Allegheny Health Network

2 articles published in JoVE

• Medicine

  
  Harvest of Endothelial Cells from the Balloon Tips of Swan-Ganz Catheters after Right Heart Catheterization Michael J. Passineau¹, Phillip H. Gallo¹, Gretchen Williams¹, Reina Perez¹, Raymond L. Benza^{1 1}Cardiovascular Institute, Allegheny Health Network This protocol describes the removal and purification of pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) that adhere to the balloon tips of Swan-Ganz catheters while they are wedged in the pulmonary artery during right heart catheterization and remain adherent to the deflated balloon following removal from the patient's body.

• Immunology and Infection

  
  Promoting 3-D Aggregation of FACS Purified Thymic Epithelial Cells with EAK 16-II/EAKIIH6 Self-assembling Hydrogel Asako Tajima¹, Wen Liu², Isha Pradhan¹, Suzanne Bertera¹, Robert A. Lakomy¹, William A. Rudert¹, Massimo Trucco^1,3, Wilson S. Meng², Yong Fan^{1,3 1}Institute of Cellular Therapeutics, Allegheny Health Network, ²Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mylan School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, ³Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University This video demonstrates a protocol to enrich thymic epithelial cells (TECs) with density gradient for FACS isolation. It also shows the use of EAK16-II/EAKIIH6 peptides to promote the TEC aggregate formation. The microenvironments of EAK16-II/EAKIIH6 hydrogel provide the 3-D configuration necessary to maintain the survival and function of the TECs.