Latest news with #CincinnatiChildren's
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
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Former Cincinnati Children's chaplain detained by ICE
This story has been updated with new information. Federal immigration officials detained a former Cincinnati Children's hospital chaplain on July 9, about seven months after revoking his asylum status. Friends and supporters of Imam Ayman Soliman said officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took him into custody after a scheduled meeting with ICE in Blue Ash. Soliman came to the United States from Egypt about a decade ago, according to federal court records, and received asylum status in June 2018. His supporters, including local clergy, politicians and representatives from Ignite Peace, said he was fleeing persecution in Egypt and feared his life would be in danger if ICE sent him home. At a press conference in the afternoon on July 9, those supporters said ICE officials rescinded Soliman's asylum in December 2024 and detained him after meeting with him and his lawyers earlier in the day. They said the meeting included FBI agents and lasted three hours. "We are shocked as a community, who is already vulnerable, who already feels targeted," said Tala Ali, chair of the Clifton Mosque and the Islamic Association of Cincinnati. "To have one of our leaders and our elders in our community be detained in such fashion is very alarming." Neither ICE nor Cincinnati Children's officials could immediately be reached to comment. Soliman sued U.S. over 'FBI flag' While awaiting resolution of his asylum request, Soliman was permitted to work in the United States and spent at least some of that time as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's. He also has presided over services at the Clifton Mosque, according to the mosque's website. Federal court documents indicate Soliman's family in Egypt had a pending request to join him in the United States. Soliman sued federal officials several times in recent years, claiming in 2022 they had violated his constitutional rights and his privacy by disclosing "stigmatizing statements about him." In one lawsuit, Soliman indicated that after applying for a job as a prison chaplain, he learned an "FBI flag" appeared on his background check. He said in the lawsuit that his fingerprints did not match prints that the check turned up on the government's terrorism screening database. Soliman said he believes he was improperly targeted because of his Muslim faith. The government, which presented no evidence that Soliman had engaged in illegal activity, disputed his accusations and denied wrongdoing. A judge dismissed some of Soliman's claims earlier this year, but two lawsuits remain unresolved. 'His absence is deeply felt' In the weeks since his asylum status ended, more than a dozen colleagues, clergy and parents of former Cincinnati Children's patients wrote letters on Soliman's behalf, describing him as a caring advocate for grieving parents and a valued coworker who is fluent in several languages, including Arabic and Spanish. "His contributions to our hospital community have been immeasurable, and his absence is deeply felt," wrote the Rev. Adam Allen, a fellow chaplain at Children's. "I have seen the manner in which Ayman so skillfully and gently supports families during the unimaginable," wrote Alexandra Hausfeld, a Cincinnati Children's nurse. "Ayman is a man of faith and compassion – I can truthfully attest that he is one of the most humble and hardworking individuals I have met, personally and professionally." Audrey Kandil, whose son spent six months at Cincinnati Children's hospital before recovering and returning home, said she and her family met with Soliman almost every day her son was in the hospital's intensive care unit. She said his presence also was invaluable when her Arabic-speaking in-laws arrived and needed someone to explain to them in their native language what was happening to their grandson. "Ayman Soliman kept my husband and I sane," Kandil wrote. "He offered us support, a friendly face, and a resource that no other medical professional could offer us." Other letter-writers expressed concern for Soliman's safety if ICE sent him back to Egypt, which he fled more than a decade ago. Friends said he still has family in Egypt, including a child, but is unable to return because his life would be in danger. Why Soliman left Egypt The letters don't describe the nature of the threat or the reason he fled Egypt, but many said Soliman spoke on occasion about his fear of returning home. A lawyer with the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America, which represented Soliman in his lawsuits against the government, said he ran afoul of government officials in Egypt while working as a journalist. The lawyer, Christina Jump, said he was jailed and tortured. "As a result, he sought asylum in the U.S., hoping for free speech and laws that prevent that from happening," Jump said. Judith Ragsdale, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati who knows Soliman, said he sometimes spoke about being the victim of "persecution and torture." "The value he brings to the United States is immense," Ragsdale said. "The danger to him if he leaves is likewise enormous." Until at least February of this year, Soliman appeared as chaplain on Cincinnati Children's website, though references to him have since been removed. Asylum seekers like Soliman often are permitted to remain in the United States while their application is under review and after being granted asylum. But if asylum is revoked, they become eligible for deportation. Soliman received notice that the government intended to revoke his asylum in December, in the final weeks of President Joe Biden's administration. The revocation officially happened last month, under President Donald Trump. On the same day Soliman was arrested, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, accused the Trump administration of targeting Muslims for deportation during his nationwide immigration crackdown. About 75 people turned out for the press conference with Soliman's supporters Wednesday, and several tied Soliman's detention to Trump's recent immigration crackdown nationwide. Ohio Rep. Karen Brownlee, a Symmes Township Democrat, said Soliman's situation is the product of a broken immigration system. "The system has failed you, and that is why we are at this point today," Brownlee said. "People are afraid to even leave their homes if they do not have full citizenship." Khalid Turaani, executive director of CAIR in Columbus, said Soliman's detention is "a travesty for Americans." He said he spoke to Soliman recently about his fear that ICE would send him back to Egypt. "It was one thing on his mind," Turaani said. "He was saying, 'I just can't imagine what they would do to me if I'm deported to my homeland.'" This story was updated to add a gallery. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati chaplain Imam Ayman Soliman detained by ICE Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
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13 arrested after tense confrontation between protesters, police on Roebling Bridge
Original coverage: Thirteen people were arrested following a tense confrontation between protesters and officers on the Roebling Suspension Bridge on Thursday, July 17, Covington police said in a news release. Police said officers responded to the bridge between Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky at approximately 8:15 p.m. for a protest that "obstructed traffic and created safety concerns for both demonstrators and the public." The protest was held in support of Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former Cincinnati Children's chaplain who U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained July 9. More: Former Cincinnati Children's chaplain detained by ICE A large group of protesters crossed the Roebling Bridge shortly after 8 p.m., starting from the Cincinnati side and heading toward Covington, according to web camera footage of the bridge. A few minutes later, nine Covington police squad cars drove onto the bridge and confronted the crowd. Videos circulating on social media show officers subduing multiple people to the ground during the protest. One video shows an officer striking a man on the head with his fists and another shows multiple officers taking down a woman while shocking her with a Taser. One person who marched on the bridge, Gracie Shanklin, said she thought the organizers had a permit to march on the roadway. Within seconds of police arriving and ordering the crowd to disperse onto the sidewalks, she realized that was not the case. Shanklin, 23, of Norwood, said she saw Covington officers deploy Tasers on people who were making their way toward the sidewalk. "We were peacefully marching," Shanklin said. "The police started the violence." The protest was organized by Ignite Peace, Ohio Poor People's Campaign and SURJ Cincinnati (Showing Up for Racial Justice), according to a press release. It began by the "Sing the Queen City" sign at The Banks before the crowd moved across the Roebling Bridge around 8 p.m. Covington police said in the release officers initially attempted to connect with the protest's organizer but were "met with open hostility and threatening behavior." "While the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved," the release said. After warnings were issued to the group to disperse, several people were taken into custody. Charges include rioting, unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, obstructing a highway, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. A small group of about a dozen protestors later assembled outside the Covington Police Department and Kenton County jail. The groups were mostly quiet, at times chanting for police to drop the charges. Arraignments were scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Friday, July 18 at the Kenton County Justice Center. Among those arrested was CityBeat reporter Madeline Fening, who posted about the protest on her Instagram page Thursday evening. It's unclear what lead to her arrest, but she was charged with failure to disperse, obstructing a highway, obstructing emergency response violations, disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly. The Enquirer has reached out to the publisher and editor-in-chief of CityBeat for more information. 'We respect everyone's right to protest, but when demonstrations jeopardize public safety and violate the law, our officers must take appropriate action,' Police Chief Brian Valenti said in the release. Dozens of officers from agencies across Kenton and Campbell counties responded. By 8:30 p.m., there were 15 squad cars and the crowd had largely dispersed onto the Ohio side of the bridge. Officers cleared the bridge around 8:45 p.m. The bridge was temporarily closed during the incident but has since been reopened. Cincinnati police said they were not involved in the incident, a department spokesman told The Enquirer. Most of the bridge is within Kentucky state lines. This story was updated with new information about the protest's organizers. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Covington police arrest 13 after protest on Roebling Suspension Bridge
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
At least 15 arrested at ICE protest on Roebling Bridge. What we know
Fifteen people arrested during an ICE protest on the Roebling Bridge are facing felony rioting and various misdemeanor charges. Covington police said the arrests came after people "obstructed traffic and created safety concerns for both demonstrators and the public" when they crossed the Ohio River bridge July 17. The group was calling for the release of Ayman Soliman, an imam and former Cincinnati Children's chaplain detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this month. Videos circulating on social media show officers forcing multiple people to the ground during the protest. 'We respect everyone's right to protest, but when demonstrations jeopardize public safety and violate the law, our officers must take appropriate action,' Police Chief Brian Valenti said in a news release. Here's what we know about the protest and the arrests: What led to the arrests on the Roebling Bridge? The arrests by the Covington Police Department came during a rally held in support of Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former Cincinnati Children's chaplain, whom ICE detained July 9. After the rally, which began in Cincinnati, about 100 people crossed the Roebling Bridge shortly after 8 p.m., heading toward Covington, according to estimates by attendees and an officer on the scene. "My understanding is that there was a plan to have people walk on the bridge as a symbolic action," said the Rev. Nelson Pierce Jr., senior pastor of Beloved Community Church in Mount Airy. As marchers approached the bridge, he said, they asked motorists to divert to other locations. When police approached from Covington, the "overwhelming majority" complied with directions to move from the bridge to sidewalks, he said. Covington police said in a news release that officers initially attempted to connect with the protest organizer but were "met with open hostility and threatening behavior." Police said that after warnings were issued to the group to disperse, several people were taken into custody. Who was arrested during the ICE protest? The 15 people arrested were charged with felony rioting and various misdemeanors, including unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, obstructing a highway, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The felony carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison. On July 18, Kenton County District Court Judge Douglas Grothaus set bonds at $2,500 and has ordered them to return to their next hearing on July 23. He has also ordered all of them not to be on the Roebling Bridge. Among those was CityBeat reporter Madeline Fening, who posted about the protest on her Instagram page Thursday evening. It's unclear what led to her arrest, but she was charged with failure to disperse, obstructing a highway, obstructing emergency response violations, disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly. A photojournalism intern for the publication was also arrested, publisher Tony Frank confirmed Friday morning. Ignite Peace, one of three organizers of the rally, condemned the police response. "The violence that was committed against the people is indicative of the violent systems we seek to challenge," the Cincinnati group, previously known as Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, said in a press release June 18. The Ohio Poor People's Campaign and SURJ (Showing Up For Racial Justice) Cincinnati were also listed as co-organizers. Cincinnati police issued citations to three people for disorderly conduct, Enquirer media partner Fox19 reported, but no one was taken to jail. "What took place in Cincinnati was relatively peaceful with the exception of a few people who were issued citations," police spokesman Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said. Who is Imam Ayman Soliman? Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked for several years as a Muslim chaplain at Children's and a volunteer imam at Clifton Mosque, was detained by ICE after an immigration hearing in Blue Ash on July 9. Soliman, 51, was granted asylum in the United States in 2018 after fleeing his home country, where he said he endured torture and threats on his life because of his work as a freelance journalist. Immigration officials decided in June to revoke his asylum, claiming he'd worked for a charity in Egypt with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Soliman and his lawyers have said that claim is false and that the charity is not associated with the Brotherhood, an Islamic group that some accuse of involvement in terrorism. Egypt considers the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, but the United States does not. Secrecy and 'watch lists': Was chaplain's arrest based on murky anti-terror measures? "During his years in Ohio, Ayman became known as the 'interfaith imam,' beloved for his steady presence at the side of ill children, parents and other caregivers," the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio said in announcing a federal court order barring immigration officials from removing Soliman from the jurisdiction of the Cleveland Immigration Court, which handles cases from the Cincinnati area. Soliman, who remains confined at the Butler County Jail, is scheduled for a bond hearing July 23, after which he could be released from detention. Demonstration moved to the bridge The protest started at the "Sing the Queen City" sign at The Banks before the crowd moved across the Roebling Bridge toward Covington around 8 p.m., according to web camera footage of the bridge. At approximately 8:15 p.m., nine Covington police squad cars drove onto the bridge and confronted the crowd. Gracie Shanklin, who was on the bridge, said she thought the organizers had a permit to march on the roadway. Within seconds of police arriving and ordering the crowd to disperse onto the sidewalks, she realized that was not the case. Covington police said officers initially attempted to connect with the protest's organizer, but were "met with open hostility and threatening behavior." "While the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved," the release said. Shanklin, 23, of Norwood, said she saw Covington officers deploy Tasers on people who were making their way toward the sidewalk. "We were peacefully marching," Shanklin said. "The police started the violence." Dozens of officers from agencies across Kenton and Campbell counties responded. By 8:30 p.m., there were 15 squad cars and the crowd had largely dispersed onto the Ohio side of the bridge. Officers cleared the bridge around 8:45 p.m. The bridge was temporarily closed during the incident but has since been reopened. A small group of about a dozen protesters later assembled outside the Covington Police Department and the Kenton County jail. The groups were mostly quiet, at times chanting for police to drop the charges. Did protesters have permits? Protest organizers did not have a permit on the Ohio side of the bridge, according to Cincinnati city and Hamilton County officials. A city spokeswoman said protesters do not need a permit to gather and a Hamilton County spokeswoman said they did not receive any requests for a permit. No permits were issued in Covington. The Enquirer also reached the Kentucky Transportation Department to check if they issued any permits for a gathering or to close the bridge. What's next for those arrested at ICE protest? Grothaus scheduled a next hearing for July 23. Attorney Brian Davis, of the Department of Public Advocacy, said he's currently representing two people who were arrested July 17, though, he declined to say who his clients are. "As with any case, I'm going to try to gather all the information I possibly can to support my clients in any way I can," he said. "In this case a lot of it seems to be caught on video." He asked that anyone with video or photos of the arrests email him at Reporter Erin Glynn contributed. This story was updated to add a gallery. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What we know about ICE protest, arrests on Roebling Bridge
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
First Lung Organoid with Organ-Specific Blood Vessels
Advanced lab-grown tissues help show how special lung cells develop, shedding light on rare ACDMPV disease and suggesting potential ways to repair damage from viral infections such as COVID-19 CINCINNATI, June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A team of experts at Cincinnati Children's reports another powerful step forward in organoid medicine: success at making human lung tissue that can produce its own blood vessels. Their findings, published in the same month as a similar success involving liver organoids, reflect a new wave of advanced lab-grown tissues that can be used immediately in many research applications while moving ever closer to serving as living tissues that can directly repair damaged organs. Details were posted online June 30, 2025, in the journal Cell. "Prior to our study, the development of lung organoids with organotypic vasculature had not been achieved," says co-corresponding author Mingxia Gu, MD, PhD. "Notably, this method also could be applied to other organ systems such as intestine and colon." Gu, now at UCLA, was a member of the Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM) and Division of Pulmonary Biology at Cincinnati Children's while this research was conducted. Co-first and co-corresponding author Yifei Miao, PhD, (now at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing) also was with Cincinnati Children's for this work. Co-corresponding author Minzhe Guo, PhD, remains with Cincinnati Children's along with several co-authors involved in this study. Overcoming a major challenge Researchers have been working for years to grow organoids -- sometimes called "organs in a dish." Creating organoids involves converting mature human cells (such as blood or tissue cells) back into fetal-like stem cells that can be coaxed into growing a wide range of other tissue types. Unlike disconnected human cells kept alive in a dish, these are growing, developing mini-organs that form into seed-sized spheres that mimic the unique functions of full-sized organs. Intestines that absorb and secrete. Stomachs that produce digestive acids. Hearts that pulse. Brain tissues with firing nerve cells and so on. Cincinnati Children's has been a leader in organoid development since 2010 when experts here produced the world's first functional intestinal organoid grown from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). More recently, the challenge has been learning how to grow organoid tissues that can connect with the rest of the body to integrate nerve connections, blood vessels, bile ducts, immune systems and more. During pregnancy, these differing tissue types naturally find each other as the fetus matures and becomes more complex. Organoid developers seek to re-produce these steps in the laboratory, which eventually may allow people to receive custom-grown tissues that could patch damage or boost disrupted functions. Simpler forms of organoids have already begun transforming medical research, allowing many scientists to use living human tissue models to study disease while reducing current reliance on animal models to develop new medicines. But without the ability to make internal blood vessels, the tiny seeds lack the ability to grow into larger, more useful tissues. How the team solved the vascular riddle The new study thoroughly recounts the results of many experiments the team conducted to demonstrate success at inducing blood vessel formation. The work spanned four years and involved more than 20 people at Cincinnati Children's plus collaborations with experts at several other organizations. "The challenge in vascularizing endodermal organs, particularly the lung, stems from different signaling requirements for lung epithelial versus vascular differentiation," says Miao. "Our success in this endeavor is attributable to our unique differentiation method." In essence, the team grew iPSCs from multiple cell types then found the right moment to introduce them to each other. The resulting cell signals helped flip a developmental switch so that progenitor cells that could have become either blood vessels or the outer walls of the lung wound up becoming blood vessels. In achieving this vital step, the team: Produced lung organoids that include respiratory bronchial epithelial cells (RAS cells), a human cell type not previously reported in conventional lung organoid models. Pinned down the developmental moments when a rudimentary gut tube begins to send some cells to form the lungs while sending other cells to form the stomach and intestine. While the basic steps of this transformation have been studied in animals, it had not been possible to study this stage of development in humans without killing fetuses. Demonstrated that the rare disease ACDMPV occurs when cell signaling "crosstalk" gets disrupted during this early blood vessel formation stage. Within days of birth, infants born with Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia with Misalignment of Pulmonary Veins (ACDMPV) struggle to breathe because their lungs' air sacs (alveoli) and blood vessels are malformed. Nearly all infants with this condition die within the first month of life, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Revealed key functional information about the cells involved in gas exchange inside the human lung. Their learnings help explain the damage within tiny blood capillaries that occurs in the lungs in response to injuries. These new clues offer fresh ideas for developing ways to protect and potentially restore affected lung tissues. What's Next? Cincinnati Children's has filed patent applications related to the methods developed here to produce organoids with blood vessel formation capabilities and the CuSTOM team is moving to further develop this technology. "We look forward to continuing to learn more about the fundamental biology involved in organ formation and applying those discoveries to improving outcomes across a wide range of difficult human diseases and conditions," says Aaron Zorn, PhD, co-director of CuSTOM and director of the Division of Developmental Biology. In addition to publishing these findings in Cell, co-authors plan to present their work at the Keystone conference in Kyoto, Japan (iPSCs: Progress, Opportunities, and Challenges) in January 2026. About the study Cincinnati Children's co-equal first authors were Miao, Nicole Pek, BS, and Cheng Tan, MD. Contributing co-authors from Cincinnati Children's were Cheng Jiang, MS, Zhiyun Yu, PhD, Kentaro Iwasawa, MD, PhD, Min Shi, MD, PhD, Daniel Kechele, PhD, Nambirajan Sundaram, PhD, Victor Pastrana-Gomez, MSTP student, Debora Sinner, PhD, Cheng-Lun Na, PhD, Keishi Kishimoto, PhD, Jason Tchieu, PhD, Jeffrey Whitsett, MD, Kyle McCracken, MD, PhD, Michael Helmrath, MD, James Wells, PhD, Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD, and Aaron Zorn, PhD. Contributing co-authors included experts from Harvard Medical School, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Sophia Children's Hospital (The Netherlands), Boston University This research also was supported by the Discover Together Biobank, the Bio-Imaging and Analysis Facility, and the Integrated Pathology Research Core at Cincinnati Children's and the University of Cincinnati Proteomics Laboratory. Funding sources for this work included: the National Institutes of Health (R01HL166283, DK128799-01, N01-75N92020C00005 and R01HL095993); an Endowed Scholar Award from the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation; the American Heart Association (1013861 and 906513); the Falk Transformational Awards Program; and the Brigham Research Institute. Learn more about working with CuSTOM Learn how donors can support ongoing organoid research at Cincinnati Children's View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Malaysian Reserve
30-06-2025
- Health
- Malaysian Reserve
First Lung Organoid with Organ-Specific Blood Vessels
Advanced lab-grown tissues help show how special lung cells develop, shedding light on rare ACDMPV disease and suggesting potential ways to repair damage from viral infections such as COVID-19 CINCINNATI, June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A team of experts at Cincinnati Children's reports another powerful step forward in organoid medicine: success at making human lung tissue that can produce its own blood vessels. Their findings, published in the same month as a similar success involving liver organoids, reflect a new wave of advanced lab-grown tissues that can be used immediately in many research applications while moving ever closer to serving as living tissues that can directly repair damaged organs. Details were posted online June 30, 2025, in the journal Cell. 'Prior to our study, the development of lung organoids with organotypic vasculature had not been achieved,' says co-corresponding author Mingxia Gu, MD, PhD. 'Notably, this method also could be applied to other organ systems such as intestine and colon.' Gu, now at UCLA, was a member of the Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM) and Division of Pulmonary Biology at Cincinnati Children's while this research was conducted. Co-first and co-corresponding author Yifei Miao, PhD, (now at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing) also was with Cincinnati Children's for this work. Co-corresponding author Minzhe Guo, PhD, remains with Cincinnati Children's along with several co-authors involved in this study. Overcoming a major challenge Researchers have been working for years to grow organoids — sometimes called 'organs in a dish.' Creating organoids involves converting mature human cells (such as blood or tissue cells) back into fetal-like stem cells that can be coaxed into growing a wide range of other tissue types. Unlike disconnected human cells kept alive in a dish, these are growing, developing mini-organs that form into seed-sized spheres that mimic the unique functions of full-sized organs. Intestines that absorb and secrete. Stomachs that produce digestive acids. Hearts that pulse. Brain tissues with firing nerve cells and so on. Cincinnati Children's has been a leader in organoid development since 2010 when experts here produced the world's first functional intestinal organoid grown from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). More recently, the challenge has been learning how to grow organoid tissues that can connect with the rest of the body to integrate nerve connections, blood vessels, bile ducts, immune systems and more. During pregnancy, these differing tissue types naturally find each other as the fetus matures and becomes more complex. Organoid developers seek to re-produce these steps in the laboratory, which eventually may allow people to receive custom-grown tissues that could patch damage or boost disrupted functions. Simpler forms of organoids have already begun transforming medical research, allowing many scientists to use living human tissue models to study disease while reducing current reliance on animal models to develop new medicines. But without the ability to make internal blood vessels, the tiny seeds lack the ability to grow into larger, more useful tissues. How the team solved the vascular riddle The new study thoroughly recounts the results of many experiments the team conducted to demonstrate success at inducing blood vessel formation. The work spanned four years and involved more than 20 people at Cincinnati Children's plus collaborations with experts at several other organizations. 'The challenge in vascularizing endodermal organs, particularly the lung, stems from different signaling requirements for lung epithelial versus vascular differentiation,' says Miao. 'Our success in this endeavor is attributable to our unique differentiation method.' In essence, the team grew iPSCs from multiple cell types then found the right moment to introduce them to each other. The resulting cell signals helped flip a developmental switch so that progenitor cells that could have become either blood vessels or the outer walls of the lung wound up becoming blood vessels. In achieving this vital step, the team: Produced lung organoids that include respiratory bronchial epithelial cells (RAS cells), a human cell type not previously reported in conventional lung organoid models. Pinned down the developmental moments when a rudimentary gut tube begins to send some cells to form the lungs while sending other cells to form the stomach and intestine. While the basic steps of this transformation have been studied in animals, it had not been possible to study this stage of development in humans without killing fetuses. Demonstrated that the rare disease ACDMPV occurs when cell signaling 'crosstalk' gets disrupted during this early blood vessel formation stage. Within days of birth, infants born with Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia with Misalignment of Pulmonary Veins (ACDMPV) struggle to breathe because their lungs' air sacs (alveoli) and blood vessels are malformed. Nearly all infants with this condition die within the first month of life, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Revealed key functional information about the cells involved in gas exchange inside the human lung. Their learnings help explain the damage within tiny blood capillaries that occurs in the lungs in response to injuries. These new clues offer fresh ideas for developing ways to protect and potentially restore affected lung tissues. What's Next? Cincinnati Children's has filed patent applications related to the methods developed here to produce organoids with blood vessel formation capabilities and the CuSTOM team is moving to further develop this technology. 'We look forward to continuing to learn more about the fundamental biology involved in organ formation and applying those discoveries to improving outcomes across a wide range of difficult human diseases and conditions,' says Aaron Zorn, PhD, co-director of CuSTOM and director of the Division of Developmental Biology. In addition to publishing these findings in Cell, co-authors plan to present their work at the Keystone conference in Kyoto, Japan (iPSCs: Progress, Opportunities, and Challenges) in January 2026. About the study Cincinnati Children's co-equal first authors were Miao, Nicole Pek, BS, and Cheng Tan, MD. Contributing co-authors from Cincinnati Children's were Cheng Jiang, MS, Zhiyun Yu, PhD, Kentaro Iwasawa, MD, PhD, Min Shi, MD, PhD, Daniel Kechele, PhD, Nambirajan Sundaram, PhD, Victor Pastrana-Gomez, MSTP student, Debora Sinner, PhD, Cheng-Lun Na, PhD, Keishi Kishimoto, PhD, Jason Tchieu, PhD, Jeffrey Whitsett, MD, Kyle McCracken, MD, PhD, Michael Helmrath, MD, James Wells, PhD, Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD, and Aaron Zorn, PhD. Contributing co-authors included experts from Harvard Medical School, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Sophia Children's Hospital (The Netherlands), Boston University This research also was supported by the Discover Together Biobank, the Bio-Imaging and Analysis Facility, and the Integrated Pathology Research Core at Cincinnati Children's and the University of Cincinnati Proteomics Laboratory. Funding sources for this work included: the National Institutes of Health (R01HL166283, DK128799-01, N01-75N92020C00005 and R01HL095993); an Endowed Scholar Award from the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation; the American Heart Association (1013861 and 906513); the Falk Transformational Awards Program; and the Brigham Research Institute. Learn more about working with CuSTOM Learn how donors can support ongoing organoid research at Cincinnati Children's
