(132e) Elucidating the Role of Adipocyte-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Modulating Distant Inflammation

Over 50% of the US population is expected to be obese by 2030. A majority of obesity-related diseases are inflammatory, and a loss of inflammatory homeostasis can promote pathologies, such as cancer. The primary cell in adipose tissue is the adipocyte, which serves as an innate and adaptive immune cell via cytokine production and antigen presentation, respectively. Obesity induces inflammation in the adipose tissue, but how inflammation is modulated in distant organs is somewhat of a mystery. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are phospholipid-bilayer nanoparticles that encapsulate bioactive cargo capable of mediating interorgan communication. My research focuses on comprehending the immunomodulatory effects of adipocytes on distant organs and translating them to cancer through novel bioengineering approaches. In this talk, I will first discuss the importance of chemical engineering approaches in modeling the breast cancer microenvironment to comprehend complex metastatic behaviors, such as cancer dormancy. My findings include how biomaterial design can inform key aspects of cellular behavior and how various dimensions of cell culture lead to differential responses to stimuli. The second part of my talk focuses on the purification of adipocyte-derived EVs (AdEVs) from lean and obese mice and how the injection of AdEVs into mice differentially modulates inflammatory diseases in distant organs as exemplified by atherosclerosis. The findings of this study include the acceleration of atherosclerosis with obese donor AdEVs as opposed to lean donor AdEVs, which had no significant effect on atherogenesis. Lastly, I will discuss the vision of my future lab and how I will incorporate my knowledge of both fields to investigate the intercellular interactions between the adipocyte and the cancer cell through hydrogel synthesis and microfluidic technologies.