Athena Chien
BME PhD Proposal Presentation

Date: 2024-07-02
Time: 1:00 PM-2:30 PM
Location / Meeting Link: IBB 1128, Suddath Room; https://gatech.zoom.us/j/96049580966

Committee Members:
Craig R. Forest, PhD (Advisor); Nael A. McCarty, PhD; Aniruddh Sarkar, PhD; Kapil Bharti, PhD; Omer Inan, PhD


Title: Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy for Studying Neutrophil Transepithelial Migration in Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes

Abstract:
Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is the most common comorbidity of cystic fibrosis (CF), affecting 50% of adult CF patients. CFRD is associated with a 2.9-fold increase in lung infections, leading to a decline in lung function six-fold faster compared to CF patients without diabetes. While it is known that CFRD patients have faster lung function decline, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. For my thesis, I propose measuring changes in the integrity of bronchiolar epithelial barriers in CFRD and control cell models, focusing on the relationship between transepithelial resistance (TER) and neutrophil transepithelial migration, part of the initial immune response to bacterial infection. Current technology limits our temporal understanding of the neutrophil migration phases—adhesion, migration, and post-migration—in control and CFRD groups. I propose developing a high-resolution system for TER measurement using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to map the temporal dynamics of neutrophil migration and compare changes in barrier properties between control and CFRD cell models.