Development of artificial lymphatic tissue that enables homeostasis of microenvironment

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K21910
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 90:Biomedical engineering and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo Women's Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Sekine Hidekazu 東京女子医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (60541737)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 本間 順 東京女子医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (50507366)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: リンパ管再生 / リンパ管内皮細胞 / 共培養 / 組織工学 / 再生医療 / 細胞シート / リンパ管切除モデル / 脂肪由来間質細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study evaluated whether cell sheets containing a network of lymphatic vessel endothelial cells promote lymphangiogenesis after transplantation in vivo. Human lymphatic endothelial cells and human adipose-derived stromal cells were co-cultured to construct cell sheets with lymphatic endothelial networks. 2 weeks after transplantation of the three-layered cell sheets into rat subcutaneous tissue, lymph vessels derived from human lymphatic endothelial cells were observed. The number, diameter, and depth of lymphatic vessels were greatest in a construct consisting of two adipose-derived stromal cell sheets over a 3:2 ratio cell sheet. When this construct was transplanted into a rat femoral lymphangectomy model, functional lymphatic vessels containing both transplanted cells and host lymphatic endothelium were formed.

Free Research Field

再生医工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究はリンパ管の新生・再疎通による微小環境の恒常性維持メカニズムの解明に寄与することのみならず、リンパ浮腫をはじめとする難治性疾患に対する病因の解明や新治療法の技術開発が可能となり、医療へ大きく貢献すると考える。