10/18 – Ming Dao, MIT
Biomedical Engineering Seminar
October 18, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
BME Seminar in SEO 236
Address
851 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60607
Calendar
Download iCal FileSpeaker:
Ming Dao, Ph.D.
MIT
Title: Splenic Retention and Elimination of Human Red Blood Cells in Health and Disease
Abstract: The spleen is crucial for clearing altered red blood cells (RBCs), balancing RBC formation (erythropoiesis) and removal (retention and phagocytosis). In the spleen's open circulation, RBCs slowly pass through macrophage-rich cords and cross narrow inter-endothelial slits (IESs). These processes are central to the pathogenesis of various red cell diseases. In sickle cell disease (SCD), congestion with intrasplenic RBCs is observed in infants splenectomized due to acute splenic sequestration crisis (ASSC). This life-threatening RBC pooling and organ swelling event is plausibly triggered or enhanced by intra-tissular hypoxia. We characterize the spleen’s filtration function of healthy and diseased red blood cells using in-vitro microfluidic devices. Our results indicate faster RBC retention at IESs and increased RBC-macrophage adhesion in SCD patients compared to healthy subjects, with sickled RBCs under hypoxia exhibiting distinct phagocytosis patterns. These effects are exacerbated under hypoxia. The balance between splenic RBC retention and elimination appears critical in influencing clinical outcomes such as anemia, splenomegaly, and splenic crisis in SCD. These findings shed light on the mechanisms behind the shorter lifespan of sickle cells compared to normal RBCs, how the spleen regulates the balance between splenic RBC retention and elimination, and how its disruption may lead to anemia, splenomegaly, and splenic sequestration crisis, as well as potential of personalized therapeutic interventions.
Date posted
Aug 23, 2024
Date updated
Oct 15, 2024