Engineered human myogenic cells in hydrogels generate innervated vascularized myofibers within dystrophic mouse muscle on long-term engraftment.

Abstract

Transplantation of human myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs) is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating muscle-wasting diseases, e.g., Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To increase engraftment efficiency of donor stem cells, modulation of host muscles is required, significantly limiting their clinical translation. Here, we develop a clinically relevant transplantation strategy synergizing hydrogel-mediated delivery and engineered human MPCs generated from CRISPR-corrected DMD patient-derived pluripotent stem cells. We demonstrate that donor-derived human myofibers produce full-length dystrophin at 4 weeks and 5-6 months (long-term) after transplantation in the unmodulated muscles of the dystrophin-deficient mouse model of DMD. Remarkably, human myofibers are innervated by mouse motor neurons forming neuromuscular junctions and supported by vascularization after long-term engraftment in dystrophic mice. PAX7+ cells of human origin populate the satellite cell niche. There was no evidence of tumorigenesis in mice engrafted with hydrogel-encapsulated human MPCs. Our results provide a proof of concept in developing hydrogel-based cell therapy for muscle-wasting diseases.