Growing Trans-Species Islets in Tumor Extract-Remodeled Testicles.

Although pancreatic islet transplantation holds promise for the treatment of type I diabetes, its application has been significantly hampered by transplant rejection. Here, an approach is demonstrated to support trans-species islet beta cells from a rat to grow and function in the body of a mouse host while overcoming graft rejection. This approach, which builds on remodeling of the mouse testicle by local injection of a tumor homogenate, establishes an immunosuppressive and proregenerative niche in the testicle. This remodeling proves necessary and effective in shaping the testicle into a unique site to accommodate xenograft cells. Rat pancreatic beta cells-from both the insulinoma (cancer cells) and pancreatic islet (normal tissue)-survive, grow, and form a desirable morphology in the remodeled mouse testicle. Notably, when hyperglycemia is induced in the host body, these xenografts secrete insulin to regulate the blood glucose level in mice for as long as 72 days. Furthermore, no graft rejection, acute inflammation, or safety risks are observed throughout the study. In summary, it is demonstrated that the growth of xenogeneic insulinoma cells in a mouse testicle might serve as an alternative approach for islet transplantation.

Engineering a Tumor Microenvironment-Mimetic Niche for Tissue Regeneration with Xenogeneic Cancer Cells.

The insufficient number of cells suitable for transplantation is a long-standing problem to cell-based therapies aimed at tissue regeneration. Xenogeneic cancer cells (XCC) may be an alternative source of therapeutic cells, but their transplantation risks both immune rejection and unwanted spreading. In this study, a strategy to facilitate XCC transplantation is reported and their spreading in vivo is confined by constructing an engineering matrix that mimics the characteristics of tumor microenvironment. The data show that this matrix, a tumor homogenate-containing hydrogel (THAG), successfully creates an immunosuppressive enclave after transplantation into immunocompetent mice. XCC of different species and tissue origins seeded into THAG survive well, integrated with the host and developed the intrinsic morphology of the native tissue, without being eliminated or spreading out of the enclave. Most strikingly, immortalized human hepatocyte cells and rat ß-cells loaded into THAG exert the physiological functions of the human liver and rat pancreas islets, respectively, in the mouse body. This study demonstrates a novel and feasible approach to harness the unique features of tumor development for tissue transplantation and regenerative medicine.