(4hp) Bridging the Gender Gap in Autoimmunity with T-Cell–Targeted Biomaterials

T-cells play a pivotal role in autoimmune diseases, promoting the production of inflammatory cytokines which generate life-threatening side effects. Current existing treatment have focused on targeting cytokines; however, these remain inefficient due to the lack of long-lasting effect and the continuous production of cytokines by T-cells. Therefore, the overarching goal of my future research is to use biomaterials to modulate phenotypical changes in T-cells in the context of autoimmune diseases. Particularly focusing on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is a severe autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and tissue damage in skin, joints, brain, lungs, heart, and kidneys. Most notably, SLE disproportionately affects women at a 9 to 1 ratio, and underrepresented communities, where 44% of patients are Black/African American and 23% of patients are Hispanic.

In recent years, hydrogels have become an important tool to study cells behavior as a more relevant environment since these systems can change composition, stiffness, and biochemical functions. Furthermore, the versatility of these materials has the potential to impact T-cells phenotype (e.g., by functionalization with different molecules), and can be used as a treatment in the form of injectable hydrogels or particles. Currently there are no existing in vitro models designed to understand the behavior of T-cells in SLE. Therefore, I aim to create an in vitro model based on hydrogels, to recreate an inflammatory state. On the other hand, the versatility of hydrogel systems opens the door to potential treatment options based on the delivery of immune modulatory cells; or their mimetic capabilities as artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs). Consequently, the other part of my proposed research will focus on utilizing aAPCs and injectable hydrogels to tune T-cells phenotype as systemic and localized treatments for SLE.