Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41620424›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Early detection of aberrant cell fate and repair using circulating progenitor cells in patients with heterotopic ossification.

Johanna Nunez, Matilda Holtz, Sneha Korlakunta, Hanil Kang, Florence Lin, Hannah Stowe, Chase A Pagani, Achira Shah, Elise C Jeffery, Meriam Elhamad and 10 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 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

20 authors.

Johanna NunezCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Matilda HoltzCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Sneha KorlakuntaCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.ORCID 0009-0008-7336-6579
Hanil KangCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0009-0005-3681-8642
Florence LinCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Hannah StoweCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8698-0163
Chase A PaganiCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Achira ShahCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Elise C JefferyCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Meriam ElhamadCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Saeed NazemidashtarjandiCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Robert TowerCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5856-5758
Ji Hae ChoiCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-1408-3383
Heeseog KangCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2612-8585
Alexandra CallanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Antonia F ChenDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Cenk AyataNeurovascular Research Unit, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3644-6042
Mehmet TonerCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3647-3665
Benjamin LeviCenter for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA. Benjamin.Levi@UTSouthwestern.edu.
N Murat KarabacakCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. murat.karabacak@mgh.harvard.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-2761-5593

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Heterotopic ossification (HO), the abnormal formation of bone in soft tissues, is a debilitating complication that occurs after severe burns, trauma, and joint replacement surgery. Current diagnostic methods detect HO only after substantial progression, limiting opportunities for early intervention. In this study, we show that circulating mesenchymal progenitor cells (cMPCs), isolated using a microfluidic iChip from patients undergoing hip replacement and a mouse model of traumatic HO, exhibit HO-associated gene expression as early as 6 hours post-injury-41 days before radiographic detection. RNA sequencing of cMPCs enabled development of a liquid biopsy-based HO risk prediction model, achieving up to 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity in human subjects. Furthermore, the model detected significant reductions in HO risk following prophylactic treatment, correlating with decreased HO volume. These findings establish a noninvasive platform for early detection and monitoring of HO and suggest broader utility for diseases involving aberrant mesenchymal cell fate. This approach enables high-throughput screening of at-risk patients and real-time assessment of therapeutic efficacy.

Indexed as

Mesenchymal Stem CellsOssification, HeterotopicAnimalsArthroplasty, Replacement, HipDisease Models, AnimalEarly DiagnosisFemaleHumansMaleMiceMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID41620424
PMCPMC12963606

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.