Exploring Lymphatic Function: an Engineered Toolbox to Shed Light on Nature’s Invisible Vessels
Event details
| Date | 17.03.2014 |
| Hour | 12:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. J. Brandon Dixon, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (USA) |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
BIOENGINEERING SANDWICH SEMINAR
Abstract:
Proper lymphatic function is essential to a variety of important physiologic processes including immune cell trafficking, lipid absorption, and the regulation of fluid balance. Loss of this function results in the debilitating condition of lymphedema, a disease affecting over 120 million people worldwide, and for which there is currently no cure. The experimental difficulties associated with making actual measurements on lymphatics have significantly slowed our understanding of the molecular mechanisms utilized by lymphatics to achieve their function. In vitro experiments on isolated primary lymphatic endothelial cells or lymphatic muscle cells remove the cell from its native biological and mechanical microenvironment, making the interpretation of results challenging. In vivo experiments, on the other hand, often require highly invasive and terminal procedures to access the vessels. In this talk I will describe several experimental platforms we have developed to assist in both of these issues. By culturing isolated lymphatic vessels (or in vitro microfluidic cell models) with sophisticated perfusion chambers to precisely control their biophysical surroundings, we seek to not only better recapitulate the in vivo state, but to explore how changes in this mechanical environment participate in the coordination of lymphatic pump function over long distances. Through the development of near infrared (NIR) imaging techniques we can perform longitudinal studies on lymphatic function and measure lymphatic pumping pressure in a minimally invasive fashion. Together these approaches are providing insight into the role of pump failure during the development of lymphedema, and are moving us towards the goal of new diagnostic capabilities for the early detection and assessment of disease risk in lymphedema.
Bio:
2001 B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University
2006 Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Optical Biosensing Laboratory, Texas A&M University
(developed an imaging system for measuring lymphatic flow and estimating wall shear stress in contracting lymphatic vessels)
2006-2009
Postdoctoral Fellow at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Swartz Lab
(research on tissue-engineered models of the lymphatic system)
2009-current
Assistant Professor at George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (USA)
Speaker's personal web page
Abstract:
Proper lymphatic function is essential to a variety of important physiologic processes including immune cell trafficking, lipid absorption, and the regulation of fluid balance. Loss of this function results in the debilitating condition of lymphedema, a disease affecting over 120 million people worldwide, and for which there is currently no cure. The experimental difficulties associated with making actual measurements on lymphatics have significantly slowed our understanding of the molecular mechanisms utilized by lymphatics to achieve their function. In vitro experiments on isolated primary lymphatic endothelial cells or lymphatic muscle cells remove the cell from its native biological and mechanical microenvironment, making the interpretation of results challenging. In vivo experiments, on the other hand, often require highly invasive and terminal procedures to access the vessels. In this talk I will describe several experimental platforms we have developed to assist in both of these issues. By culturing isolated lymphatic vessels (or in vitro microfluidic cell models) with sophisticated perfusion chambers to precisely control their biophysical surroundings, we seek to not only better recapitulate the in vivo state, but to explore how changes in this mechanical environment participate in the coordination of lymphatic pump function over long distances. Through the development of near infrared (NIR) imaging techniques we can perform longitudinal studies on lymphatic function and measure lymphatic pumping pressure in a minimally invasive fashion. Together these approaches are providing insight into the role of pump failure during the development of lymphedema, and are moving us towards the goal of new diagnostic capabilities for the early detection and assessment of disease risk in lymphedema.
Bio:
2001 B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University
2006 Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Optical Biosensing Laboratory, Texas A&M University
(developed an imaging system for measuring lymphatic flow and estimating wall shear stress in contracting lymphatic vessels)
2006-2009
Postdoctoral Fellow at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Swartz Lab
(research on tissue-engineered models of the lymphatic system)
2009-current
Assistant Professor at George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (USA)
Speaker's personal web page
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free