Abstract:
The metabolic underpinnings of immune cells in various inflamed tissues, such as the implant microenvironment or the diseased heart, are poorly understood. For instance, polylactide (PLA) is the most widely used biopolymer in medicine. Yet, for decades, PLA had been thought to activate immune cells by reducing surrounding pH because PLA biodegrades into monomers and oligomers of lactic acid. During my talk, I will discuss an alternative paradigm underscoring immune cell metabolism (immunometabolism) as the pivotal determinant of the proinflammatory versus pro-regenerative tissue microenvironment with biodegradable and non-biodegradable biomaterial examples. Further related to tissue engineering, I will present on reversing established cardiac dysfunction and fibrosis in heart failure (following myocardial infarction) via targeted and enzyme-responsive nanomaterials. Finally, I will unveil my vision to revolutionize therapeutic strategies for the various phenotypes of heart failure by leveraging the metabolic underpinnings of immune and stromal cell populations, thereby engineering next-generation clinical interventions that shape the future of medicine.
Zoom: https://umich.zoom.us/j/94337625486