Publications by authors named "Andrea DiFiglia"

Influenza A virus (IAV) infections are a significant recurrent threat to public health and a significant burden on global economy, highlighting the need for developing more effective therapies. Natural killer (NK) cells play a pivotal role in the control of pulmonary IAV infection, however, little is known about the therapeutic potential of adoptively transferred NK cells for viral infections. Here, we investigated the antiviral activity of CYNK, human placental hematopoietic stem cell-derived NK cells, against IAV infection .

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 to knock out a gene that negatively regulates NK cell activity in placental-derived CD34 stem cells, enhancing their ability to kill cancer cells.
  • The modified NK cells (KO PNK cells) demonstrated over 90% purity, maintained their growth and differentiation, and significantly improved their cytotoxicity against various tumor cells in lab settings.
  • In mouse models of leukemia, the KO PNK cells showed increased proliferation, maturation, and overall better antitumor effects compared to unmodified NK cells over a three-week period.
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Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a leading cause of limb loss and mortality worldwide with limited treatment options. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy has demonstrated positive effects on angiogenesis in preclinical models and promising therapeutic efficacy signals in early stage clinical studies; however, the mechanisms underlying MSC-mediated angiogenesis remain largely undefined. Here, we investigated the mechanism of action of human placenta-derived MSC-like cells (PDA-002) in inducing angiogenesis using mice hind limb ischemia model.

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