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Is the presence of pericytes at the lesion site of a spinal cord injury (SCI) a good or bad thing? That’s a question that scientists from Ohio State University are working on answering in some recently published research.

SCIs are often devastating, causing neurological issues and long-term disabilities. Axon regeneration failure is the main reason these injuries do not heal, often because of a cellular environment at the lesion that prevents regeneration. 

But what about the role of pericytes in this cellular environment? The investigators find that pericytes have detrimental effects, causing changes to the structure and function of DRG neurons needed for axon regeneration.

Image: Imaging of adult DRG neurons cultured on a human pericyte (supplied by Neuromics) monolayer with or without PDGF-BB stimulation.

However, the story doesn't end there. The researchers found that administration of platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) can program pericytes to create a more favorable cellular environment for axon regeneration and lesion repair. This programming could have significant implications as a treatment for SCIs. Read the full study here.

Just how important is the tumor microenvironment (TME) in cancer research? As a supplier of primary human cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), we’re exposed to plenty of studies looking into their role. One big theme: it’s becoming ever clearer that cancer treatments must take CAFs and their role in the TME into account.

Image: 3D organotypic colorectal tumor model surrounded by CAFs (vimentin, green) (a). Organoids are larger and more plentiful when CAFs are incorporated than without CAFs (b & c).

In a newly released paper, a team of researchers from the University of Akron builds 3D organoids with patient-derived colorectal tumor samples to study prospective cancer treatments. They compare how organoids develop, prosper, and react to treatments when they are with and without colorectal tumor CAFs (cat. CAF115) provided by Neuromics.

Neuroscience, cancer, and pain - these are the three areas where Neuromics products are most prevalent. Last month, researchers from New York University published a study at the intersection of these three fields, using a neural cell type to explore the mechanisms of pain in oral cancer.

Image: TRPV4 is functionally expressed in Neuromics human Schwann cells. Expression is confirmed using TRPV4 agonist GSK1016790A.

Oral cancer is known to often cause a lot of pain when the lesion is touched or pressured, but the cause of this pain is not well understood. When looking at some of the mechanisms of this pain, the scientists employed our primary human Schwann cells (cat. HMP303). The investigation focused on the expression of TRPV4 in Schwann cells, including our Schwann cells. They found that TRPV4 inhibition reduced pain in mouse models, suggesting TRPV4 from activated Schwann cells is a major source of pain in oral cancer. You can read the full study here.

Late in 2024, Dartmouth researchers published a paper using our GFP-expressing human glioblastoma cells (U87 MG) (cat. TR01-GFP) in fluorescent-guided surgery research. The scientists cultured Neuromics GFP-expressing U87 MG cells and then inserted them into a mouse model. After testing several fluorescent agents, they found one, tetramethylrhodamine conjugated to a small polyethylene glycol chain (TMR-PEG1k), performed the best (learn more here).

Well, the same researchers are back again, releasing more fluorescent imaging research utilizing our GFP-expressing U87 MG cells. Like in the previous study, the researchers inserted our cells into a mouse model and compared the results to TMR-PEG1k. However, this time, the focus our their study was different.

Image: An illustration of Neuromics’ GFP expressing human glioblastoma cells (U87 MG) compared to the contrast agent TMR-PEG1k in mice.

Maintaining the integrity of RNA samples during experiments is crucial, with RNA degradation being a major concern. Worry no more! Neuromics is proud to introduce our newest product, RNase Inactivating Solution (cat. RNA001). 

This highly advanced reagent is expertly crafted to irreversibly eliminate RNase activity. Following the inactivation procedure, it guarantees that every piece of laboratory equipment and consumable is entirely free from RNase contamination.

Our reagent is perfect for all RNA-related applications:

• RNA isolation
• Real-time PCR
• Northern blotting
• Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
• Many more