Jintian Lyu
BME PhD Defense Presentation

Date: 2024-04-10
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Location / Meeting Link: Georgia Tech Library, Price Gilbert 4222 - Dissertation Defense Room/ Meeting link: https://gatech.zoom.us/j/97974065743 

Committee Members:
Cheng Zhu, PhD (Advisor); Ankur Singh, PhD; Gabriel Kwong, PhD; Khalid Salaita, PhD; Kaitao Li, PhD


Title: Establish synthetic notch mechano-sensing platform to investigate B cell lymphoma

Abstract:

In the field of biophysics, scientists have noticed forces applied on immunoreceptor-ligand bonds can be transmitted across the cell membrane and potentially induce mechano-transduction. Mechano-transduction plays a pivotal role in immunological receptor function, mediating critical processes in immune cell activation and signaling. Various single-molecule force tools have been developed, such as biomembrane force probe (BFP) and molecular tension probe (MTP), to study mechano-transduction in immunological system. This dissertation introduces an innovative approach by developing a cell-based synthetic notch (SynNotch) platform designed to detect and quantify mechano-sensing in a controlled, reproducible manner. By leveraging the modular nature of SynNotch receptors, this platform can be customized and adapted across various biological systems to investigate the mechanical properties and responses of different immunological receptors. Furthermore, this dissertation showcases the versatility of the synNotch platform in studying mechano-transduction across different experimental system. A significant portion of this work is dedicated to exploring mechano-sensing in B cell lymphoma, with a particular focus on the CD40 receptor, a key player in B cell activation and immune response regulation. This dissertation elucidates the mechanistic underpinnings of CD40-mediated mechano-transduction and its implications for B cell lymphoma pathophysiology. The findings demonstrate the utility of the SynNotch platform in dissecting the complex interplay between mechanical forces and receptor signaling, offering new insights into the role of mechano-sensing in immune regulation and cancer progression.