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DTSTAMP:20261006T070018
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20261015T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20261015T160000
SUMMARY:Workshop / Seminar:Biomedical Engineering (BME 500) Seminar Series
DESCRIPTION:Immunoengineered Platforms for Type 1 Diabetes\n\nAbstract:\nImmunoengineering applies quantitative problem-solving and engineering tools—such as biomaterials and cellular and protein engineering—to address complex challenges in human health that traditional biomedical science alone cannot solve. In this seminar\, Dr. Tomei will present advanced immunoengineering platforms designed for targeted interventions in type 1 diabetes (T1D)\, focusing on two main frontiers: disease prevention via antigen-specific tolerance and safer\, more effective beta-cell replacement therapies.\n\nFor T1D Prevention: Dr. Tomei will discuss the development of macroporous scaffold slices designed to harness the tolerogenic properties of lymph node fibroblastic reticular cells via transplantation in murine models. Additionally\, she will show the development of decellularized lymph node scaffold sections to demonstrate that the pro-inflammatory T1D lymph node environment reprograms stromal cells into a diabetes-prone phenotype. These insights aim to inspire antigen-specific preventive approaches that avoid the risks of broad systemic immunosuppression.\n\nFor T1D Treatment: She will address the limitations of islet encapsulation in confined transplantation sites. To tackle this\, she will introduce an in vitro platform built to investigate the relative contributions of direct versus indirect allorejection. Furthermore\, she will present a biomaterial platform engineered with IgG-brining peptides for the sustained\, localized delivery of biological drugs (such as co-stimulatory blockers and anti-inflammatory agents). This approach achieves allograft survival rates comparable to systemic drug administration while eliminating systemic spillover and avoiding the associated risks of immunodeficiency. Finally\, Dr. Tomei will demonstrate the feasibility of achieving localized immunomodulation at the islet transplantation site through the co-delivery of islet-alloantigen-primed tolerogenic lymph node stromal cells. Overall\, these approaches could expand the safety and clinical applicability of beta-cell replacement therapy.    \n\nBio:\nDr. Alice Tomei is the Dr. Leonard and Diane F. Pinchuk Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Miami\, with secondary appointments in Surgery\, Microbiology and Immunology\, and Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology. She earned her M.S. in Materials Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano\, Italy\, in 2004 and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering and Biotechnology from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)\, Switzerland\, in 2008.\n\nDr. Tomei directs the Islet Immunoengineering Laboratory at the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI)\, where her research integrates bioengineering\, biomaterials\, and immunology to develop innovative immunoengineering strategies for localized immune modulation\, improving islet transplantation outcomes and inducing antigen-specific immune tolerance as a path toward a cure for type 1 diabetes. Her research program is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Breakthrough T1D.\n\nDr. Tomei has trained and mentored 5 postdoctoral fellows\, 15 Ph.D. students\, 22 M.S. students\, 34 undergraduate students\, and 4 high school students in the fields of tissue engineering and immunoengineering. She has served as a standing member of the NIH BMBI Study Section and is currently President-Elect of the Cell Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Society (CTRMS).\n\nHer contributions have been recognized with numerous honors\, including the JDRF Career Development Award\, the Eliahu I. Jury Early Career Research Award\, the Alexander Orr Excellence in Teaching Award\, the Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Award\, and the Johnson A. Edosomwan Researcher of the Year Award\, which she received in both 2019 and 2024.
UID:153338-21915654@events.umich.edu
URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/153338
CLASS:PUBLIC
STATUS:CONFIRMED
CATEGORIES:engineer,Biointerfaces,Biology,biomedical,biomedical engineering,Bioninterfaces,Biosciences,Biotechnology,bme,Basic Science,engineering,Medicine,Michigan Engineering,North Campus,Pre Med,Pre-Health,seminar
LOCATION:Lurie Biomedical Engineering (formerly ATL) - 1130
CONTACT:
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20261002T094642
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20261113T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20261113T170000
SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:Alan J. Hunt Memorial Lecture-U-M Biomedical Engineering
DESCRIPTION:2026 Alan J. Hunt Memorial Lecture\n\nPhysical principles of cardiac sarcomere organization in health and disease\n\nAbstract:\nThe remarkable capabilities of living tissues reflect the self-assembly of biological macromolecules into structures far larger and more complex than their individual components. The Dunn laboratory seeks to understand the physical principles that allow molecular interactions to produce organized\, functional tissues. In this talk\, I will focus on cardiomyocytes\, whose contractile machinery provides a striking example of biological self-assembly. Using single-molecule force spectroscopy\, we find that α-actinin-2\, a core component of the sarcomeric Z-disc\, binds actin in a strongly force- and direction-dependent manner. This behavior suggests a mechanism by which forces generated during contraction can help organize and stabilize sarcomeric architecture. In parallel\, we are investigating how inherited cardiomyopathy mutations perturb sarcomere mechanics and organization. Genetically encoded force sensors reveal how disease-associated myosin mutations alter force propagation within sarcomeres\, while cryo-electron tomography shows how these mutations disrupt sarcomere order at the molecular scale. These and other data suggest that alterations in sarcomeric organization may be intimately linked to the development of cardiomyopathy. Finally\, I will describe emerging approaches for scaling single-molecule biophysics from measurements of individual interactions to systematic surveys of hundreds of molecular variants. These approaches open the door to studies of mechanobiology at scale and to the design and characterization of new molecular mechanosensors.\n\nBio:\nAlex Dunn is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. His research focuses on understanding how living cells sense mechanical stimuli\, with particular interests in stem cell biology and tissue engineering. Dr. Dunn worked as a postdoctoral scholar with James Spudich in the Department of Biochemistry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology under the direction of Harry Gray\, where his work focused on understanding the catalytic mechanism selective C-H bond oxidation by cytochrome P450 enzymes. His work has been recognized with numerous awards\, including the Hertz Fellowship\, the Burroughs Wellcome Career Award at the Scientific Interface\, the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award\, and the HHMI Faculty Scholar Award.
UID:153197-21915407@events.umich.edu
URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/153197
CLASS:PUBLIC
STATUS:CONFIRMED
CATEGORIES:Discussion,Biointerfaces,Biology,biomedical,biomedical engineering,Bioninterfaces,Biosciences,Biotechnology,bme,Basic Science,engineer,engineering,In Person,Lecture,Medicine,Michigan Engineering,Research
LOCATION:Gerald Ford Library - Auditorium
CONTACT:
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