(719a) Invited Speaker: Next Generation Controlled Release Systems for Immunoregulation

Currently, aberrant inflammation (responsible for autoimmune disease and transplant rejection) affects over 10 million people in the US. It is well documented that a potential treatment option for these diseases is to increase the presence of regulatory T cells (Treg) at local sites, which leads to reduced severity of immune responses. At present, an increase in local numbers of Treg is achieved through the systemic infusion of ex vivo cultured cells, a method plagued with problems. In this talk, we discuss the development and testing of formulations that are inspired by our own sophisticated immunoregulatory mechanisms that can be used to increase local populations of Treg, with the potential to ameliorate aberrant inflammation, autoimmunity and transplant rejection. For example, one interesting new strategy is a mimetic formulation that focuses on increasing local numbers of regulatory T cells through recruitment of these cells from distal sites (CCL22 microparticles). Another is a formulation that focuses on establishing an immunosuppressive environment and inducing regulatory T cells (IL-2, TGF-β and rapamycin microparticles; termed as Drug/CytokineMP). These formulations have been explored for various in vitro Treg indications such as the treatment of periodontitis and composite tissue allotransplantation (CTA).