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SUMMARY:From Nano to 'Self' and Making Macrophages Eat Cancer: Engorge\, A
 ccumulate\, and Differentiate
DTSTART:20170327T121500
DTSTAMP:20260504T200222Z
UID:f06a5d365a13f02beabd115ef991a38dcf3ad11383c7f07313756b92
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Dennis Discher\, University of Pennsylvania\, Philadelph
 ia\, PA (USA)\nDISTINGUISHED LECTURE IN BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING\n(sandwiche
 s served)\n\nAbstract:\nFrom viruses to tissue matrices\, biology is fille
 d with remarkable polymeric structures that motivate mimicry with goals of
  both clarifying and exploiting biological principles.  Filamentous virus
 es inspired our development and computations of worm-like\, flexible polym
 er micelles – ‘filomicelles’ – that reveal non-spherical nano-ther
 apeutics can persist in the circulation and deliver even better than spher
 es [Geng Nat Nanotech 2007].  However\, particles\, implants\, and cells 
 of any type interact with the innate immune system\, especially phagocytes
  that try to ‘eat’ everything. At the same time\, ‘Self’ cells are
  spared due to a polypeptide found on all cells that marks cells (as well 
 as engineered viruses and particles) as ‘Self’\, limiting their phagoc
 ytic clearance in vitro and in vivo [Rodriguez Science 2013].  The phagoc
 yte’s cytoskeleton drives the decision downstream of adhesion. If a macr
 ophage is engineered to not recognize ‘Self’ and then injected to atta
 ck tumors\, its further interactions with the surrounding tissue can influ
 ence its differentiation. Matrix elasticity is one physical feature that d
 irects stem cell fate [Engler Cell 2006\; Swift Science 2013] and reflects
  the fact that tissues can be very soft like fat and brain\, or increasing
 ly stiff like striated muscle and rigid like bone. What unifies these mech
 anisms of immune or matrix recognition is a convergence of decision-making
  pathways on cytoskeletal force generation.\n\nBio:\nPost-doc (1996) Unive
 rsity of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University\, British Columbia\,
  Canada\; D.H. Boal and E.A. Evans\, advisers\; Fellow in Statistical  Bi
 ophysics\nPh.D. (1993) University of California\, Berkeley\, and Universit
 y of California\, San Francisco\, California\; N. Mohandas\, adviser\;  T
 hesis in Cell Membrane Biophysics\nB.S. Highest Honors (1986) University o
 f California\, Davis\; studies in Engineering\, Physics\, & Biochemistry
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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