Nitrogen Cavitated Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Derived Vesicles Improve Yield and Immune Response
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Ndifor, Azeh Ngufor
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Abstract
As the world of medicine advances, it is only natural for people to be driven towards personalized therapies. Personalized medicine is an emerging field that can allow patients to have treatments catered to their body, lifestyle, or even genetic makeup. The mode and degree of personalization varies depending on the pathophysiology that is being targeted. Additionally, there is constant growth in these fields as new treatments are being researched. However, due to gaps in current technology, there is an unmet need to characterize these cells before they can be utilized.
Based on what is known about these cells, there is vast untapped potential for therapeutics. To access this potential, we must learn more about the details of cellular function. At the most basic level, they can elicit immune responses in other cell types through cellular communication. This communication can have many forms, but they are all rooted in how cells receive and respond to signal molecules. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are just one of many vectors to deliver the signal to nearby target cells. To harness this mode of communication as a therapy researchers need to reliably produce vesicles and then determine what impact they make on the immune system. This project addresses both of these issues, comparing different methods of producing EVs and testing methods for functionally assessing how different extracellular vesicles alter immune responses. There are multiple assays that we use to accomplish this goal, but they all have the same basic mechanism. Immune cells are treated with EVs or some other immunomodulatory signaling molecules, then we study any changes that occur as a result.
From these experiments, we can determine exactly how much of an impact EVs have and also how different types compare to one another. Each assay has its own pros and cons and allows us to shine light on various aspects of the immune response. By filling in these gaps we come closer to harnessing exosomes as a fully-fledged therapy.
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Undergraduate Research Option Thesis