Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are a promising mammalian cell type as they can be used for the reconstruction of human tissues and organs. MSCs are shown to form bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle‐like cells under specific cultivation conditions. Current technology of MSCs cryopreservation has significant disadvantages. Alternative technologies of mammalian cells preservation through lyophilisation or desiccation (air‐drying) are among the upcoming domains of investigation in the field of cryobiology. Different protectants and their combinations were studied in this context. Loading of the protectant in the live cell can be a challenging issue but recent studies have shown encouraging results. This paper deals with a review of the protectants, methods of their delivery, and physical boundary conditions adopted for the desiccation and lyophilisation of mammalian cells, including MSCs. A hybrid technique combining both methods is also proposed as a promising way of MSCs dry preservation.

Purpose: SIRPα+ macrophages can mediate resistance to lenalidomide and rituximab in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). Evorpacept (ALX148) is a novel CD47 blocker that abrogates interactions between lymphoma cells and SIRPα+ macrophages. Patients and Methods: Adult patients with B-NHL who had received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy were included in this single-arm phase I study (NCT05025800). Evorpacept was administered intravenously, in a 28-day cycle, until progression at two dose levels (DL): 30 mg/Kg on day (D) 1 and D15 (DL1) or 60 mg/Kg on day 1 (DL2); rituximab 375 mg/m2 i.v. was given weekly during cycle 1 and on D1 during cycles 2 to 6; and lenalidomide 20 mg was given orally from D1 to D21 during cycles 1 to 6. Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on tumor biopsies collected before treatment and during cycle 1. Results: Twenty patients were included in this study. The median age was 61 (27–85) years, and 18 patients (90%) had indolent B-NHL. Three patients were treated at DL1, 17 at DL2, and no dose-limiting toxicity was observed. The most common grade 3 to 4 adverse events included neutropenia (60%), infections (30%), and alanine transferase increase (15%). Sixteen (80%) patients achieved complete response, and after a median follow-up of 28 months, 2-year progression-free survival rate was 69%. During treatment, a significant increase in T cells and macrophages was observed, and macrophage pathways associated with anti-tumoral activity were upregulated. Conclusions: Evorpacept plus lenalidomide and rituximab has a safe toxicity profile and promising anti-tumoral activity, and induces favorable biological effects on the tumoral immune microenvironment.

Extracellular bacterial ribonucleases such as binase from Bacillus pumilus possess cytotoxic activity against tumor cells with a potential for clinical application. Moreover, they may induce activation of tumor-derived macrophages either into the M1-phenotype with well-documented functions in the regulation of the antitumor immune response or into M2-macrophages that may stimulate tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis. In this study, binase or endogenous RNase1 (but not RNA or short oligonucleotides) stimulated the expression of activated NF-κB p65 subunit in macrophages. Since no changes in MyD88 and TRIF adaptor protein expression were observed, toll-like receptors may not be involved in RNase-related NF-κB pathway activation. In addition, short exposure (0.5 hr) to binase induced the release of cytokines such as IL-6, МСР-1, or TNF-α (but not IL-4 and IL-10), indicative for the polarization into antitumor M1-macrophages. Thus, we revealed increased expression of activated NF-κB p65 subunit in macrophages upon stimulation by binase and RNase1, but not RNA or short oligonucleotides.

Anhydrobiosis, an adaptive ability to withstand complete desiccation, in the nonbiting midge Polypedilum vanderplanki, is associated with the emergence of new multimember gene families, including a group of 27 genes of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins (PvLea). To obtain new insights into the possible functional specialization of these genes, we investigated the expression and localization of PvLea genes in a P. vanderplanki-derived cell line (Pv11), capable of anhydrobiosis. We confirmed that all but two PvLea genes identified in the genome of P. vanderplanki are expressed in Pv11 cells. Moreover, PvLea genes are induced in Pv11 cells in response to anhydrobiosis-inducing trehalose treatment in a manner highly similar to the larvae of P. vanderplanki during the real induction of anhydrobiosis. Then, we expanded our previous data on PvLEA proteins localization in mammalian cells that were obtained using C-terminal fusions of PvLEA proteins and green fluorescent protein (GFP). We investigated PvLEA localization using N- and C-terminal fusions with GFP in Pv11 cells and the Sf9 insect cell line. We observed an inconsistency of PvLEA localization between different fusion types and different cell cultures, that needs to be taken into account when using PvLEA in the engineering of anhydrobiotic cell lines.