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PhonoGraft: 3D Printed Tympanic Membrane Graft
Perforations of the tympanic membrane or “eardrum,” the thin membrane that conducts sound in the ear, can result in severe hearing loss and recurring infections. Worldwide, tympanic membrane perforations occur in about 30 million people, with about four million people in North America and the European Union alone, due to blast and other traumatic injuries,... -
Cellular “Backpacks” to Slow Tumor Growth
Macrophages are the body’s multipurpose defense agents, patrolling for pathogens and engulfing cellular debris, foreign substances, microbes, and even cancer cells. But cancerous tumors have evolved an insidious defense mechanism: they can switch arriving macrophages from an anti-cancer state to a pro-cancer state, in which they help promote the tumor’s growth. As a result, attempts... -
Bone Marrow-Like Scaffolds for Accelerating Immune Reconstitution
Bone marrow transplants containing hematopoietic stem cells from an immune-compatible (“allogeneic”) donor can cure patients with otherwise fatal blood disorders including multiple myeloma and leukemias by reconstituting their entire immune systems after chemotherapy. However, following such a “hematopoietic stem cell transplantation” (HSCT), the restoration of T cell immunity – which depends on the production of... -
Single-Cell Encapsulation for Improved Cell Therapies
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are valued for their ability to secrete compounds that modulate the body’s immune system, making them an attractive solution for existing problems with cell therapies including host-vs-graft disease and organ transplant rejections. However, MSCs are rapidly cleared from the body and can come under fire from the immune system. Efforts to... -
JetValve for Heart Regeneration
The human heart beats approximately 35 million times every year, pumping blood into the circulation via four different heart valves. In more than four million people each year, heart valves fail for different reasons, including birth defects, age-related deteriorations and infections. At present, clinicians use either artificial prostheses or fixed animal and cadaver-sourced tissue to... -
T Cell Traps
T cells, a subtype of white blood cells, play key roles in cell-mediated immunity, be it to fight infections and cancer or, when corrupted, to react against the body’s own cells in more than 80 autoimmune diseases, including type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and others. However, isolating disease-related T cells from the body... -
Fusion Proteins for Reduced Drug Toxicity
Therapeutic variants of the natural hormone erythropoietin (EPO) which is produced in the kidney to boost the production of red blood cells are commonly used to treat anemias stemming from kidney disease, chemotherapy and other complications. However, many drugs that are based on therapeutic proteins, including EPO, often cause unwanted side effects because they not... -
Implantable Cancer Vaccine
The Wyss Institute’s implantable, biodegradable cancer vaccine leverages immunotherapeutic methods and could one day help overcome melanoma, other cancers, infectious diseases, auto-immune diseases, as well as vaccinate against specific peptides, proteins, or antigens. The implant is a biodegradable polymer scaffold containing growth factors and components of each patient’s tumors. The technology was initially designed to...