Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biological Sciences
Research Advisor
Semon, Julie A.
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, are pluripotent adult stem cells capable of producing daughter cells with more than one fate as well as performing self-replication. Their ability to self-renew and create cells from all three germ layers gives them a variety of uses within regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, including modulation of autoimmune diseases. Despite their promising pre-clinical studies, results in clinical trials are less effective. Our hypothesis is that MSCs are defunct in autoimmune disease and treatment, therefore, requires the use of allogenic MSCs instead of autologous, which is currently the standard. Autologous MSCs that are isolated from a patient suffering from autoimmune disease and then reintroduced to that same patient will not be able to initiate regeneration as effectively as allogeneic stem cells, which are MSCs that are isolated from a healthy donor and then transplanted to an unhealthy patient. The aim of this project is to: 1) ascertain the effects that autoimmune diseases have on MSCs, 2) identify biomarkers in incompetent MSCs, since we also hypothesize that autologous MSCs from autoimmune patients will contain differentially expressed genes in comparison to competent MSCs.
Biography
Maya Washington is a senior in biological sciences with minors in chemistry and psychology. She is a short sprinter on the Track and Field team at S&T as well as the president of Rolla Students for Life and the secretary of the National Society of Leadership and Success. After graduation, Maya plans to pursue a career in medicine as a medical doctor.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Award
Sciences – section 1 poster presentation, Third place
Location
Upper Atrium
Presentation Date
14 Apr 2022, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Effects of Autoimmune Disease on MSCs
Upper Atrium
Mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, are pluripotent adult stem cells capable of producing daughter cells with more than one fate as well as performing self-replication. Their ability to self-renew and create cells from all three germ layers gives them a variety of uses within regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, including modulation of autoimmune diseases. Despite their promising pre-clinical studies, results in clinical trials are less effective. Our hypothesis is that MSCs are defunct in autoimmune disease and treatment, therefore, requires the use of allogenic MSCs instead of autologous, which is currently the standard. Autologous MSCs that are isolated from a patient suffering from autoimmune disease and then reintroduced to that same patient will not be able to initiate regeneration as effectively as allogeneic stem cells, which are MSCs that are isolated from a healthy donor and then transplanted to an unhealthy patient. The aim of this project is to: 1) ascertain the effects that autoimmune diseases have on MSCs, 2) identify biomarkers in incompetent MSCs, since we also hypothesize that autologous MSCs from autoimmune patients will contain differentially expressed genes in comparison to competent MSCs.
