Organoids are powerful models but have always been limited by a lack of vasculature so in most cases vascularized organoids are the way to go. However, making them is very challenging.
New reports show progress for some types of vascularized organoids.
New vascularized organoids paper
Here’s the news: Mini hearts, lungs and livers made in lab now grow their own blood vessels, Nature News. I haven’t seen as much progress with vascularized brain organoids, but we’re going to see more progress there too.
Here are the papers:
- Gastruloids enable modeling of the earliest stages of human cardiac and hepatic vascularization, Science.
- Co-development of mesoderm and endoderm enables organotypic vascularization in lung and gut organoids, Cell.
RFK Jr. and state stem cell laws: tail wagging the dog
RFK Jr.’s FDA may take cues on stem cells from red-state laws, clinic doctors, STAT News. This is my latest Lab Dish column, which discusses the new Florida stem cell law, which joins a growing number of other red states that directly challenge the FDA.
These laws not only open the door to more risky procedures and clinics taking advantage of people, but also may provide a template for some changes at the FDA under Kennedy.
Aging tests and hallmarks
- How old are you really? Are the latest ‘biological age’ tests all they’re cracked up to be? The Conversation. One of the key take-homes from this nice overview is that these tests probably aren’t great now for accurately assessing individuals’ biological ages. I’ve written regularly about health flexing based on test results from these assays.
- Hallmarks of stem cell aging, Cell Stem Cell.
More recommended reads
- The Surprising Scientists Hit by Trump’s D.E.I. Cuts, NYT. Many are white and grew up in red states facing economic and other challenges.
- Bayer Begins Phase I/II Study on Cell Therapy for Eye Disease, Zacks/Yahoo Finance.
- First the dire wolf, now NZ’s giant moa: why real ‘de-extinction’ is unlikely to fly, The Conversation. Guess who? Colossal Biosciences, of course.
- Selective remodelling of the adipose niche in obesity and weight loss, Nature.
- Old mitochondria regulate niche renewal via α-ketoglutarate metabolism in stem cells, Nat Metab.
- Patient dies in Sarepta gene therapy trial, adding to safety concerns, STAT News. This is the third death of a recipient of a Sarepta gene therapy. It’s pretty discouraging. People talk so much about high-risk high-reward research including clinical work, but it’s not easy to balance what’s an acceptable ratio. I’ve updated this bullet point because it was clarified that only 2 deaths were directly due to Elevidys and one due to another Sarepta gene therapy that uses the same backbone.