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Review
. 2022 Sep 1;323(3):L341-L354.
doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00113.2022. Epub 2022 Jun 28.

Stem cells, cell therapies, and bioengineering in lung biology and disease 2021

Laertis Ikonomou  1   2 , Mattias Magnusson  3 , Ruben Dries  4 , Erica L Herzog  5 , Robert E Hynds  6 , Zea Borok  7 , Jin-Ah Park  8 , Steven Skolasinski  9 , Janette K Burgess  10 , Leigh Turner  11 , Sarah M Mojarad  12 , John E Mahoney  13 , Thomas Lynch  14 , Mareike Lehmann  15 , Victor J Thannickal  16 , Jamie L Hook  17   18 , Andrew E Vaughan  19 , Evan T Hoffman  20 , Daniel J Weiss  20 , Amy L Ryan  21   22   23
Affiliations
Review

Stem cells, cell therapies, and bioengineering in lung biology and disease 2021

Laertis Ikonomou et al. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. .

Abstract

The 9th biennial conference titled "Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology and Diseases" was hosted virtually, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in collaboration with the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Alpha-1 Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy. The event was held from July 12th through 15th, 2021 with a pre-conference workshop held on July 9th. As in previous years, the objectives remained to review and discuss the status of active research areas involving stem cells (SCs), cellular therapeutics, and bioengineering as they relate to the human lung. Topics included 1) technological advancements in the in situ analysis of lung tissues, 2) new insights into stem cell signaling and plasticity in lung remodeling and regeneration, 3) the impact of extracellular matrix in stem cell regulation and airway engineering in lung regeneration, 4) differentiating and delivering stem cell therapeutics to the lung, 5) regeneration in response to viral infection, and 6) ethical development of cell-based treatments for lung diseases. This selection of topics represents some of the most dynamic and current research areas in lung biology. The virtual workshop included active discussion on state-of-the-art methods relating to the core features of the 2021 conference, including in situ proteomics, lung-on-chip, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-airway differentiation, and light sheet microscopy. The conference concluded with an open discussion to suggest funding priorities and recommendations for future research directions in basic and translational lung biology.

Keywords: bioengineering; differentiation; extracellular matrix; lung regeneration; pluripotent stem cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

A.L.R. and D.J.W. received funding from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute R13 Conference Grant to prepare the conference. R.E.H. is a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow (WT209199/Z/17/Z). None of the other authors have any conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, to disclose.

Figures

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Graphical abstract
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Summarized survey data for the open discussion of conference content. A: use of advanced technologies such as single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) and live imaging. B: investigating cell-based therapies. C: types of cells being used in cell-based therapy research. D: use of three-dimensional models in research. EVs, extracellular vesicles; MSC, mesenchymal stromal cell.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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