Extrahepatic Gene Editing In Vivo Using Organic Solvent-Free Lipid Nanoparticles Michael Streiber, Na Liu, Laurianne Simon, Franziska Adermann, Vivien Bachmann, et al. Small, 2026 Targeted therapy, which modifies genes and their expression, holds great promise for treating a variety of diseases, including cancer, inborn errors of metabolism, and acute and chronic inflammatory and infectious conditions. However, it also presents challenges related to RNA delivery, immune responses, side effects of delivery vectors, and the need for individualized formulations. To overcome these limitations, the choice of lipids and formulation processes might be re‐evaluated, with a focus on eliminating critical components, such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and ethanol. Thus, a purely water‐based formulation for lipid nanoparticles was developed, offering a material‐efficient, time‐saving process with high reproducibility. Initially, a stealth lipid containing poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PMeOx) was used, and the formulation was later expanded to include approved lipids. These nanoparticles not only efficiently transfect primary human immune cells but also effectively deliver multiple nucleotides in CRISPR‐Cas9 applications. Moreover, an in vivo comparison revealed that the nanoparticles exhibited preferential transfection in extrahepatic tissues. This distinguishes them from conventional cholesterol‐rich lipid nanoparticles, which primarily target the liver regardless of the application route.
Sepsis-induced hypocholesterolemia is linked to low cardiomyocyte membrane cholesterol and impaired catecholamine responsiveness Anna Kleyman, Walter Pisciotta, Charlotte Gaupp, Waqas Khaliq, Daniel Hofmaenner, et al. Critical Care, 2025 Background Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIM) is characterized by myocardial dysfunction, diminished catecholamine responsiveness and worse outcomes. Hypocholesterolemia is also a well-recognized prognosticator of poor outcomes in sepsis. In vitro physiology/pharmacology studies indicate that low cholesterol levels within the cardiomyocyte membrane regulate ß-adrenergic receptor activity. We therefore hypothesized that cardiomyocyte membrane cholesterol levels are reduced in sepsis and this contributes to SIM. Methods Cardiovascular biomarkers and plasma lipid profiles measured sequentially (6, 24 and 72 h) in a fluid-resuscitated rat model of fecal peritonitis were compared against those measured in 27 septic patients on Days 1–3 of ICU admission. In separate studies, rat hearts were excised at the same time points for measurement of cardiomyocyte membrane cholesterol and downstream adrenergic signaling. In a final study, the impact of a 15-hour infusion of cholesterol, either given as HDL-cholesterol or liposomal cholesterol, commencing at 6 h post-sepsis induction, on dobutamine responsiveness and cardiomyocyte membrane cholesterol levels was assessed. Results The magnitude of fall in stroke volume, rise in heart rate, plasma troponin and BNP, and fall in plasma HDL-cholesterol on ICU Day 1 in septic patients and at 6 h in the rat model all prognosticated for poor outcomes. In parallel, cardiomyocyte membrane cholesterol fell in the rats, more so in poor prognosis animals, with a blunted inotropic response to dobutamine, indicative of SIM. Cholesterol administration restored cardiomyocyte membrane cholesterol, dobutamine responsiveness and adrenergic signaling. Conclusions In a long-term rat model of sepsis, that parallels changes seen in septic patients, cardiomyocyte membrane cholesterol fell with associated decreases in catecholamine responsiveness. These features could be restored by cholesterol infusion, suggesting potential utility as a therapeutic.
Hepatobiliary PET with [68Ga]Ga-BP-IDA – preclinical evaluation and its translational potential for liver function monitoring Julia Greiser, Robert Drescher, Marta Pomraenke, Mitali Sonawane, Olga Perkas, et al. Ejnmmi Research, 2025 Background The aim of this study was to investigate the preclinical biodistribution and molecular pathway of [68Ga]Ga-BP-IDA and to evaluate its clinical suitability for quantitative monitoring of liver function during transarterial radioembolization (TARE) therapy of a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Results [68Ga]Ga-BP-IDA undergoes hepatobiliary clearance, with uptake into hepatocytes via OATP1B1 and OATP1B3. [68Ga]Ga-BP-IDA exhibits demetallation in vivo but is nevertheless suitable for clinical application due to its rapid uptake into functional liver tissue. In a clinical case [68Ga]Ga-BP-IDA PET/CT allowed for differentiation of functional liver mass from cancerous tissue and enabled monitoring the effect on liver and tumor volume as well as on residual liver function after TARE therapy. Following TARE treatment, a reduction of the hepatic uptake rate was observed in both non-cancerous liver lobes, but was more pronounced in the right lobe, indicating a correlation to the higher non-targeted radiation dose from the TARE treatment in this lobe. [68Ga]Ga-BP-IDA PET/CT thus revealed additional information on liver function impairment which was not represented by CT-based volumetry alone. Conclusion [68Ga]Ga-BP-IDA PET/CT is a suitable tool for planning and monitoring TARE therapy of primary liver tumors and may complement the limits of volumetry-based methods with functional information about the liver.
LILRA5 Functions to Induce ROS Production on Innate Immune Cells Zuyi Fu, Matevž Rumpret, Irina Kube‐Golovin, Mykola Lyndin, Vera Solntceva, et al. European Journal of Immunology, 2025 Activating immune receptors provides mechanisms for phagocytes to elicit important effector functions that promote the killing of microbes. Leukocyte immunoglobulin‐like receptor A5 (LILRA5), an orphan immune receptor expressed by human phagocytes and co‐localising with FcRγ, remains poorly characterised. To address this, we developed a highly specific anti‐LILRA5 monoclonal antibody that has agonistic properties. We show LILRA5 expression on naïve monocytes and neutrophils, and that ligation of LILRA5 stimulates ROS production. While increased LILRA5 transcripts have been associated with sepsis, we also observed increased levels in patients with systemic infection but without sepsis complications. Ex vivo bacterial infection of whole blood did not alter surface LILRA5 expression, but LPS stimulation changed expression levels, indicating that surface LILRA5 expression is dynamic and likely regulated post‐transcriptionally, changing responses to different stimuli or over time. Soluble (s)LILRA5 was enhanced in sera from sepsis patients and in supernatants of monocytes that were LPS‐stimulated, indicating that shedding of LILRA5 from cell surfaces or that expression of sLILRA5 isoforms provides a mechanism to regulate surface LILRA5 expression levels. Finally, we show that altered surface LILRA5 expression influences LILRA5‐induced ROS production capacity. Thus, LILRA5 is a dynamically regulated activating receptor expressed on phagocytes that stimulates ROS production.
Neutrophil Hitchhiking Enhances Liposomal Dexamethasone Therapy of Sepsis Ritvik Mathur, Sara Elsafy, Adrian T. Press, Julian Brück, Mathias Hornef, et al. ACS Nano, 2024 Sepsis is characterized by a dysregulated immune response and is very difficult to treat. In the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) mouse model, we show that nanomedicines can effectively alleviate systemic and local septic events by targeting neutrophils. Specifically, by decorating the surface of clinical-stage dexamethasone liposomes with cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (cRGD) peptides, we promote their engagement with neutrophils in the systemic circulation, leading to their prominent accumulation at primary and secondary sepsis sites. cRGD-targeted dexamethasone liposomes potently reduce immature circulating neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps in intestinal sepsis induction sites and the liver. Additionally, they mitigate inflammatory cytokines systemically and locally while preserving systemic IL-10 levels, contributing to lower IFN-γ/IL-10 ratios as compared to control liposomes and free dexamethasone. Our strategy addresses sepsis at the cellular level, illustrating the use of neutrophils both as a therapeutic target and as a chariot for drug delivery.
The Many Roles of Cholesterol in Sepsis A Review Daniel A. Hofmaenner, Anna Kleyman, Adrian Press, Michael Bauer, Mervyn Singer American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2022
Automated multicolour mesoscopic imaging for the 3-dimensional reconstruction of fluorescent biomarker distribution in large tissue specimens Optics Infobase Conference Papers, 2022
Extrahepatic Gene Editing In Vivo Using Organic Solvent‐Free Lipid Nanoparticles M Streiber, N Liu, L Simon, F Adermann, V Bachmann, L Gath, ... Small 22 (27), e11489 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
68GA-TRACERS FOR IMAGING OF THE HEPATOBILIARY FUNCTION J Greiser, R Drescher, A Werner, C Kühnel, T Ross, FM Bengel, A Press, ... EANM Innovation 2, 100097 , 2026 2026
From Ostrich to Mouse to Human: Translation of the Functional Liver PET Tracer [68Ga] Ga-TEoS-DAZA J Greiser, R Drescher, M Sonawane, C Kuehnel, S Wiegand, O Perkas, ... Journal of Nuclear Medicine , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Sodium thiosulfate attenuates liver injury in a rat model of sepsis by modulating ferroptosis and oxidative stress AO Mitre, I Baldea, GA Filip, RM Pop, MA Neag, B Mitre, A Negoescu, ... Scientific Reports , 2025 2025
Hyperactivity of the non-canonical inflammasome in SPG11 and SPG48 MA Afzal, M Ghait, A Hussain, A Siegmund, L Tuchscherr, P Babic, ... Ebiomedicine 121 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Hepatobiliary PET with [ 68 Ga]Ga-BP-IDA – preclinical evaluation and its translational potential for liver function monitoring J Greiser, R Drescher, M Pomraenke, M Sonawane, O Perkas, C Kuehnel, ... EJNMMI research 15 (1), 128 , 2025 2025
LILRA5 Functions to Induce ROS Production on Innate Immune Cells Z Fu, M Rumpret, I Kube‐Golovin, M Lyndin, V Solntceva, Y Zhao, ... European Journal of Immunology 55 (10), e70079 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Sepsis-induced hypocholesterolemia is linked to low cardiomyocyte membrane cholesterol and impaired catecholamine responsiveness A Kleyman, W Pisciotta, C Gaupp, W Khaliq, D Hofmaenner, D Brealey, ... Critical Care 29 (1), 399 , 2025 2025 Citations: 3
PKCalpha-PlIOSPHATASE FEEDBACK LOOPS IN SEPSIS-ASSOCIATED LIVER FAILURE: MOLECULAR INSIGHTS A Gomeniuk, L Xiong, CM Svensson, MT Figge, M Bauer, AT Press SHOCK 64 (3 S), S11-S11 , 2025 2025
PKCalpha-PHOSPHATASE FEEDBACK LOOPS IN HEPATOCYTES: A THERAPEUTIC LINK TO SEPSIS-ASSOCIATED LIVER FAILURE L Xiong, A Gomeniuk, N Liu, M Bauer, AT Press SHOCK 64 (3 S), S41-S41 , 2025 2025
COMPETITIVE CXCR2 ANTAGONISM RESTORES NEUTROPHIL'S ABILITY TO CONTROL THE HOST RESPONSE TO INFECTION IN SURVIVAL AND SEVERITY STRATIFIED POLYMICROBIAL MOUSE SEPSIS N Liu, J Halbauer, M Bauer, AT Press SHOCK 64 (3 S), S19-S20 , 2025 2025
Die Rolle von Cholesterol bei systemischen Infektionen von Neugeborenen–eine prospektive Studie am Universitätsklinikum Jena D Beyer, O Sommerfeld, H Proquitté, AT Press Zeitschrift für Geburtshilfe und Neonatologie 229 (03), KV-018 , 2025 2025
Sterol therapy M Singer, A Kleyman, A Press, M Bauer US Patent App. 18/688,602 , 2025 2025
Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A5 functions to induce ROS production on innate immune cells Z Fu, M Rumpret, I Kube-Golovin, M Lyndin, V Solntceva, Y Zhao, ... bioRxiv, 2025.03. 16.643524 , 2025 2025
Bildgebung der Leber-(dys)-funktion mit hepatobiliären Gallium-68-Tracern J Greiser, R Drescher, T Winkens, C Kühnel, M Pomraenke, A Press, ... Nuklearmedizin-NuclearMedicine 64 (01), L04 , 2025 2025
Targeting protein kinase C-α prolongs survival and restores liver function in sepsis: Evidence from preclinical models L Xiong, D Beyer, N Liu, T Lehmann, S Neugebauer, S Schaeuble, ... Pharmacological Research 212, 107581 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Prognostic value of admission H3. 1 nucleosome levels in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury: a secondary analysis of the SISPCT randomised clinical trial C Neumann, F Bloos, TTW Hla, T Bygott, H Bogatsch, M Kiehntopf, ... medRxiv, 2025.01. 28.25321238 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Solvent-Free Lipid Nanoparticle Formulation Enables In Vivo Gene Editing Predominantly in Extrahepatic Tissues M Streiber, N Liu, L Simon, F Adermann, V Bachmann, S Hoeppener, ... Available at SSRN 5200072 , 2024 2024
Neutrophil hitchhiking enhances liposomal dexamethasone therapy of sepsis R Mathur, S Elsafy, AT Press, J Brück, M Hornef, L Martin, T Schürholz, ... ACS nano 18 (42), 28866-28880 , 2024 2024 Citations: 26
Metamizole outperforms meloxicam in sepsis: insights on analgesics, survival and immunomodulation in the peritoneal contamination and infection sepsis model N Liu, M Sonawane, O Sommerfeld, CM Svensson, MT Figge, R Bauer, ... Frontiers in Immunology 15, 1432307 , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
The many roles of cholesterol in sepsis: a review DA Hofmaenner, A Kleyman, A Press, M Bauer, M Singer American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 205 (4), 388-396 , 2022 2022 Citations: 149
The liver in sepsis: patterns of response and injury M Bauer, AT Press, M Trauner Current opinion in critical care 19 (2), 123-127 , 2013 2013 Citations: 127
The liver in sepsis: molecular mechanism of liver failure and their potential for clinical translation D Beyer, J Hoff, O Sommerfeld, A Zipprich, N Gaßler, AT Press Molecular Medicine 28 (1), 84 , 2022 2022 Citations: 119
Cell type-specific delivery of short interfering RNAs by dye-functionalised theranostic nanoparticles AT Press, A Traeger, C Pietsch, A Mosig, M Wagner, MG Clemens, ... Nature communications 5 (1), 5565 , 2014 2014 Citations: 72
Targeting complement C5a receptor 1 for the treatment of immunosuppression in sepsis O Sommerfeld, A Medyukhina, S Neugebauer, M Ghait, S Ulferts, A Lupp, ... Molecular Therapy 29 (1), 338-346 , 2021 2021 Citations: 52
Comparison of the uptake of methacrylate-based nanoparticles in static and dynamic in vitro systems as well as in vivo AC Rinkenauer, AT Press, M Raasch, C Pietsch, S Schweizer, ... Journal of Controlled Release 216, 158-168 , 2015 2015 Citations: 51
Fatty acid metabolism and acyl-CoA synthetases in the liver-gut axis Y Ma, M Nenkov, Y Chen, AT Press, E Kaemmerer, N Gassler World Journal of Hepatology 13 (11), 1512 , 2021 2021 Citations: 46
Impaired flux of bile acids from the liver to the gut reveals microbiome-immune interactions associated with liver damage H Leung, L Xiong, Y Ni, A Busch, M Bauer, AT Press, G Panagiotou npj Biofilms and Microbiomes 9 (1), 35 , 2023 2023 Citations: 40
Controlled release of the α-tocopherol-derived metabolite α-13′-carboxychromanol from bacterial nanocellulose wound cover improves wound healing J Hoff, B Karl, J Gerstmeier, U Beekmann, L Schmölz, F Börner, D Kralisch, ... Nanomaterials 11 (8), 1939 , 2021 2021 Citations: 35
Stealth effect of short polyoxazolines in graft copolymers: Minor changes of backbone end group determine liver cell-type specificity I Muljajew, S Huschke, A Ramoji, Z Cseresnyés, S Hoeppener, I Nischang, ... ACS nano 15 (7), 12298-12313 , 2021 2021 Citations: 35
Targeted delivery of a phosphoinositide 3‐kinase γ inhibitor to restore organ function in sepsis AT Press, P Babic, B Hoffmann, T Müller, W Foo, W Hauswald, J Benecke, ... EMBO molecular medicine 13 (10), EMMM202114436 , 2021 2021 Citations: 34
Cargo–carrier interactions significantly contribute to micellar conformation and biodistribution AT Press, A Ramoji, AC Rinkenauer, J Hoff, M Butans, C Rössel, ... NPG Asia Materials 9 (10), e444-e444 , 2017 2017 Citations: 34
Biochemical analysis of leukocytes after in vitro and in vivo activation with bacterial and fungal pathogens using Raman spectroscopy A Pistiki, A Ramoji, O Ryabchykov, D Thomas-Rüddel, AT Press, ... International journal of molecular sciences 22 (19), 10481 , 2021 2021 Citations: 27
Neutrophil hitchhiking enhances liposomal dexamethasone therapy of sepsis R Mathur, S Elsafy, AT Press, J Brück, M Hornef, L Martin, T Schürholz, ... ACS nano 18 (42), 28866-28880 , 2024 2024 Citations: 26
RIPK3 promoter hypermethylation in hepatocytes protects from bile acid-induced inflammation and necroptosis J Hoff, L Xiong, T Kammann, S Neugebauer, JM Micheel, N Gaßler, ... Cell death & disease 14 (4), 275 , 2023 2023 Citations: 23
Feasibility studies of multimodal nonlinear endoscopy using multicore fiber bundles for remote scanning from tissue sections to bulk organs H Bae, M Rodewald, T Meyer-Zedler, TW Bocklitz, G Matz, ... Scientific reports 13 (1), 13779 , 2023 2023 Citations: 18
Sodium thiosulfate refuels the hepatic antioxidant pool reducing ischemia-reperfusion-induced liver injury AT Press, L Ungelenk, A Medyukhina, SA Pennington, S Nietzsche, ... Free Radical Biology and Medicine 204, 151-160 , 2023 2023 Citations: 18
Short-term treatment with taurolidine is associated with liver injury R Fahrner, A Möller, AT Press, A Kortgen, M Kiehntopf, F Rauchfuss, ... BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology 18 (1), 61 , 2017 2017 Citations: 18
The immunological function of CXCR2 in the liver during sepsis N Liu, M Bauer, AT Press Journal of Inflammation 19 (1), 23 , 2022 2022 Citations: 17
Molecular signatures of liver dysfunction are distinct in fungal and bacterial infections in mice B Schaarschmidt, S Vlaic, A Medyukhina, S Neugebauer, S Nietzsche, ... Theranostics 8 (14), 3766 , 2018 2018 Citations: 17