Monika Ljunggren

Linköping University | LiU · Centre for Biomedical Resources

Purpose To determine feasibility of plant-derived recombinant human collagen type I (RHCI) for use in corneal regenerative implants Methods RHCI was crosslinked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) to form hydrogels. Application of shear force to liquid crystalline RHCI aligned the collagen fibr...

Transplantation with donor corneas is the mainstay for treating corneal blindness, but a severe worldwide shortage necessitates the development of other treatment options. Corneal perforation from infection or inflammation is sealed with cyanoacrylate glue. However, the resulting cytotoxicity requires transplantation. LiQD Cornea is an alternative...

DNA vaccination in large animals has often been associated with poor immunogenicity, consequently several approaches have been evaluated to enhance its efficacy. Here, we tested a cDNA encoding a phosphoglycerate kinase from Fasciola hepatica (cDNA-FhPGK/pCMV) as a vaccine against ovine fasciolosis and investigated whether a DNA prime/protein boost...

Oral vaccination with edible vaccines is one of the most promising approaches in modern vaccinology. Edible vaccines are an alternative to conventional vaccines, which are typically delivered by injection. Here, freeze-dried transgenic lettuce expressing the cysteine proteinase of the trematode Fasciola hepatica (CPFhW) was used to orally vaccinate...

Sex-related analysis of vaccination influence on fluke body size.

Sex-related analysis of liver fluke recoveries in infected cattle and sheep at 12 WPI. *Denotes a significant difference compared to respective control group (p < 0.05).

Numbers of fluke eggs found in the infected cattle and sheep of both sexes at necropsy (12 WPI). *Denotes a significant difference compared to respective control group (p < 0.05).

Sex-related analysis of liver damage scores. *Denotes a significant difference compared to respective control group (p < 0.05).

Sex-related analysis of eosinophil and total white blood cell (WBC) counts in blood samples collected from experimental animals. *Represents statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).

Sex-related analysis of liver enzymes activities in sera collected from experimental animals throughout the study. *Represents statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).

Sex-related analysis of CD4 and CD8 T cell counts in blood samples collected from experimental animals. *Represents statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).

Sex-related analysis of total IgG levels in sera collected from experimental animals. *Represents statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).

Background: The immune system reflects the microbiome (microbiota). Modulation of the immune system during early tendon remodeling by dexamethasone treatment can improve rat Achilles tendon healing. The authors tested whether changes in the microbiota could influence the effect of dexamethasone treatment. Hypothesis: A change in microbiome would...

Unoperated cornea. Epithelium is pseudocoloured blue.

RHCIII-MPC implanted cornea.

Extracellular vesicles (gold colour) in CLP-PEG implanted cornea.

CLP-PEG implanted cornea.

Statement of significance: Although biomaterials comprising full-length recombinant human collagen and extracted animal collagen have been evaluated and used clinically, these macromolecules provide only a limited number of functional groups amenable to chemical modification or crosslinking and are demanding to process. Synthetic, customizable ana...

Background: Cysteine proteinases of Fasciola hepatica are important candidates for vaccine antigens because of their role in fluke biology and host-parasite relationships. In our previous experiments, we found that a recombinant cysteine proteinase cloned from adult F. hepatica (CPFhW) can protect rats against liver fluke infections when it is adm...

INTRODUCTION: Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell (LESC) deficiency is an orphan disease leading to corneal blindness. Tissue engineering has become a treatment modality for this condition, as cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation (CLET) can successfully regenerate the anterior cornea [1]. In CLET, a limbal biopsy is cultivated and transplanted with...

Extracellular matrix proteins like collagen promote regeneration as implants in clinical studies. However, collagens are large and unwieldy proteins, making small functional peptide analogs potentially ideal substitutes. Self-assembling collagen-like-peptides conjugated with PEG-maleimide were assembled into hydrogels. When tested pre-clinically as...

The characterisation of biomaterials for cardiac tissue engineering applications is vital for the development of effective treatments for the repair of cardiac function. New 'smart' materials developed from conductive polymers can provide dynamic benefits in supporting and stimulating stem cells via controlled surface properties, electrical and ele...

Cardiac tissue engineering via the use of stem cells is the future for repairing impaired heart function that results from a myocardial infarction. Developing an optimised platform to support the stem cells is vital to realising this, and through utilising new ‘smart’ materials such as conductive polymers we can provide a multi-pronged approach to...

Our aim was to determine the effect of a surgical technique on biomaterial implant performance, specifically graft retention. Twelve mini pigs were implanted with cell-free, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC)/N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) cross-linked recombinant human collagen type III (RHCIII) hydrogels as substitutes for donor co...

It is now recognized that biological macromolecules such as components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are important as instructive templates in Regenerative Medicine applications. They are now increasingly used in the development of a new generation of bio-mimetic materials that allow for restoration of function when the self-renewal capacity of...

It is now recognized that biological macromolecules such as components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are important as instructive templates in Regenerative Medicine applications. They are now increasingly used in the development of a new generation of bio-mimetic materials that allow for restoration of function when the self-renewal capacity of...