionable clinical applications.


2016 ◽  
Vol 119 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Matsa ◽  
Paul W Burridge ◽  
Kun-Hsing Yu ◽  
Haodi Wu ◽  
Vittavat Termglinchan ◽  
...  

Rapid improvements in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) differentiation methodologies have allowed previously unattainable access to high-purity, patient-specific cardiomyocytes (CMs) for use in disease modeling, cardiac regeneration, and drug testing. In the present study, we investigate the ability of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) to reflect the donor’s genetic identity and serve as preclinical functional readout platforms for precision medicine. We used footprint-free Sendai virus to create two separate hiPSC clones from the fibroblasts of five different individuals lacking known mutations associated with cardiovascular disease. Whole genome expression profiling of hiPSC-CMs showed that inter-patient variation was greater than intra-patient variation, thereby verifying that reprogramming and cardiac differentiation technologies can preserve patient-specific gene expression signatures. Gene ontologies (GOs) accounting for inter-patient variation were mostly metabolic or epigenetic. Toxicology analysis based on gene expression profiles predicted patient-specific susceptibility of hiPSC-CMs to cardiotoxicity, and functional assays using drugs targeting key regulators in pathways predicted to produce cardiotoxicity showed inter-patient differential responses in hiPSC-CMs. Our data suggest that hiPSC-CMs can be used in vitro to predict and help prevent patient-specific drug-induced cardiotoxicity, potentially enabling personalized patient consultation in the future.


2013 ◽  
Vol 113 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Stillitano ◽  
Ioannis Karakikes ◽  
Chi-wai Kong ◽  
Brett Martinelli ◽  
Ronald Li ◽  
...  

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is characterized by prolonged cardiac repolarization time and increased risk of ventricular arrhythmia. LQTS can be either inherited or induced notably after drugs intake. Mutations in genes encoding cardiac ion channels have been reported to underlie inherited LQTS. In contrast, drug-induced LQTS (diLQTS) most frequently arises from altered function of the hERG channel; the risk of developing diLQTS varies largely between subjects and most people who have life-threatening diLQTS have no known genetic risk factors. We investigated whether the susceptibility to develop diLQTS observed in vivo can be recapitulated in vitro using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. We collected skin fibroblasts from ten subjects who developed significant diLQTS after administration of Sotalol and/or Erythromycin. Ten other individuals who displayed no changes in QT interval after administration of the same drugs, were selected. iPSC were generated by retroviral delivery of Oct4, Sox2, Nanog and Klf4 in 17 of the 20 individuals. We report preliminary results obtained from iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) of two subjects. All experiments were performed in a blinded fashion without knowledge of the associated clinical phenotype. Cardiac differentiation of iPSC resulted in the generation of spontaneously beating embryoid bodies. iPSC-CMs showed positive staining for TNNT2, ACTN2 and Cx43. Gene expression analysis confirmed the expression of NKX2.5, MLC2v, MYH6 and MYH7, and of the relevant KCNH2 gene. The two lines had similar basal electrophysiological properties as assessed by measurements of action potential (AP) by patch-clamp technique and extracellular field potentials (FP) using micro-electrode array (MEA). E4031, a classical HERG blocker, significantly prolonged the FP duration (FPD) in a dose-dependent manner in both lines (EC50: 30.19 and 51.57 respectively). When both Sotalol and Erythromicin were used, FPD was prolonged in one of the two samples in a dose-dependent manner (EC50Sotalol: 100; EC50Erythr: 9.64) while drug response was blunted in the other cell line. This study suggests that patient-specific iPSC can be used to model the functional abnormalities observed in acquired diLQTS.


Cancers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Market ◽  
Katherine Baxter ◽  
Leonard Angka ◽  
Michael Kennedy ◽  
Rebecca Auer

Natural Killer (NK) cells are granular lymphocytes of the innate immune system that are able to recognize and kill tumor cells without undergoing clonal selection. Discovered over 40 years ago, they have since been recognized to possess both cytotoxic and cytokine-producing effector functions. Following trauma, NK cells are suppressed and their effector functions are impaired. This is especially important for cancer patients undergoing the removal of solid tumors, as surgery has shown to contribute to the development of metastasis and cancer recurrence postoperatively. We have recently shown that NK cells are critical mediators in the formation of metastasis after surgery. While research into the mechanism(s) responsible for NK cell dysfunction is ongoing, knowledge of these mechanisms will pave the way for perioperative therapeutics with the potential to improve cancer outcomes by reversing NK cell dysfunction. This review will discuss mechanisms of suppression in the postoperative environment, including hypercoagulability, suppressive soluble factors, the expansion of suppressive cell populations, and how this affects NK cell biology, including modulation of cell surface receptors, the potential for anergy, and immunosuppressive NK cell functions. This review will also outline potential immunotherapies to reverse postoperative NK dysfunction, with the goal of preventing surgery-induced metastasis.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 677-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Mistry ◽  
Jonathan Shapero ◽  
Richard I Crawford

Drug-induced cutaneous eruptions are named among the most common side effects of many medications. Thus, cutaneous drug eruptions are a common cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in hospital settings. The present article reviews different presentations of drug-induced cutaneous eruptions, with a focus on eruptions reported secondary to the use of interferon and ribavirin. Presentations include injection site reactions, psoriasis, eczematous drug reactions, alopecia, sarcoidosis, lupus, fixed drug eruptions, pigmentary changes and lichenoid eruptions. Also reviewed are findings regarding life-threatening systemic drug reactions.


F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfram Hoetzenecker ◽  
Tarun Mehra ◽  
Ieva Saulite ◽  
Martin Glatz ◽  
Peter Schmid-Grendelmeier ◽  
...  

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare, life-threatening drug-induced skin disease with a mortality rate of approximately 30%. The clinical hallmark of TEN is a marked skin detachment caused by extensive keratinocyte cell death associated with mucosal involvement. The exact pathogenic mechanism of TEN is still uncertain. Recent advances in this field have led to the identification of several factors that might contribute to the induction of excessive apoptosis of keratinocytes. In addition, specific human leukocyte antigen types seem to be associated with certain drugs and the development of TEN. As well-controlled studies are lacking, patients are treated with various immunomodulators (e.g. intravenous immunoglobulin) in addition to the best supportive care.


2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (07) ◽  
pp. 53-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Brandt ◽  
Krystin Krauel ◽  
Kay E. Gottschalk ◽  
Thomas Renné ◽  
Christiane A. Helm ◽  
...  

SummaryHeparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is the most frequent drug-induced immune reaction affecting blood cells. Its antigen is formed when the chemokine platelet factor 4 (PF4) complexes with polyanions. By assessing polyanions of varying length and degree of sulfation using immunoassay and circular dichroism (CD)-spectroscopy, we show that PF4 structural changes resulting in antiparallel β-sheet content >30% make PF4/polyanion complexes antigenic. Further, we found that polyphosphates (polyP-55) induce antigenic changes on PF4, whereas fondaparinux does not. We provide a model suggesting that conformational changes exposing antigens on PF4/polyanion complexes occur in the hairpin involving AA 32–38, which form together with C-terminal AA (66–70) of the adjacent PF4 monomer a continuous patch on the PF4 tetramer surface, explaining why only tetrameric PF4 molecules express “HIT antigens”. The correlation of antibody binding in immunoassays with PF4 structural changes provides the intriguing possibility that CD-spectroscopy could become the first antibody-independent, in vitro method to predict potential immunogenicity of drugs. CD-spectroscopy could identify compounds during preclinical drug development that induce PF4 structural changes correlated with antigenicity. The clinical relevance can then be specifically addressed during clinical trials. Whether these findings can be transferred to other endogenous proteins requires further studies.


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