1. Analysis of the measurements used as potency tests for the 31 US FDA-approved cell therapy productsCarl G. Simon Jr., Erich H. Bozenhardt, Christina M. Celluzzi, David Dobnik, Melanie L. Grant, Uma Lakshmipathy, Thiana Nebel, Linda Peltier, Anthony Ratcliffe, James L. Sherley, 2025, review article Abstract: Cell therapy product (CTP) developers face the significant challenge of developing appropriate potency tests for their CTPs. A review of the known potency tests used for the 31 United States Food and Drug Administration-approved CTPs (US FDA) can guide developers in designing effective potency tests for future CTPs. Data on these tests were primarily collected from publicly available regulatory documentation on the US FDA website (90%) as well as other sources (literature, company communications, etc.). Based on these data, an estimated 104 total potency tests have been used for the 31 CTPs. Of these, 33 are redacted (32%), leaving 71 non-redacted potency tests. On average, each CTP has 3.4 potency tests (standard deviation 2.0). The 71 non-redacted potency tests were categorized into 5 bins: “Viability and count” (37 tests, 52%), “Expression” (19 tests, 27%), “Bioassays” (7 tests, 7%), “Genetic modification” (6 tests, 9%) and “Histology” (2 tests, 3%). Measurements of gene or protein expression were used by 20 of the 31 CTPs (65%), and 19 CTPs (61%) used measurements of cell viability or cell count as a potency test. “Viability and count” and “Expression” are the two tests that have most often been used together for the same product, occurring for 16 CTPs (52%). It is unclear if bioassays are commonly used as potency tests since only 7 of 31 CTPs (23%) reported bioassays as potency tests. However, due to redactions, as many 24 (77%) CTPs could potentially have a bioassay as a potency test. Additionally, 26 of the 31 CTPs (84%) cite physicochemical assays (non-bioassays) as a potency test. This analysis of potency tests for approved CTPs provides valuable insights for developing potency tests for new CTPs.
Keywords: cell therapy product, potency, potency test, regenerative medicine
Published in DiRROS: 10.04.2025; Views: 65; Downloads: 31
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2. Prospective observational study of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with thoracic malignancies : adverse events, breakthrough infections and survival outcomesUrška Janžič, Andrej Janžič, Abed Agbarya, Urška Bidovec, Katja Mohorčič, Marina Čakš, Peter Korošec, Matija Rijavec, Erik Škof, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Abstract: Due to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, a preventive tool in the form of vaccination was introduced. Thoracic cancer patients had one of the highest rates of morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 disease, but the lack of data about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines in this population triggered studies like ours to explore these parameters in a cancer population. Out of 98 patients with thoracic malignancies vaccinated per protocol, 60–75% experienced some adverse events (AE) after their first or second vaccination, most of them were mild and did not interfere with their daily activities. Out of 17 severe AEs reported, all but one were resolved shortly after vaccination. No significant differences were noted considering AE occurrence between different cancer therapies received after the first or second vaccination dose, p = 0.767 and p = 0.441, respectively. There were 37 breakthrough infections either after the first (1), second (13) or third (23) vaccine dose. One patient died as a direct consequence of COVID-19 infection and respiratory failure, and another after disease progression with simultaneous severe infection. Eight patients had moderate disease courses, received antiviral therapies and survived without consequences. Vaccination did not affect the time to disease progression or death from underlying cancer.
Keywords: thoracic malignancies, cancer therapy, COVID-19 vaccination, adverse events, breakthrough infection
Published in DiRROS: 24.03.2025; Views: 164; Downloads: 81
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5. Post-physical therapy 4-month in-home dynamic standing protocol maintains physical therapy gains and improves mobility, balance confidence, fear of falling and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease : a randomized controlled examiner-blinded feasibility clinical trialMiriam van Emde Boas, Chatkaew Pongmala, Abigail M. Biddix, Alexis Griggs, Austin T. Luker, Giulia Carli, Uroš Marušič, Nicolaas I. Bohnen, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Objective: Parkinson’s patients will experience mobility disturbances with disease progression. Beneficial effects of physical therapy are short-lasting. Novel interventions are needed to maintain these benefits. Methods: Fourteen Parkinson’s patients (71±4.08 years) participated in a randomized controlled examiner-blinded feasibility clinical trial. After 12 physical therapy sessions, the intervention group received a height-adjustable desk that facilitates stepping while standing, for 4 months. Explorative outcome measures included MDS-UPDRS II, III, TUG, 8.5m walking test, PDQ-39, sABC, sFES, DEXA scans, and lower extremity strength. Results: Post-physical-therapy, everyone significantly improved on the MDS-UPDRS II, III, TUG, and 8.5m walking test, and PDQ-39. (p<0.05) After 4 months, the control group regressed towards pre-physical-therapy values. In the intervention group, sedentary behavior decreased beyond desk use, indicating a carry-over effect. MDS-UPDRS II, PDQ-39, sFES, sABC, TUG, 8.5m walking test, activity time, sitting time, hip strength all improved with clinically relevant effect sizes. Conclusion: Postphysical therapy in-home reduction of sedentary behavior was associated with maintenance of physical benefits and additional improvements in mobility, activity time, balance and quality of life
Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, physical therapy, sedentarism, sarcopenia, quality of life
Published in DiRROS: 05.12.2024; Views: 236; Downloads: 120
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6. Novel therapeutic strategies to target leukemic cells that hijack compartmentalized continuous hematopoietic stem cell nichesVashendriya V. V. Hira, Cornelis J. F. van Noorden, Hetty E. Carraway, Jaroslaw P. Maciejewski, Remco J. Molenaar, 2017, review article Abstract: Acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells hijack hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niches in the bone marrow and become leukemic stem cells (LSCs) at the expense of normal HSCs. LSCs are quiescent and resistant to chemotherapy and can cause relapse of the disease. HSCs in niches are needed to generate blood cell precursors that are committed to unilineage differentiation and eventually production of mature blood cells, including red blood cells, megakaryocytes, myeloid cells and lymphocytes. Thus far, three types of HSC niches are recognized: endosteal, reticular and perivascular niches. However, we argue here that there is only one type of HSC niche, which consists of a periarteriolar compartment and a perisinusoidal compartment. In the periarteriolar compartment, hypoxia and low levels of reactive oxygen species preserve the HSC pool. In the perisinusoidal compartment, hypoxia in combination with higher levels of reactive oxygen species enables proliferation of progenitor cells and their mobilization into the circulation. Because HSC niches offer protection to LSCs against chemotherapy, we review novel therapeutic strategies to inhibit homing of LSCs in niches for the prevention of dedifferentiation of leukemic cells into LSCs and to stimulate migration of leukemic cells out of niches. These strategies enhance differentiation and proliferation and thus sensitize leukemic cells to chemotherapy. Finally, we list clinical trials of therapies that tackle LSCs in HSC niches to circumvent their protection against chemotherapy.
Keywords: hematopoietic stem cell niche, hijacking, leukemic stem cells, bone marrow, therapy resistance, leukemia
Published in DiRROS: 06.08.2024; Views: 469; Downloads: 336
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7. The hypoxic peri-arteriolar glioma stem cell niche, an integrated concept of five types of niches in human glioblastomaDiana A. Aderetti, Vashendriya V. V. Hira, Remco J. Molenaar, Cornelis J. F. van Noorden, 2018, review article Abstract: Glioblastoma is the most lethal primary brain tumor and poor survival of glioblastoma patients is attributed to the presence of glioma stem cells (GSCs). These therapy-resistant, quiescent and pluripotent cells reside in GSC niches, which are specific microenvironments that protect GSCs against radiotherapy and chemotherapy. We previously showed the existence of hypoxic peri-arteriolar GSC niches in glioblastoma tumor samples. However, other studies have described peri-vascular niches, peri-hypoxic niches, peri-immune niches and extracellular matrix niches of GSCs. The aim of this review was to critically evaluate the literature on these five different types of GSC niches. In the present review, we describe that the five niche types are not distinct from one another, but should be considered to be parts of one integral GSC niche model, the hypoxic peri-arteriolar GSC niche. Moreover, hypoxic peri-arteriolar GSC niches are structural and functional look-alikes of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niches in the bone marrow. GSCs are maintained in peri-arteriolar niches by the same receptor-ligand interactions as HSCs in bone marrow. Our concept should be rigidly tested in the near future and applied to develop therapies to expel and keep GSCs out of their protective niches to render them more vulnerable to standard therapies.
Keywords: glioblastoma, glioma stem cells, niches, blood vessels, extracellular matrix, tumor microenvironment, hypoxia, therapy resistance, vasculature
Published in DiRROS: 06.08.2024; Views: 546; Downloads: 330
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8. Angiogenesis in gynecological cancers and the options for anti-angiogenesis therapyBahar Yetkin-Arik, Arnoud W. Kastelein, Ingeborg Klaassen, Charlotte H. J. R. Jansen, Yani P. Latul, Miloš Vittori, Aydan Biri, Korhan Kahraman, Arjan W. Griffioen, Frederic Amant, Christianne A. R. Lok, Reinier O. Schlingemann, Cornelis J. F. van Noorden, 2021, review article Abstract: Angiogenesis is required in cancer, including gynecological cancers, for the growth of primary tumors and secondary metastases. Development of anti-angiogenesis therapy in gynecological cancers and improvement of its efficacy have been a major focus of fundamental and clinical research. However, survival benefits of current anti-angiogenic agents, such as bevacizumab, in patients with gynecological cancer, are modest. Therefore, a better understanding of angiogenesis and the tumor microenvironment in gynecological cancers is urgently needed to develop more effective anti-angiogenic therapies, either or not in combination with other therapeutic approaches. We describe the molecular aspects of (tumor) blood vessel formation and the tumor microenvironment and provide an extensive clinical overview of current anti-angiogenic therapies for gynecological cancers. We discuss the different phenotypes of angiogenic endothelial cells as potential therapeutic targets, strategies aimed at intervention in their metabolism, and approaches targeting their (inflammatory) tumor microenvironment.
Keywords: angiogenesis, anti-angiogenic therapy, endothelial cells, endothelial cell metabolism, gynecological cancer, non-tip cells, tip cells, tumor microenvironment, vascular disrupting agents
Published in DiRROS: 05.08.2024; Views: 486; Downloads: 302
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9. Endothelial tip cells in ocular angiogenesis : potential target for anti-angiogenesis therapyMartin J. Siemerink, Ingeborg Klaassen, Cornelis J. F. van Noorden, Reinier O. Schlingemann, 2013, original scientific article Abstract: Endothelial tip cells are leading cells at the tips of vascular sprouts coordinating multiple processes during angiogenesis. In the developing retina, tip cells play a tightly controlled, timely role in angiogenesis. In contrast, excessive numbers of tip cells are a characteristic of the chaotic pathological blood vessels in proliferative retinopathies. Tip cells control adjacent endothelial cells in a hierarchical manner to form the stalk of the sprouting vessel, using, among others, the VEGF-DLL-Notch signaling pathway, and recruit pericytes. Tip cells are guided toward avascular areas by signals from the local extracellular matrix that are released by cells from the neuroretina such as astrocytes. Recently, tip cells were identified in endothelial cell cultures, enabling identification of novel molecular markers and mechanisms involved in tip cell biology. These mechanisms are relevant for understanding proliferative retinopathies. Agents that primarily target tip cells can block pathological angiogenesis in the retina efficiently and safely without adverse effects. A striking example is platelet-derived growth factor, which was recently shown to be an efficacious additional target in the treatment of retinal neovascularization. Here we discuss these and other tip cell-based strategies with respect to their potential to treat patients with ocular diseases dominated by neovascularization.
Keywords: angiogenesis, endothelial tip cell, proliferative retinopathy, anti-angiogenesis therapy, retinal neovascularization, vascular sprouts, endothelial stalk cell, molecular mediators of angiogenesis, pericytes
Published in DiRROS: 02.08.2024; Views: 527; Downloads: 283
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10. Modern approach to the management of genitourinary syndrome in women with gynecological malignanciesNina Kovačević, Ines Cilenšek, Sebastjan Merlo, Barbara Šegedin, 2023, review article Abstract: The term genitourinary syndrome of menopause was first used in 2014 by the North American Menopause Society and the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health to describe conditions previously known as atrophic vaginitis, urogenital atrophy, or vulvovaginal atrophy. It is a complex, chronic, progressive condition characterized by a wide range of signs and symptoms affecting sexual function and the tissues of the urinary and genital tracts. The main cause of genitourinary syndrome of menopause is estrogen deficiency caused by ovarian removal or dysfunction. The most bothersome symptoms are vaginal dryness, decreased vaginal lubrication, and pain during penetration and intercourse. They all have a negative impact on the quality of life. Conclusions: The main goal of treatment is to relieve the symptoms. Treatment modalities are pharmacological or non-pharmacological. The first-line treatment for mild to moderate symptoms is the use of personal lubricants and moisturizers, but the gold standard is estrogen replacement therapy. Hormone therapy may not be an option for women with hormone-dependent cancer.
Keywords: genitourinary syndrome, gynecological malignancies, therapy
Published in DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Views: 446; Downloads: 138
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