Browsing by Author "Guzman, Christian Dani"

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    A First in Human Trial Implanting Microalgae Shows Safety of Photosynthetic Therapy for the Effective Treatment of Full Thickness Skin Wounds
    (FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2021) Obaid, Miguel Luis; Camacho, Juan Pablo; Brenet, Marianne; Corrales Orovio, Rocio; Carvajal Diaz, Felipe Alonso; Martorell, Ximena; Werner, Consuelo; Simon, Valeska; Varas, Juan; Calderon, Wilfredo; Guzman, Christian Dani; Bono, Maria Rosa; San Martin, Sebastián; Eblen Zajjur, Antonio Alejandro; Egaña Erazo, José Tomás
    Insufficient oxygen supply represents a relevant issue in several fields of human physiology and medicine. It has been suggested that the implantation of photosynthetic cells can provide oxygen to tissues in the absence of a vascular supply. This approach has been demonstrated to be successful in several in vitro and in vivo models; however, no data is available about their safety in human patients. Here, an early phase-1 clinical trial ( identifier: NCT03960164, ) is presented to evaluate the safety and feasibility of implanting photosynthetic scaffolds for dermal regeneration in eight patients with full-thickness skin wounds. Overall, this trial shows that the presence of the photosynthetic microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in the implanted scaffolds did not trigger any deleterious local or systemic immune responses in a 90 days follow-up, allowing full tissue regeneration in humans. The results presented here represent the first attempt to treat patients with photosynthetic cells, supporting the translation of photosynthetic therapies into clinics.
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    Development of a Novel Perfusable Solution for ex vivo Preservation: Towards Photosynthetic Oxygenation for Organ Transplantation
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2021) Veloso Gimenez, Valentina; Escamilla, Rosalba; Necuñir, David; Corrales Orovio, Rocio; Riveros, Sergio; Marino, Carlo; Ehrenfeld, Carolina; Guzman, Christian Dani; Boric, Mauricio P.; Rebolledo, Rolando; Egaña, José Tomas
    Oxygen is the key molecule for aerobic metabolism, but no animal cells can produce it, creating an extreme dependency on external supply. In contrast, microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms, therefore, they are able to produce oxygen as plant cells do. As hypoxia is one of the main issues in organ transplantation, especially during preservation, the main goal of this work was to develop the first generation of perfusable photosynthetic solutions, exploring its feasibility for ex vivo organ preservation. Here, the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was incorporated in a standard preservation solution, and key aspects such as alterations in cell size, oxygen production and survival were studied. Osmolarity and rheological features of the photosynthetic solution were comparable to human blood. In terms of functionality, the photosynthetic solution proved to be not harmful and to provide sufficient oxygen to support the metabolic requirement of zebrafish larvae and rat kidney slices. Thereafter, isolated porcine kidneys were perfused, and microalgae reached all renal vasculature, without inducing damage. After perfusion and flushing, no signs of tissue damage were detected, and recovered microalgae survived the process. Altogether, this work proposes the use of photosynthetic microorganisms as vascular oxygen factories to generate and deliver oxygen in isolated organs, representing a novel and promising strategy for organ preservation.