4.4a – A Possible Answer to the Critical Thinking Question

Critical Thinking (A possible answer)

To follow up on the findings discussed in section 4.4, the following study has been designed to evaluate what is driving improvements in IBD.  Is it the exosome derived factors from iMSCs, the iMSCs themselves, or a combination of the two?

In this study, the exosome profile of iMSC treated mice with colitis will be compared to mice with colitis with no treatment. The top 3 upregulated miRNAs will be identified and then injected back into mice with colitis to see if clinical improvements and gut microbiome restoration can still be observed. This is one of the many ways that can be used to elucidate the mechanism of action in mesenchymal stem cell therapy.