BIO

I am a senior from Pace, FL studying Biomedical Engineering with a focus in Cell & Bioprocess Engineering. My research in the lab of Dr. Samuel Grant has allowed me to learn more about ischemic stroke, potential treatments, and its lasting impact on patients. I hope to work in neurodegenerative disease research to help make a difference for patients, families, and caretakers all impacted by diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. I am graduating in this spring, and will be pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering.

Evaluation of Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Adipose Stem Cells for Stroke Treatment

Abstract

After a stroke, patients experience a variety of long-term effects reducing quality of life. Injections of extracellular vesicles (EV) derived from stem cells can be used post-stroke as treatment, helping to activate endogenous repair processes. This project will characterize EV derived from human adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) to investigate their efficacy as it pertains to ischemic stroke. ASC have similar potential as bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to differentiate into multiple cell lineages and yield EV; however, obtaining ASC is minimally invasive and yields higher cell counts compared to MSC. In vitro assays such as nanoparticle tracking analysis, Western blots, polymerase chain reaction, and proteomics will characterize ASC EV with respect to size, EV markers, and the proportion of exosomes in comparison to MSC. Following these analyses, ASC EV will be intra-arterially injected in vivo in an ischemic rat model to assess the therapeutic efficacy. Traditionally, ASC, which are larger than MSC, can induce secondary strokes. The smaller ASC EV may provide a viable alternative to direct ASC implantation that could be effective in recovering ischemic damage.

Keywords: stroke, stem cells, extracellular vesicles