A. James Clark School of Engineering

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1654

The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

Browse

Author: search.filters.author.Ramirez, Ann

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Targeting the Gut Mucosal Immune System Using Nanomaterials
    (MDPI, 2021-10-21) McCright, Jacob; Ramirez, Ann; Amosu, Mayowa; Sinha, Arnav; Bogseth, Amanda; Maisel, Katharina
    The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is one the biggest mucosal surface in the body and one of the primary targets for the delivery of therapeutics, including immunotherapies. GI diseases, including, e.g., inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal infections such as cholera, pose a significant public health burden and are on the rise. Many of these diseases involve inflammatory processes that can be targeted by immune modulatory therapeutics. However, nonspecific targeting of inflammation systemically can lead to significant side effects. This can be avoided by locally targeting therapeutics to the GI tract and its mucosal immune system. In this review, we discuss nanomaterial-based strategies targeting the GI mucosal immune system, including gut-associated lymphoid tissues, tissue resident immune cells, as well as GI lymph nodes, to modulate GI inflammation and disease outcomes, as well as take advantage of some of the primary mechanisms of GI immunity such as oral tolerance.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    In Vitro Models of Blood and Lymphatic Vessels—Connecting Tissues and Immunity
    (Wiley, 2022-06-25) Bogseth, Amanda; Ramirez, Ann; Vaughan, Erik; Maisel, Katharina
    Blood and lymphatic vessels are regulators of physiological processes, including oxygenation and fluid transport. Both vessels are ubiquitous throughout the body and are critical for sustaining tissue homeostasis. The complexity of each vessel’s processes has limited the understanding of exactly how the vessels maintain their functions. Both vessels have been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer metastasis, and it is crucial to probe further specific mechanisms involved. In vitro models are developed to better understand blood and lymphatic physiological functions and their mechanisms. In this review, blood and lymphatic in vitro model systems, including 2D and 3D designs made using Transwells, microfluidic devices, organoid cultures, and various other methods, are described. Models studying endothelial cell-extracellular matrix interactions, endothelial barrier properties, transendothelial transport and cell migration, lymph/angiogenesis, vascular inflammation, and endothelial-cancer cell interactions are particularly focused. While the field has made significant progress in modeling and understanding lymphatic and blood vasculature, more models that include coculture of multiple cell types, complex extracellular matrix, and 3D morphologies, particularly for models mimicking disease states, will help further the understanding of the role of blood and lymphatic vasculature in health and disease.