{"689928":{"#nid":"689928","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Defense by Seonggeon Cho","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESeonggeon Cho\u003Cbr\u003EBME PhD Defense Presentation\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EDate: 2026-05-06\u003Cbr\u003ETime: May 6th 1PM-3PM\u003Cbr\u003ELocation \/ Meeting Link: N600\/https:\/\/timeful.app\/e\/ab778\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECommittee Members:\u003Cbr\u003EYoon, Young-sup Jo, Hanjoong Davis, Michael E Hee Cheol Cho Lee, Sang-Ho\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ETitle: DIRECT CONVERSION OF HUMAN SOMATIC CELLS INTO VASCULAR TISSUE\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EAbstract:\u003Cbr\u003EBackground: Directly reprogrammed endothelial cells generated using the endothelial lineage\u2013specific transcription factor Ets variant 2 (ETV2) show promise for treating ischemic cardiovascular diseases, but clinical translation remains limited by challenges in cell sourcing, safe gene delivery, and survival in ischemic tissue. To address this, we developed a direct reprogramming strategy using human urine-derived cells (U-cells) and adenoviral ETV2 (Ad-ETV2) to generate a vascular tissue\u2013like structure comprising endothelial cells (ECs), perivascular cells, and extracellular matrix (ECM). Method: U-cells from healthy male donors were transduced with Ad-ETV2 and cultured with ascorbic acid to promote ECM deposition and endothelial growth factors to induce differentiation. Endothelial characteristics were evaluated by qRT-PCR, flow cytometry, immunostaining, and single-cell RNA sequencing. ECM composition was analyzed by liquid chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed in a murine hindlimb ischemia model using laser Doppler perfusion imaging, histological analysis, and gene expression profiling of ischemic tissue. Result: By day 10, robust ECM deposition enabled harvest of cells in tissue form. The resulting directly reprogrammed vascular tissue-like structure (rVT) contained 75\u201386% EC-like and mesenchymal stromal cell\u2013like populations, confirmed at the mRNA, protein, and cellular levels, along with key structural and vessel-specific ECM proteins. rVT displayed a pre-vascularized architecture, and transplantation into ischemic mouse hindlimbs significantly improved blood perfusion, reduced tissue damage, and enhanced angiogenic and arteriogenic paracrine signaling. Tissue-form transplantation showed superior engraftment over dissociated cell injection. Transplanted cells migrated into host tissue, incorporating directly into vessels or localizing perivascularly \u2014 exhibiting pericytic behavior or residing within the ACTA2-positive layer of small arterioles. These vasculogenic and arteriogenic effects persisted for up to 3 months post-transplantation. Conclusion: rVT containing endothelial-like cells can be efficiently generated from U-cells via Ad-ETV2 transduction. Transplantation improves blood flow recovery, enhances tissue protection, and provides sustained vasculogenic and arteriogenic effects in ischemic tissue. This direct tissue reprogramming strategy offers a clinically relevant approach by simultaneously generating vascular cells and supportive ECM from autologous sources, eliminating the need for synthetic biomaterials or complex purification steps.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDIRECT CONVERSION OF HUMAN SOMATIC CELLS INTO VASCULAR TISSUE\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"DIRECT CONVERSION OF HUMAN SOMATIC CELLS INTO VASCULAR TISSUE"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-04-21 17:32:19","changed_gmt":"2026-04-21 17:32:46","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-05-06T13:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-05-06T15:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-05-06T15:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-05-06 17:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-05-06 19:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-05-06 19:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"N600","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"100811","name":"Phd Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}