California's Stem Cell Agency

<p>In this project, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived smooth muscle progenitor cells (iPSC-pSMC) were delivered within collagen scaffolds onto the abdominal aortic wall of mice with induced abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). &nbsp;The results from this study demonstrate that the transplantation of cell-encapsulated scaffolds onto the abdominal aortic aneurysm could therapeutically halt the expansion of the abdominal aortic aneurysm. &nbsp;Non-invasive measurements of vessel diameters using ultrasound demonstrated that the iPSC-pSMC group significantly reduced expansion of the vessel wall, whereas the control group which did not receive any cellular treatment showed progressive expansion of the vessel diameter over time. &nbsp;Non-invasive tracking of the transplanted cells using bioluminescence imaging showed a sharp decline at seven days after cell implantation, but some of the cells remain detectable by histological analysis at 21 days after cell transplantation. &nbsp;Histological analysis of elastin content revealed relatively disorganized elastin fiber assembly in all treatment groups. &nbsp;Together, our findings suggest that iPSC-pSMCs are a promising cellular therapy for treatment of AAA. &nbsp;Future studies aim to determine the biodistribution of the transplanted cells, as well as demonstrating the scalability of this therapeutic approach in a rat model of AAA.</p>