The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital 7 articles published in JoVE Medicine Successful Orthotopic Liver Transplantation in Mice Utilizing Microcomputed Tomography Angiography Qiang Zeng1, Doug A. Gouchoe2,3, Mahboubeh Nabavinia4, Yong Gyu Lee2, Xi Wang2, Terri A. Shaffer5, Mitchel R. Stacy4,5,6, Blake R. Peterson7,8, Bryan A. Whitson2,9, Christopher Breuer1,4, Sylvester M. Black1,10 1Center for Regenerative Medicine, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 5Division of Vascular Diseases and Surgery, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, 6Interdisciplinary Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, 7Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, 8The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, 9Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, 10Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center In this protocol, we discuss the implementation of a model of successful orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in mice. Additionally, adjuvants to further analyze allograft patency after successful OLT in a mouse are discussed as well, specifically utilizing microcomputed tomography (microCT) scans. Neuroscience In vitro Modeling for Neurological Diseases using Direct Conversion from Fibroblasts to Neuronal Progenitor Cells and Differentiation into Astrocytes Cassandra N. Dennys1, Julieth A. Sierra-Delgado1, Shrestha Sinha Ray1, Annalisa M. Hartlaub1, Florence S. Roussel1, Yacidzohara Rodriguez1, Kathrin Meyer1,2 1 We describe a protocol to reprogram human skin-derived fibroblasts into induced Neuronal Progenitor Cells (iNPCs), and their subsequent differentiation into induced Astrocytes (iAs). This method leads to fast and reproducible generation of iNPCs and iAs in large quantities. Genetics Direct Reprogramming of Human Fibroblasts into Myoblasts to Investigate Therapies for Neuromuscular Disorders Camila F. Almeida1, Emma C. Frair1, Nianyuan Huang1, Reid Neinast2, Kim L. McBride2,3,4,6, Robert B. Weiss5, Kevin M. Flanigan1,6, Nicolas Wein1,6 1Center for Cardiovascular Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 3Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 5Department of Human Genetics, The University of Utah School of Medicine, 6Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University This protocol describes the conversion of skin fibroblasts into myoblasts and their differentiation into myotubes. The cell lines are derived from patients with neuromuscular disorders and can be used to investigate pathological mechanisms and to test therapeutic strategies. Bioengineering Seeding and Implantation of a Biosynthetic Tissue-engineered Tracheal Graft in a Mouse Model Matthew G. Wiet*1,2, Sayali Dharmadhikari*1,3, Audrey White1,2, Susan D. Reynolds4, Jed Johnson5, Christopher K. Breuer3,6, Tendy Chiang1,3 1 Graft stenosis poses a critical obstacle in tissue engineered airway replacement. To investigate cellular mechanisms underlying stenosis, we utilize a murine model of tissue engineered tracheal replacement with seeded bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNC). Here, we detail our protocol, including scaffold manufacturing, BM-MNC isolation, graft seeding, and implantation. Medicine Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System Kelly Regan1, Soheil Moosavinasab2, Philip Payne1, Simon Lin2 1Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University, 2 Here we describe a protocol using the web-based drug repurposing hypothesis generation tool: "RE:fine Drugs." This protocol can be modified to a user's preferences at the level of the query type (gene, drug or disease) and/or the range of available advanced options. Biology Isolation of Murine Coronary Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Kathryn E. Husarek1,2, Xiaojin Zhang2, Patricia E. McCallinhart2, Pamela A. Lucchesi2,3, Aaron J. Trask2,3 1School of Biomedical Science, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, 2 The purpose of this protocol is to demonstrate the isolation and culture techniques of murine primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from the coronary circulation. Once VSMCs have been isolated, they can be used for many standard culture techniques. Medicine Collection and Extraction of Saliva DNA for Next Generation Sequencing Michael R. Goode1, Soo Yeon Cheong1, Ning Li1, William C. Ray1,2, Christopher W. Bartlett1,3 1 DNA extraction from saliva can provide a readily available source of high molecular weight DNA, with little to no degradation/fragmentation. This protocol provides optimized parameters for saliva collection/storage and DNA extraction to be of sufficient quality and quantity for downstream DNA assays with high quality requirements.