NU 2010-150
Inventors
Earl Cheng*
Natalie Fuller
Derek Matoka
Arun Sharma
Matthew Bury
Andrew Marks
Abstract
Northwestern researchers have developed a model for bladder regeneration using bone marrow stem and progenitor cells (BMSPCs). BMSPCs are non-exclusively comprised of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) all of which can be isolated from patients in a simple manner using cell surface markers and subsequently stimulated and expanded to large numbers using cytokines. This process leads to a terminal differentiation program in which these cells can form functional vasculature, musculature and neural elements which address a fundamental problem with current bladder tissue engineering strategies. BM HSCs have been demonstrated in vivo to form functional vasculature that nourishes developing tissue. Furthermore, this technology also demonstrates the ability of a cell mixture of MSCs and/or HSCs in a thin-film scaffold to achieve enhanced tissue repair in an animal model of a damaged bladder.
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