PME Thesis Defense: Aaron Alpar

<b>Cytokine Engineering to Modulate DC: Treg Networks and Therapeutic Applications Thereof</b><br /><br />

Dendritic cells have come to be a focus of immunotherapeutic targeting due in part to their impressive capability as a professional antigen-presenting cell. Operating as the decision matrix of the adaptive immune system -- sampling the environment, bridging the gap between innate and adaptive systems, and determining the ultimate flavor of the immune response -- dendritic cells demonstrate a particular strength considering their relative scarcity as a portion of immune cells. Herein, we develop a novel engineered fusion of Flt3L to serum albumin (Flt3L-SA) and characterize the biochemical and pharmacological properties of the drug and how it influences dendritic cell and Treg populations. We subsequently utilize Flt3L-SA in combination with a highly immunogenic model of enzyme replacement therapy to demonstrate a significant reduction in immune reaction and reduced hypersensitivity to the foreign protein Rasburicase.

<a href="https://uchicago.zoom.us/j/98308014192?pwd=WERWanFCWWdhQjVDcEV2S3Fvdyt5…; Zoom Link</a>