Christoph Patsch

Generation of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells from human pluripotent stem cells.

The use of human pluripotent stem cells for in vitro disease modelling and clinical applications requires protocols that convert these cells into relevant adult cell types. Here, we report the rapid and efficient differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells. We found that GSK3 inhibition and BMP4 treatment rapidly committed pluripotent cells to a mesodermal fate and subsequent exposure to VEGF-A or PDGF-BB resulted in the differentiation of either endothelial or vascular smooth muscle cells, respectively. Both protocols produced mature cells with efficiencies exceeding 80% within six days. On purification to 99% via surface markers, endothelial cells maintained their identity, as assessed by marker gene expression, and showed relevant in vitro and in vivo functionality. Global transcriptional and metabolomic analyses confirmed that the cells closely resembled their in vivo counterparts. Our results suggest that these cells could be used to faithfully model human disease.

Multicellular Self-Assembled Spheroidal Model of the Blood Brain Barrier

The blood brain barrier (BBB) has evolved unique characteristics such as dense coverage of the endothelial cells by pericytes and interactions with astrocytes through perivascular endfeet. We study BBB formation in a 3-dimensional multicellular spheroid system of human primary brain endothelial cells (hpBECs), primary pericytes (hpPs) and primary astrocytes (hpAs). We show for the first time that hpBECs, hpPs and hpAs spontaneously self-organize into a defined multicellular structure which recapitulates the complex arrangement of the individual cell types in the BBB structure. Pericytes play a crucial role mediating the interaction between hpBECs and hpAs. This process is not dependent on a scaffold support demonstrating that formation and cellular architecture of the BBB is intrinsically programmed within each specific cell type. In a matrigel setup the hpBECs, hpPs and hpAs also undergo self-arrangement to form endothelial tube-like structures tightly covered by hpPs and loosely attached hpAs mainly at the junctions.

mTORC1 Inhibition Corrects Neurodevelopmental and Synaptic Alterations in a Human Stem Cell Model of Tuberous Sclerosis

Hyperfunction of the mTORC1 pathway has been associated with idiopathic and syndromic forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including tuberous sclerosis, caused by loss of either TSC1 or TSC2. It remains largely unknown how developmental processes and biochemical signaling affected by mTORC1 dysregulation contribute to human neuronal dysfunction. Here, we have characterized multiple stages of neurogenesis and synapse formation in human neurons derived from TSC2-deleted pluripotent stem cells. Homozygous TSC2 deletion causes severe developmental abnormalities that recapitulate pathological hallmarks of cortical malformations in patients. Both TSC2(+/-) and TSC2(-/-) neurons display altered synaptic transmission paralleled by molecular changes in pathways associated with autism, suggesting the convergence of pathological mechanisms in ASD. Pharmacological inhibition of mTORC1 corrects developmental abnormalities and synaptic dysfunction during independent developmental stages. Our results uncouple stage-specific roles of mTORC1 in human neuronal development and contribute to a better understanding of the onset of neuronal pathophysiology in tuberous sclerosis.

Generation of functional podocytes from human induced pluripotent stem cells

Generating human podocytes in vitro could offer a unique opportunity to study human diseases. Here, we describe a simple and efficient protocol for obtaining functional podocytes in vitro from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Cells were exposed to a three-step protocol, which induced their differentiation into intermediate mesoderm, then into nephron progenitors and, finally, into mature podocytes. After differentiation, cells expressed the main podocyte markers, such as synaptopodin, WT1, α-Actinin-4, P-cadherin and nephrin at the protein and mRNA level, and showed the low proliferation rate typical of mature podocytes. Exposure to Angiotensin II significantly decreased the expression of podocyte genes and cells underwent cytoskeleton rearrangement. Cells were able to internalize albumin and self-assembled into chimeric 3D structures in combination with dissociated embryonic mouse kidney cells. Overall, these findings demonstrate the establishment of a robust protocol that, mimicking developmental stages, makes it possible to derive functional podocytes in vitro.

Characterization of a human pluripotent stem cell-derived model of neuronal development using multiplexed targeted proteomics

Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)‐derived cellular models have great potential to enable drug discovery and improve translation of preclinical insights to the clinic. We have developed a hPSC‐derived neural precursor cell model for studying early events in human brain development. We present protein‐level characterization of this model, using a multiplexed SRM approach, to establish reproducibility and physiological relevance; essential prerequisites for utilization of the neuronal development model in phenotypic screening‐based drug discovery.

Potent and Selective BACE-1 Peptide Inhibitors Lower Brain Aβ Levels Mediated by Brain Shuttle Transport

Therapeutic approaches to fight Alzheimers disease include anti-Amyloidβ (Aβ) antibodies and secretase inhibitors. However, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) limits the brain exposure of biologics and the chemical space for small molecules to be BBB permeable. The Brain Shuttle (BS) technology is capable of shuttling large molecules into the brain. This allows for new types of therapeutic modalities engineered for optimal efficacy on the molecular target in the brain independent of brain penetrating properties. To this end, we designed BACE1 peptide inhibitors with varying lipid modifications with single-digit picomolar cellular potency. Secondly, we generated active-exosite peptides with structurally confirmed dual binding mode and improved potency. When fused to the BS via sortase coupling, these BACE1 inhibitors significantly reduced brain Aβ levels in mice after intravenous administration. In plasma, both BS and non-BS BACE1 inhibitor peptides induced a significant time- and dose-dependent decrease of Aβ. Our results demonstrate that the BS is essential for BACE1 peptide inhibitors to be efficacious in the brain and active-exosite design of BACE1 peptide inhibitors together with lipid modification may be of therapeutic relevance.

Generation of a homozygous GBA deletion human embryonic stem cell line

We describe the generation of a biallelic GBA deletion human embryonic stem cell line using zinc finger nuclease-mediated gene targeting. The homozygous targeting of exon 4 of the GBA locus leads to a complete loss of glucocerebrosidase (GCase) protein expression.

Requirements for Using iPSC-Based Cell Models for Assay Development in Drug Discovery

A prevalent challenge in drug discovery is the translation of findings from preclinical research into clinical success. Currently, more physiological in vitro systems are being developed to overcome some of these challenges. In particular, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have provided the opportunity to generate human cell types that can be utilized for developing more disease-relevant cellular assay models. As the use of these complex models is lengthy and fairly complicated, we lay out our experiences of the cultivation, differentiation, and quality control requirements to successfully utilize pluripotent stem cells in drug discovery.

Establishment of a translational endothelial cell model using directed differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells from Cynomolgus monkey

Due to their broad differentiation potential, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) offer a promising approach for generating relevant cellular models for various applications. While human PSC-based cellular models are already advanced, similar systems for non-human primates (NHPs) are still lacking. However, as NHPs are the most appropriate animals for evaluating the safety of many novel pharmaceuticals, the availability of in vitro systems would be extremely useful to bridge the gap between cellular and animal models. Here, we present a NHP in vitro endothelial cell system using induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) from Cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis). Based on an adapted protocol for human IPSCs, we directly differentiated macaque IPSCs into endothelial cells under chemically defined conditions. The resulting endothelial cells can be enriched using immuno-magnetic cell sorting and display endothelial marker expression and function. RNA sequencing revealed that the differentiation process closely resembled vasculogenesis. Moreover, we showed that endothelial cells derived from macaque and human IPSCs are highly similar with respect to gene expression patterns and key endothelial functions, such as inflammatory responses. These data demonstrate the power of IPSC differentiation technology to generate defined cell types for use as translational in vitro models to compare cell type-specific responses across species.