A MSC population with enhanced response towards tumor stroma.

BOLONTRADE M; SGANGA L; CIOLFI F; GARCÍA MG; PIAGGIO E; SORRENTINO MA; ROBINSON A; MAZZOLINI G; PODHAJCER O

Ontario

Congreso; 9º Reunión Anual de ISSCR (International Society for Stem Cell Research); 2011

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a heterogeneous population with the ability to migrate to tissues under remodelation, including tumors. The heterogeneity of MSCs preparations may undermine potential clinical applications since not all the isolated cells may be responsive to the chemotactic and homing signals from the tissue under remodelation. Even more, chemotactic signals from different tissues may compete, thus reducing the amount of MSCs arriving into a site of clinical interest. We isolated adult MSCs from voluntary donors for allogeneic transplants and selected a population of MSCs with enhanced chemotactic and adhesive responses. These properties included a higher migration response towards various chemotactic stimuli including conditioned medium from tumor cell lines, as well as a stronger adhesive response towards extracellular matrix components and human endothelium. These biological properties may be predictive of an in vivo enhanced ability to reach a tumor. In vivo migration assays showed that this MSC population showed an enhanced ability to reach a tumor mass in a mouse orthotopic tumor model. Thus, the heterogeneity of MSCs could be an advantage that allows for selection of a population with the desired biological properties. We were able to identify a MSC population with enhanced chemotactic and adhesive responses that may be useful for tumor targeting strategies.