EGF-Tethered Matrices

Boston, MA -

The utilization of mesenchymal stem cells for healing of tissue defects, or for example, bone fractures, best occurs when the stem cells are implanted using a supportive matrix.

Although a wide variety of such matrices are known to exist, one of the major problems is how to have the stem cells not only grow on the matrix, but also exhibit properties similar as if the stem cells were growing on natural biological material.

In a recent paper (Fan et al. Tethered EGF Provides a Survival Advantage to Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Stem Cells. 2007 Jan 18;) researchers at Harvard generated a polymer matrix that is covalently attached to the growth factor EGF. This matrix allowed for mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, and also resistance to cell death induced by inflammatory cytokines. Specifically, the EGF tethered to the polymer matrix induced a consistent activation of the MEK-ERK signaling pathway which was associated with mesenchymal stem cell resistance to apoptosis induced by FasL exposure.