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CELL THERAPY

Chemomechanically antifibrotic stromal cells

Nature Biomedical Engineering volume 6, pages 6–7 (2022)Cite this article

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Coating mesenchymal stromal cells with a soft gel incorporating specific chemomechanical cues that enhance the production of collagenases enhances the ability of the cells to inhibit aberrant tissue remodelling in mice with fibrotic lungs.

The broad spectrum of properties of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have sparked intense interest in the use of these cells1 for the treatment of bone defects and a long list of inflammatory diseases2. The phenotype of MSCs can be tuned by exposing them to soluble factors3,4,5,6, matrix proteins7 and other cues within their environment8. However, such phenotypic flexibility can also create challenges for MSC therapies: MSCs presented with the wrong set of cues can promote inflammation rather than suppress it9, or aid the formation of fibrotic tissue rather than degrade it10. Yet the behaviour of MSCs can also be purposely altered after the transplantation of the cells. Reporting in Nature Biomedical Engineering, Jae-Won Shin and colleagues11 now show that gels encapsulating single MSCs can present specific chemomechanical cues to the cells to direct them to secrete collagenases, and that the gel-coated MSCs can be used to prevent or treat fibrosis in mice with lung injury.

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Fig. 1: MSCs modulate their antifibrotic behaviour in response to chemical and mechanical cues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Michael V. Schrodt & James A. Ankrum

  2. Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA

    Michael V. Schrodt & James A. Ankrum

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  1. Michael V. Schrodt
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  2. James A. Ankrum
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Correspondence to James A. Ankrum.

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Schrodt, M.V., Ankrum, J.A. Chemomechanically antifibrotic stromal cells. Nat Biomed Eng 6, 6–7 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-021-00840-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-021-00840-8

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