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SUMMARY:Bioengineered Interfaces to Direct Immune Cell Function
DTSTART:20190313T091500
DTSTAMP:20260503T061801Z
UID:5209a62b61d3f1fa0d8397b1b96d1478e16a5d5f069d3f60a50ec48b
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Derfogail Delcassian\, University of Nottingham (UK)\, Har
 vard Medical School and MIT\, Cambridge\, MA (USA)\nBIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
 \n \nAbstract:\nT cells are a central component of the immune system\, 
 and can display activated and/or suppressive phenotypes. Controlling T cel
 l behaviour\, and balancing these phenotypes\, is key to controlling immu
 ne responses in a wide range of diseases\; including cancer\, wound healin
 g\, and organ rejection. In this talk\, we show the development of bioengi
 neered interfaces that can be used to communicate with T cells and help to
  re-direct T cell function towards activated or suppressive phenotypes. We
  will highlight three examples across the nano\, micro and macro length-sc
 ale that showcase the use of immunoengineering to control cell fate in t
 hese diseases. First\, we describe the development of nanopatterned ligand
  arrays that can be used to engage with receptors on the surface of immune
  cells\, and show that by fine-tuning the precise inter-ligand spacing fro
 m between 20nm to 200nm cellular activity can be controlled. Next\, we hig
 hlight the role of mechanosensing in T cell activation\, and describe the 
 development of hydrogel systems with tunable rigidity for cell activation.
  Finally\, we illustrate 3D printed systems to control immune cell behavi
 our through the integration of soluble and biophysical cues at the micro-
  and macro-scale. \n\nBio:\nDr. Derfogail Delcassian is currently a Marie
  Curie Fellow based jointly between the University of Nottingham\, Harvard
  Medical School and MIT\, and the founder of BiohackCancer.  Her research
  interests are in immunoengineering\, combining her expertise in chemist
 ry\, materials science\, immunology and nanomedicine. Dr. Delcassian desig
 ns biomaterials to direct and control immune cells inside and outside of 
 the body. She is developing cell therapy products with controlled activati
 on to treat cancer\, and nucleic acid vaccines to prevent transplant orga
 n rejection by the immune system. To do this\, Dr. Delcassian engineers bi
 omimetic interfaces\, artificial cells/lymph nodes\, and targeted drug and
  gene delivery approaches to train and instruct immune cells. Dr. Delcass
 ian has attracted significant independent peer-reviewed funding and has be
 en awarded a number of national and international awards to support her r
 esearch. Alongside her research\, Dr. Delcassian is passionate about the t
 ranslation of healthcare research from the bench to patients. She is the 
 founder of BiohackCancer\; an organisation which supports cancer patient
 s and oncologists gaining early access to cancer therapies.\n\nZoom link f
 or attending remotely: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/618422807
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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