#mesenchyme

MET Garner

Mesenchymal to Epithelia Transition (MET), the reversible process of cells changing between these types (mesenchymal and epithelial) with different functions, is part of normal development and also plays a role in cancer spread. Here, details of the molecular regulation underlying MET is revealed using kidney organoids – lab-grown 3D tissue models

Read the published research article here

Image from work by John-Poul Ng-Blichfeldt and colleagues

MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Developmental Cell, February 2024

Shapeshifting tissue folds into bowls, coils, and ripples 

Detrimental Diversity

Because it’s possible for just one mutant cell, replicating out of control, to give rise to a tumour, one might think tumours are comprised of essentially identical cells. But, that’s not the case. Tumours, generally speaking, contain a mix of cells that arise and develop as the tumour grows. This breast tumour (pictured), for example, shows a variety of cells marked by different colours. And, recent studies suggest, the more cellular diversity a tumour displays, the more deadly it will be. Women whose stage III breast cancer specimens exhibited highly heterogeneous cells – especially cells transitioning from an epithelial to mesenchymal type, which is associated with metastasis – had reduced survival times compared with women whose tumours were more uniform. While these findings may not lead directly to new treatment options for cancer sufferers, they could lead to a new prognostic screen that then guides treatment decisions.

Written by Ruth Williams

Image from work by Meredith S. Brown and colleagues

Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Science Advances, August 2022

roxanne ballerini (codename "pierrot") and krystyna miazga (codename "mesenchyme")

they both work for a murder-for-hire company (the setting is like this gritty industrial future but also operates mostly on cartoon logic; think along the lines of JTHM, resident evil or dorohedoro) and have a weird coworker relationship that's basically gay in every way except like, explicitly being stated that they're dating (pierrot has a stifled crush on mesenchyme; mesenchyme thinks they are already dating). i almost said theyre sorta like carl and gaear but theyre actually way more like ren and stimpy if ren and stimpy were horrible codependent human lesbians

pierrot wears a blue jester costume and a melpomene-esque mask. im still not sure of mesenchyme's outfit but it will probably be either a jumpsuit or a leather jacket / coat and like a latex baby mask (the baby mask is important because it's like the one connection to her name, i can go into that another time). pierrot is the "brains" of the duo where mesenchyme is very solidly the "brawn"

pierrot is neurotic, quick to anger and basically never happy. has a lean, trim physique & a messy buzzcut. the more physically frail of the two but is incredibly agile. pierrot was previously a ballerina and a contortionist and is a bit of an artsy pretentious type. being able to take weird poses doesn't benefit her job at all but she still does it to freak out enemies & to look cool. she often berates mesenchyme for bungling jobs. has a smoking problem.

mesenchyme is conversely rather slow to anger and basically always in a good mood. her relationship with pierrot basically only works because she never gets angry back. mesenchyme has basically superhuman strength and does fucked up shit like throw cars and tear people in half. she relishes in the thrill of mortal combat, mostly because she always wins. tall & tanky with curly dark hair and a zigzag scar running down her forehead. in her free time, mesenchyme likes cartoons and cute things. she tends to fuck up solo assignments when she isn't under the guidance of someone else, hence why she's often paired with pierrot for jobs. mesenchyme is also the one who drives them everywhere because pierrot isnt allowed to drive

An effective and common procedure that we offer at Piedmont Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation is Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy. This treatment is typically brought to the attention of patients with degenerative arthritis, musculoskeletal disorders, or peripheral arterial related disease. However, not all stem cell therapy transplants are identical. At our clinic, stem cells are derived from adipose (Mesenchyme) tissue, bone marrow, or placental tissue (from the amniotic sac).

The procedure for harvesting autologous stem cells (stem cells from the patient’s own body), such as adipose and bone marrow-derived stem cells, is performed as an outpatient procedure with little to no downtime. It is also generally not overly painful.

Once the cells have been harvested, they are concentrated in a centrifuge so that they can be injected, or grafted, into the arthritic or musculoskeletal injury site. This stimulates tissue repair and ultimately reduces or eliminates pain. The process is much easier with placental-derived stem cells, as no harvesting is required. But let’s look closer into each type of stem cell and see how they share similarities or differ:

  Adipose Derived Stem Cells

Adipose/fat tissue is a great source of stem cells and growth factors for patients of all ages

Stem cells are harvested from adipose tissue (fat) via liposuction

Donor sites frequently include the abdominal wall, the buttock (below the iliac crest), and the love handles (above the iliac crest) – a local anesthetic is used for this procedure

Adipose derived stem cells are among the most common type to harvest

The body’s response time is typically within 21 days; we call this the “Eureka Day”

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections are always needed for this type of stem cell therapy – the PRP initiates a wound healing response

  Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells

Bone marrow is a great source of stem cells and growth factors for patients 45 or younger (preferably 40 or younger)

The donor site is usually the iliac crest (pelvis), performed with a specialized type of needle, with an approach from either front or back – local anesthetic is used

The procedure (numbing, tracing, and the extraction) takes about 1-2 hours

The body’s response time is typically within 21 days; we call this the “Eureka Day”

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections are always needed for this type of stem cell therapy – the PRP initiates a wound healing response

  Placental Derived Stem Cells

Placental derived stem cells can be given to any patient (patient-rejection is extremely rare) and no surgery is required to harvest cells (that makes your life much easier!)

Stem cells are harvested from an amniotic sac – not an embryo!

It is safe and ethical, does not interfere with any moral or religious beliefs, and obtained after giving birth

It is monitored and processed at an FDA approved biologic lab before it is delivered to our clinic

Placental-derived stem cells require careful and diligent planning because they have an extremely short shelf life once prepared for grafting – only 10 minutes! A physician who is experienced in grafting is required

Often platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections are not necessary at the time of the graft (so that’s a money-saver) however, if the patient’s body does not respond, then we can always jump start the graft by performing a PRP graph 2 weeks later