2024: Year in Review

The end of the year is fast-approaching and it’s time for the final edition of the Life blog! Here at Lifeline® Cell Technology, 2024 marked a year of transformation as we introduced our brand-new packaging—same great products with a more vibrant and improved look. This redesign is part of our ongoing commitment to delivering Better Solutions for Breakthrough Results.

As we look ahead to 2025, we want to extend our heartfelt thank you to our customers for their continued trust in us to deliver products and tools necessary to drive scientific innovation and discovery. To close out 2024, let’s look back at some of the key publications featured on the blog this year. In addition to the publication reviews, we also published two educational blogs on the importance of high-quality primary cells and optimized media formulations for preserving cellular phenotypes, which are essential to obtaining reliable and reproducible research results.

Lifeline Products Supporting Chronic Disease Research

Cardiovascular Disease

In February, we featured a replication study by Caruso and Colleagues, which confirmed findings from a 2017 study by Taylor et al evaluating the effects of cigarette smoke and electronic cigarettes (ECs) and heated tobacco products (HTPs) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Using an in vitro endothelial cell model generated using Lifeline HUVECs, the authors found that while cigarette smoke significantly impairs endothelial cell migration and wound healing—a key factor in CVD development—even at low concentrations, EC and HTP aerosols had minimal impact until much higher concentrations. Both studies concluded that electronic nicotine delivery systems pose a lower CVD risk compared to cigarette smoke. These insights contribute to public health efforts aimed at reducing and preventing CVD by addressing key risk factors.

Kidney Disease

Petzuch and Colleagues investigated the potential of urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) as diagnostic biomarkers for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Their study examined altered micro-RNA (miRNA) expression in two rat CKD models and also conducted in vitro experiments with primary human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (hRPTEC) to validate findings in humans. The researchers identified elevated levels of several EV-associated miRNAs (miR-145-5p, miR-10a-5p, and miR-125b-5p) linked to renal injury and fibrosis in both rats and humans, suggesting that these miRNAs could serve as novel biomarkers, potentially enabling earlier detection of CKD.

Lifeline Products Supporting Infectious Disease Research

HIV

The advent of 3D human cerebral organoids (hCOs) provides more a physiologically relevant model system of the brain compared to current in vitro models used to study HIV-associated neuropathologies. Donadoni et al generated and characterized several human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines using human primary adult dermal fibroblasts (HDFa), which were then differentiated to form 3D microglia-containing hCOs. In functional experiments, the hCOs were found to be susceptible to HIV-1 infection and when the infected hCOs were treated with a combined antiretroviral therapy regimen, HIV-1 gene expression and replication were suppressed as early as 7 days post-infection. These hiPSC-derived hCOs provide a more physiologically relevant system for researchers to identify disease mechanisms and test novel HIV therapeutics.

Influenza

Pushparaj and Colleagues examine long non-coding RNAs as potential therapeutic targets for influenza infection. Through RNA sequencing of influenza virus-infected human lung epithelial cells, the lncRNA molecule Lnc-PINK1-2:5 was found to be highly expressed.  The authors utilized lung epithelial cell line A549 and primary human bronchial/tracheal epithelial cells (HBTECs) purchased from Lifeline Cell Technology to further characterize the transcript. In vitro studies revealed Lnc‐PINK1‐2:5 acts as an antiviral lncRNA to decrease viral replication during infection via upregulation of TXNIP, an antiviral factor. Overall, this study identifies Lnc-PINK1-2:5 as a potential therapeutic target, which could help researchers develop more effective prevention and treatment strategies for influenza infection.

Lifeline Products Supporting Oncology Research

HER2+ Breast Cancer

In October, we featured a publication by Lewis and colleagues describing a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutic, DHES0815A, to treat HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (BC).  In preclinical cell killing assays using HER2+ BC cell line SK-BR-3 and controls, including normal human mammary epithelial cells and the HER2- BC cell line MCF7, DHES0815A selectively induced apoptosis in HER2+ breast cancer cells. During the phase 1 dose-escalation trial, treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were observed in all 14 patients at higher doses, which resulted in early termination of the phase 1 trial. Despite the negative results, this information will help guide the design of more effective and better-tolerated therapies in the future.

Skin Cancer

Epithelial tissues forming the epidermis serve as the first line of defense in the innate immune system, with the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway playing a crucial role in maintaining epithelial homeostasis and regeneration. Wang et al use the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model system and human epidermal keratinocyte (HEKa) to investigate the role of Hh receptors in regulating the epidermal innate immune response. They found Hh receptors are integral to immune surveillance and defense against epidermal damage in both systems. Importantly, dysfunction in the Hh pathway impairs the skin’s ability to mount an effective immune response, potentially contributing to the development of skin cancer. Understanding these underlying mechanisms could help researchers develop more effective strategies for skin cancer prevention and treatment.

Looking Ahead

Thank you for your support in 2024 and from all of us at Lifeline Cell Technology, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to serving the scientific community with high-quality cells and media products, and to sharing the latest life sciences research with you on the blog in 2025.