2/20 – Xilal Y. Rima, The Ohio State University
Biomedical Engineering Seminar
February 20, 2026
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location
BME Seminar in SEO 236
Address
851 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60607
Calendar
Download iCal FileSpeaker:
Xilal Y. Rima, PhD
NIH T32 Cardiometabolic Science Program Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Title: Uncovering the Role of Adipocyte-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Obesity
Abstract: Obesity is on the rise, with 51% of the global population predicted to be overweight or obese by 2035. In addition to serving as a metabolic cell, the adipocyte, the primary cell in adipose tissue, promotes inflammation through innate and adaptive immune functions. Yet, the process by which this locoregional inflammation influences distal inflammatory responses remains unknown. In this seminar, I will describe the role of adipocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in relaying inflammatory signals to distal organs and accelerating various obesity-associated diseases. Adipocyte-derived EVs from lean and obese subjects produce differential physiological effects in mice and proinflammatory effects in human cells, linked to molecular differences in EV cargo. However, EV cargo is highly heterogeneous, and conventional bulk-analysis methods overlook the complexity of EVs. To gain insight into the heterogeneity of adipocyte-derived EVs, the second part of the seminar will introduce various surface engineering techniques to probe EVs at the single-particle level for applications such as digital titrations, colocalization analyses, cell-functional assays, immunogold labeling, and correlating optical and non-optical techniques. This work establishes a connection between adipocyte inflammation and obesity-associated diseases and highlights an opportunity for engineering approaches to provide care for a growing patient population.
Date posted
Dec 30, 2025
Date updated
Dec 30, 2025