Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42546699›Full record

ArticleCell reports. Medicine2026

EGFR inhibition promotes functional engraftment and graft survival via donor-derived CHI3L1 in fetal RPE suspension transplantation.

Xiying Mao, Wenjie Yin, Miao Xu, Zixuan Niu, Dingan Zhong, Benchen Ye, Siqi Xu, Yan Gao, Wenbo Zhang, Qiang Chen and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
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Article in Cell reports. Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

17 authors.

Xiying MaoDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
Wenjie YinDepartment of Ophthalmology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
Miao XuDepartment of Ophthalmology, Wuxi Clinical Department of the 904th Hospital of PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, 101 Xingyuan North Road, Liangxi District, Wuxi 214000, Jiangsu Province, China.
Zixuan NiuDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
Dingan ZhongKey Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, School of Life Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
Benchen YeFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, Macau SAR, China.
Siqi XuDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
Yan GaoDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
Wenbo ZhangSchool of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
Qiang ChenSchool of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
Guokai ChenFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, Macau SAR, China.
Ning-Yi ShaoFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, Macau SAR, China.
Peng XieKey Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, School of Life Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
Minjun JiDepartment of Pathogen Biology, National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Infections and Control, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center of Antibody Drug, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China. Electronic address: jiminjun@njmu.edu.cn.
Guoping FanSchool of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: gfan@hku.hk.
Qinghuai LiuDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China. Electronic address: liuqh@njmu.edu.cn.
Songtao YuanDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China. Electronic address: songtaoyuan@njmu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Numerous clinical trials have highlighted the translational potential of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell transplantation in retinal degeneration (RD). However, an unsolved challenge remains in addressing chronic graft dysfunction, primarily due to poor integration and cell loss. Here, we perform a single-cell transcriptomic comparison between grafted RPE cells and host RPE. Our analysis identifies EGFR expression in donor fetal RPE cells as a significant obstacle to functional integration. Through multimodal imaging and spatial transcriptomics, we demonstrate that EGFR inhibition (EGFRi) facilitates effective engraftment of fetal RPE cell suspension, leading to the functional restoration of the outer blood-retinal barrier, and restrains neurodegeneration in preclinical RD models. This effect is mechanistically linked to graft reepithelialization via the activation of intrinsic CHI3L1-IL13RA2 signaling in EGFRi-treated donor cells. Moreover, EGFRi-induced CHI3L1 secretion contributes to immunosuppression that complements anti-lymphocytic therapy, thereby extending graft survival. Thus, repurposing Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved EGFR inhibitor offers a safe and cost-effective approach to advancing fetal RPE suspension transplantation into clinical practice.

Indexed as

ErbB ReceptorsGraft SurvivalRetinal Pigment EpitheliumAnimalsFemaleFetusHumansMiceRetinal DegenerationSignal TransductionTissue DonorsErbB ReceptorsEGFR inhibitionfetal RPEfunctional integrationimmunosuppressionretinal degenerationRPE suspension transplantation

Identifiers

PMID42546699
PMCPMC13522766

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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.