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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Mary Caitlin Sok
Ph.D. Proposal Presentation (RESCHEDULED)
Date: Tuesday, October 10th
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Suddath Seminar Room (IBB 1128)
Committee Members:
Edward A. Botchwey, PhD (Advisor)
Andrew B. Adams, MD, PhD
Julia E. Babensee, PhD
Andrew S. Neish, MD
Krishnendu Roy, PhD
Immunomodulatory Biomaterials for the Induction of Transplant Tolerance
A major challenge in the transplant field is achieving a fine balance between achieving sufficient immunosuppression to prevent donated tissue rejection while managing the many side effects that occur in both the acute and chronic timeframe after induction of immunosuppressive therapy. For example, there is an increased incidence of wound healing complications following transplant surgery compared to similar non-transplantation procedures. Innate immune cells including monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells have emerged as critical cellular mediators that can play a role in modulating the immune response to allograft towards tolerance and acceptance. The overall hypothesis for the proposed research is that local recruitment of tolerogenic subsets of macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells via delivery of Aspirin-Triggered Resolvin D1 (AT-RvD1) and on-site education via IL-10 will promote graft tolerance and wound healing associated with transplantation. We will first investigate how local delivery of the lipid proresolving molecule AT-RvD1 regulates monocyte recruitment and impacts vascular remodeling after injury. Next, we will develop an immunomodulatory hydrogel capable of the dual delivery of IL-10 and AT-RvD1 and quantify the recruitment of tolerogenic subsets of innate and adaptive immune cells. Finally, using a skin transplant model, we will investigate how local immunomodulation via biomaterial is able to direct the cellular response to allograft towards inducing tolerance.
