A5067219287- Glioma Diagnosis and Treatment
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications
- Neuroblastoma Research and Treatments
- Cancer Research and Treatments
- Virus-based gene therapy research
- Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Pluripotent Stem Cells Research
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- bioluminescence and chemiluminescence research
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
- 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Cancer therapeutics and mechanisms
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects
- Advanced X-ray and CT Imaging
- Laser-Ablation Synthesis of Nanoparticles
- Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
- Cell Image Analysis Techniques
- Intraperitoneal and Appendiceal Malignancies
- Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism
- Steroid Chemistry and Biochemistry
City of Hope
2012-2019
Beckman Research Institute
2012-2019
City Of Hope National Medical Center
2011-2017
University College London
2009
University of California, Los Angeles
2000-2002
Institute for Molecular Medicine
2000-2001
University of Southern California
1992
High-grade gliomas are extremely difficult to treat because they invasive and therefore not curable by surgical resection; the toxicity of current chemo- radiation therapies limits doses that can be used. Neural stem cells (NSCs) have inherent tumor-tropic properties enable their use as delivery vehicles target enzyme/prodrug therapy selectively tumors. We used a cytosine deaminase (CD)-expressing clonal human NSC line, HB1.F3.CD, home in mice locally convert prodrug 5-fluorocytosine active...
Plasmonic photothermal therapy utilizes biologically inert gold nanorods (AuNRs) as tumor-localized antennas that convert light into heat capable of eliminating cancerous tissue. This approach has lower morbidity than surgical resection and can potentially synergize with other treatment modalities including chemotherapy immunotherapy. Despite these advantages, it is still challenging to obtain heating the entire tumor mass while avoiding unnecessary collateral damage surrounding healthy It...
Abstract Numerous stem cell-based therapies are currently under clinical investigation, including the use of neural cells (NSCs) as delivery vehicles to target therapeutic agents invasive brain tumors. The ability monitor time course, migration, and distribution following transplantation into patients would provide critical information for optimizing treatment regimens. No effective cell-tracking methodology has yet garnered acceptance. A highly promising noninvasive method monitoring NSCs...
The authors have evaluated the performance of two three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction algorithms with data acquired from microPET, a high resolution tomograph dedicated to small animal imaging. first was linear filtered-backprojection algorithm (FBP) reprojection missing data, and second statistical maximum posteriori probability (MAP). were in terms their performance, both phantoms vivo. Sixty independent realizations phantom simulating brain baby monkey acquired, each containing three...
Metastasis to multiple organs is the primary cause of mortality in breast cancer patients. The poor prognosis for patients with metastatic and toxic side effects currently available treatments necessitate development effective tumor-selective therapies. Neural stem cells (NSCs) possess inherent tumor tropic properties that enable them overcome many obstacles drug delivery limit chemotherapy strategies cancer. We report increased NSC tropism cell lines strongly correlated invasiveness cells....
Neural stem cells maintain their tumor tropism after internalizing gold nanorods. When exposed to a laser, the loaded heat up, destroying surrounding cells. As service our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by authors. Such materials are peer reviewed may be re-organized for online delivery, but not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from (other than missing files) should addressed Please note: The publisher is responsible content...
Aim: The purpose of this work is to determine if tumor-tropic neural stem cells (NSCs) can improve the tumor-selective distribution and retention nanoparticles (NPs) within invasive brain tumors. Materials & methods: Streptavidin-conjugated, polystyrene NPs are surface-coupled biotinylated human NSCs. These large (798 nm), yet when conjugated tropic cells, they too passively diffuse through tissue or cross blood–tumor barrier. NP was quantified 4 days after injections located either adjacent...
Ovarian cancer is particularly aggressive once it has metastasized to the abdominal cavity (stage III). Intraperitoneal (IP) as compared intravenous (IV) administration of chemotherapy improves survival for stage III ovarian cancer, demonstrating that concentrating at tumor sites therapeutic benefit; unfortunately, IP therapy also increases toxic side effects, thus preventing its completion in many patients. The ability target selectively tumors while sparing normal tissue would improve...
Background — We explored the feasibility of measuring regional tracer activity concentrations and flow defects in myocardium rats with a high spatial resolution small-animal PET system (microPET). Methods Results Myocardial images were obtained after intravenous 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( FDG) 11 normal (group 1) assembled into polar maps. Regional F measured 9 regions interest compared tissue by well counting. In another 2), myocardial perfusion acquired 13 N -ammonia at baseline during...
Neural stem cells (NSCs) are inherently tumor-tropic, which allows them to migrate through normal tissue and selectively localize invasive tumor sites in the brain. We have engineered a clonal, immortalized allogeneic NSC line (HB1.F3.CD21; CD-NSCs) that maintains its stem-like properties, karyotype is HLA Class II negative. It genetically functionally stable over time multiple passages, has demonstrated safety phase I glioma trials. These properties enable production of an "off-the-shelf"...
Cell-based therapies hold great promise for a myriad of clinical applications. However, as these move from phase I to II and III trials, there is need improve scale-up adherent cells the production larger good manufacturing practice (GMP) cell banks. As we advanced our neural stem (NSC)-mediated gene therapy trials glioma include dose escalation multiple treatment cycles, GMP using factories (CellStacks) generated insufficient (NSC) yields. To increase yield, developed an expansion method...
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a critical role in the early activation of stromal tissues during wound healing and tumor growth. We report use two-step transcriptional amplification (TSTA) approach to augment activity relatively weak VEGF promoter (pVEGF) using firefly luciferase (fl) reporter gene bioluminescence imaging (BLI). In cell culture, we demonstrate that TSTA-based fl expression can be significantly enhanced over direct one-step system. Using transgenic mouse...
Abstract Engineered neural stem cells (NSCs) intrinsically migrating to brain tumors offer a promising mechanism for local therapeutic delivery. However, difficulties in quantitative assessments of NSC migration and estimates tumor coverage by diffusible therapeutics have impeded development refinement NSC-based therapies. To address this need, we developed techniques which conventional serial-sectioned formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) brains can be analyzed their entirety across...
The NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunit GluN1 is an obligatory component of NMDARs without a known functional homolog and expressed in almost every neuronal cell type. NMDAR system coincidence detector with critical roles spatial learning synaptic plasticity. Its detection property crucial for the induction hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). We have generated mutant mouse model expressing hypomorph Grin1 N598R allele, which leads to minority (about 10%) detection-impaired NMDARs....
Despite improved survival for children with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma (NB), recurrent disease is a significant problem, treatment options limited by anti-tumor efficacy, patient drug tolerance, and cumulative toxicity. We previously demonstrated that neural stem cells (NSCs) expressing modified rabbit carboxylesterase (rCE) can distribute to metastatic NB tumor foci in multiple organs mice convert the prodrug irinotecan (CPT-11) 1,000-fold more toxic topoisomerase-1 inhibitor SN-38,...
Pre-clinical studies indicate that neural stem cells (NSCs) can limit or reverse CNS damage through direct cell replacement, promotion of regeneration, delivery therapeutic agents. Immortalized NSC lines are in growing demand due to the inherent limitations adult patient-derived NSCs, including availability, expandability, potential for genetic modifications, and costs. Here, we describe generation characterization a new human fetal line, immortalized by transduction with L-MYC (LM-NSC008)...