Browsing by Author "Lemmerman, Luke R."

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    Nanotransfection-based vasculogenic cell reprogramming drives functional recovery in a mouse model of ischemic stroke
    (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2021-03-19) Lemmerman, Luke R.; Balch, Maria H.H.; Moore, Jordan T.; Alzate-Correa, Diego; Rincon-Benavides, Maria A.; Salazar-Puerta, Ana; Gnyawali, Surya; Harris, Hallie N.; Lawrence, William; Ortega-Pineda, Lilibeth; Wilch, Lauren; Risser, Ian B.; Maxwell, Aidan J.; Duarte-Sanmiguel, Silvia; Dodd, Daniel; Guio-Vega, Gina P.; McTigue, Dana M.; Arnold, W. David; Nimjee, Shahid M.; Sen, Chandan K.; Khanna, Savita; Rink, Cameron; Higuita-Castro, Natalia; Gallego-Perez, Daniel; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Ischemic stroke causes vascular and neuronal tissue deficiencies that could lead to substantial functional impairment and/or death. Although progenitor-based vasculogenic cell therapies have shown promise as a potential rescue strategy following ischemic stroke, current approaches face major hurdles. Here, we used fibroblasts nanotransfected with Etv2, Foxc2, and Fli1 (EFF) to drive reprogramming-based vasculogenesis, intracranially, as a potential therapy for ischemic stroke. Perfusion analyses suggest that intracranial delivery of EFF-nanotransfected fibroblasts led to a dose-dependent increase in perfusion 14 days after injection. MRI and behavioral tests revealed ~70% infarct resolution and up to ~90% motor recovery for mice treated with EFF-nanotransfected fibroblasts. Immunohistological analysis confirmed increases in vascularity and neuronal cellularity, as well as reduced glial scar formation in response to treatment with EFF-nanotransfected fibroblasts. Together, our results suggest that vasculogenic cell therapies based on nanotransfection-driven (i.e., nonviral) cellular reprogramming represent a promising strategy for the treatment of ischemic stroke.