Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41073800›Full record

ArticleMolecular systems biology2026

Engineering mammalian cells for detection and treatment of cardiac injury.

Yaqing Si, Yuxuan Fan, Leo Scheller, Bozhidar-Adrian Stefanov, Jian Lv, Zhihua Wang, Mingqi Xie, Martin Fussenegger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular systems biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yaqing Si *Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7622-1908
Yuxuan Fan *Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5665-5669
Leo SchellerDepartment of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Klingelbergstrasse 48, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2490-4015
Bozhidar-Adrian StefanovDepartment of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Klingelbergstrasse 48, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-3829-1979
Jian LvShenzhen Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
Zhihua WangShenzhen Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1800-2384
Mingqi XieWestlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. xiemingqi@westlake.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5657-532X
Martin FusseneggerDepartment of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Klingelbergstrasse 48, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland. fussenegger@bsse.ethz.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8545-667X

Funding

EC | ERC | HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council (ERC) ElectroGene 785800HRHI program, Westlake Education Foundation and Tencent Foundation 202209009MOST | Dream Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (Dream Project of MOST of China) 2020YFA0909200MOST | National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) 32071429MOST | National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) 32530063Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (SNF) NCCR Molecular Systems Engineering
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Early detection of myocardial abnormalities or other ischemic heart diseases is critical for effective treatment. Here, we aimed to engineer a cell-based system to sense cardiac troponin I (cTnI), an early marker of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and respond by releasing a thrombolytic agent. To detect cTnI, we engineered a chimeric troponin receptor (TropR) that contains extracellular single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) and signals via intracellular domains of interleukin 6 receptor subunit beta (IL6RB), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (FGFR2b) or vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) that are associated with cardioprotective signaling. cTnI-dependent TropR functionality was confirmed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-derived cell lines as well as iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, and enabled rapid, reversible, tunable control of gene expression via synthetic-signaling-specific promoters. We then constructed monoclonal cell lines for cTnI-induced secretion of the thrombolytic protein tenecteplase (TNK), together with an off-switch triggered by FDA-approved doxycycline. We selected a clone, designated CardioProtect, whose sensitivity was optimized to detect human AMI-relevant cTnI levels. To validate thrombolytic efficacy, we established an ex vivo blood culture system and show that alginate-microencapsulated CardioProtect cells triggered complete lysis of fibrin clots in a strict cTnI-inducible, doxycycline-repressible manner. This closed-loop strategy serves as a proof-of-concept for using cell therapy in the early detection and treatment of AMI.

Indexed as

Cell EngineeringHeart InjuriesMyocardial InfarctionTroponin IAnimalsBiomarkersHEK293 CellsHumansInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsMyocytes, CardiacSignal TransductionSingle-Chain AntibodiesBiomarkersSingle-Chain AntibodiesTroponin IAcute Myocardial InfarctionCardiac TroponinDesigner CellsSynthetic ReceptorsThrombolysis

Identifiers

PMID41073800
PMCPMC12759069

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.