{"689180":{"#nid":"689180","#data":{"type":"event","title":"MS Defense by Ayla Natalia Toney","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAyla Natalia Toney\u003Cbr\u003EBME MS Thesis Defense Presentation\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDate\u003C\/strong\u003E: 2026-03-31\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETime\u003C\/strong\u003E: 1:30 - 2:30 PM\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELocation \/ Meeting Link\u003C\/strong\u003E: IBB 2316\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee Members:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ETodd Sulchek - School of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering (Advisor); Ankur Singh - School of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Julia Babensee - Department of Biomedical Engineering\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETitle\u003C\/strong\u003E: Functionalization of hydrogel microparticles that mimic antigen presenting cell mechanics for T cell activation\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EAs the prevalence of cancer rises globally, it is crucial to develop effective treatment methods that are noninvasive, limit harsh side effects, and decrease reoccurrence. Advanced T cell therapies offer a promising alternative to chemotherapy and radiation, but struggle to target solid tumor malignancies due to decreased expansion and persistence. There has been increasing exploration into polymer biomimetic platforms for T cell activation; however, these do not properly emulate the mechanical properties of natural antigen presenting cells (APCs). This presentation describes a methodology to develop hydrogel microparticles (MPs) that mimic APC size and viscoelasticity and present anti-CD3\/28 for T cell activation. Poly(ethylene) glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) microparticles are formulated at 10.5 \u00b1 1.8 \u00b5m with flow-focusing microfluidics and functionalized downstream with biotin-PEG-acrylate, streptavidin, and biotinylated antibodies.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFunctionalization of hydrogel microparticles that mimic antigen presenting cell mechanics for T cell activation\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Functionalization of hydrogel microparticles that mimic antigen presenting cell mechanics for T cell activation"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-03-25 14:26:16","changed_gmt":"2026-03-25 14:26:50","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-03-31T13:30:13-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-04-01T14:30:13-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-04-01T14:30:13-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-03-31 17:30:13","gmt_time_end":"2026-04-01 18:30:13","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-04-01 18:30:13","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"IBB 2316","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"111531","name":"ms defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}