A multi-disciplinary research team at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and collaborating institutions leveraged their recently developed highly versatile DoriVac DNA origami nanotechnology that is both vaccine and adjuvant as an alternative to current vaccine platforms. As published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, DoriVac vaccines made with different viral antigens produce potent antigen-specific antibody-mediated and T cell-mediated responses in mice as well as in a forward-looking pre-clinical in vitro model of the human lymph node engineered using the Wyss Institute’s microfluidic human Organ Chip technology. The findings are published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Kyoto, Japan -- Swallowing is a fundamental human function that supports nutrition and communication. Damage to swallowing muscles can reduce quality of life and even lead to aspiration pneumonia or malnutrition. Many patients suffer from swallowing difficulties after being treated for head or neck cancer, and swallowing disorders are also common in older adults, yet effective therapies have been limited.

Stem cell therapy is considered a promising strategy for muscle repair, including the swallowing muscles, but so far it has not demonstrated the desired effect. Many transplanted cells die quickly after injection because they cannot survive in an injured environment. Spheroids, or three-dimensional cell clusters, are known to improve stem cell function, but large spheroids often develop a necrotic core due to limited oxygen and nutrient supply.

This motivated a collaborative team of researchers from Kyoto University and McGill University to take a new approach to tackling this uncomfortable condition. They included a soft, biocompatible material inside the spheroid to support cell survival and function. Biodegradable nanogels proved to be the innovative material they needed.

Researchers will investigate how a common dietary nutrient may control a hidden layer of gene regulation in cancer cells.