Sentinel Biomaterials in Alloimmunity: Transplant and Prenatal Care
DUE TO ILLNESS, Dr. Whitehead will be rescheduled for a future date

Abstract:
As there is no assay to predict alloimmunity in transplant or fetal rejection, clinicians rely on invasive tissue biopsy, non-specific blood-based assays, and, in transplant, aggressive immunosuppression. Primary tissue histology is a flawed standard for alloimmunity surveillance, as histological evidence of rejection inherently lags behind molecular biomarkers of alloimmunity. A minimally invasive surveillance method is needed to identify early risk of rejection for minimizing invasive procedures and personalizing interventions. We have developed biomaterial scaffolds for minimally-invasive sampling. These scaffolds amass immune cells producing biomarkers of disease as an engineered niche which can predict rejection onset. In this work, we employ biomaterials as sentinels to capture the longitudinal immune domain of healthy and rejecting transplants and healthy and miscarriage-prone rodent pregnancies without disrupting the primary tissue and with greater specificity than blood.

Bio:
Dr. Russell Urie is a postdoctoral fellow here at the University of Michigan with Professor Lonnie Shea, developing tissue engineering scaffolds for immunosurveillance of transplant rejection and prenatal complications. Prior to his postdoc, he obtained his PhD with Dr. Kaushal Rege in Chemical Engineering from Arizona State University, where his research centered on the creation of stimulus-responsive nanomaterials for tissue repair. Throughout his academic journey, Russell has received several accolades for his research and teaching contributions. Moreover, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in their research pursuits.​​​​​​​

Zoom:
https://umich.zoom.us/j/99085426766