The article is fairly technical and the full study is available through the link. Basically they have found a way to transplant Aveolar cells in such a way as they will take hold and reproduce. They have been able to prove the result through pulse oximeter results. So far they have proven results in certain types of lung damage, more research is needed
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Mesenchyme-free expansion and transplantation of adult alveolar progenitor
cells: steps toward cell-based regenerative therapies
Abstract
Alveolar type-2 (AT2) cells are necessary for the lung’s regenerative response to epithelial
insults such as influenza.
However, current methods to expand these cells rely on mesenchymal co-culture, complicating
the possibility of transplantation following acute injury. Here we developed several
mesenchyme-free culture conditions that promote growth of murine AT2 organoids.
Transplanting dissociated AT2 organoids into influenza-infected mice demonstrated
that organoids engraft and either proliferate as AT2 cells or unexpectedly adopt a
basal cell-like fate associated with maladaptive regeneration. Alternatively, transplanted
primary AT2 cells also robustly engraft, maintaining their AT2 lineage while replenishing
the alveolar type-1 (AT1) cell population in the epithelium.
Importantly, pulse oximetry revealed significant increase in blood-oxygen
saturation in primary AT2 recipients, indicating that transplanted cells also confer
increased pulmonary function after influenza. We further demonstrated that both acid
installation and bleomycin injury models are also amenable to AT2 transplantation.
These studies provide additional methods to study AT2 progenitor potential, while
serving as proof-of-principle for adoptive transfer of alveolar progenitors in potential
therapeutic applications.
