07/14/2022
By Jennifer Lawson
The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Biomedical Engineering Biotechnology, invites you to attend a Doctoral dissertation by “Lilly” Jennifer Lawson on July 29, 2022 on "2D and 3D models of Acute and chronic nociception using human induced pluripotent stem cells on microelectrode arrays."
Defense Date: July 29, 2022
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Location: Perry Hall 315, North Campus
Committee:
- Bryan Black, Biomedical Engineering, UMass Lowell
- Chiara Ghezzi, Biomedical Engineering, UMass Lowell
- Thomas Shea, Biological Sciences, UMass Lowell
Project Abstract:
Nociception is the process by which noxious stimuli are detected and transmitted from the peripheral to central nervous system. Nociception and its perception, pain, are necessary for survival, but pathological states affecting nociceptors may result in maladaptive changes and chronic pain phenomena. Chronic pain is the U.S.’s #1 public health crisis: with high incidence and no viable treatment options. Existing pain management options based on pharmaceutical drugs lead to tolerance, abuse, and reduced quality of life. Current analgesic screening methodologies based on the identification and exploitation of ‘druggable’ targets is low-throughput and ineffective. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel, non-addictive analgesics as well as novel, human tissue-based model systems on which to screen them. Here, we report the development and validation of a human-tissue based nociception model based on iPSCs cultured on microelectrode arrays (MEAs). A combination of MEA recordings, immunocytochemistry (ICC), LC-MS/MS, and RNA-sequencing were used to characterize the utility of mono- and co-cultures of iPSC sensory neurons with iPSC spinal astrocytes in developing a model of acute and chronic nociception.