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In vitro Biomaterial Host Response Models: From Protein Adsorption to Fibrosis
					
 Mar 28, 2025 
 2:30PM to 3:30PM

									

				

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							BIMR Seminar Lindsay Fitzpatrick - All details are in the event page as text							

															

						

						

	

		
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	Date/Time

	Date(s) - 28/03/2025
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm





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Prof. Lindsay Fitzpatrick


Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University


 


The foreign body reaction (FBR) is a fundamental and natural process that affects all humans who receive biomedical implants or implanted medical devices. This innate immune response to implanted foreign materials is characterized by chronic inflammation at the implant site and fibrous encapsulation of the implant over time, although the severity and impact of the FBR varies significantly across implant sites, applications and among recipients. However, human factors like age, sex, disease or medication are often overlooked in biocompatibility research in favour of biomaterial factors, despite both having critical roles in determining outcomes. This is due, in part, to a lack of biomaterial testing models that would enable factors like age or biological sex to be studied over relevant timelines in the laboratory setting, using combinations of human cell types that interact with the implant and drive the FBR in vivo. In this seminar, I will present our current progress towards establishing human in vitro multicellular host response models, from protein adsorption to fibrosis, with a particular focus on the interplay between insulin and Toll-like receptor signaling in the context of insulin pump therapy for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes. Through this work, we aim to develop human invitro models that can be used to better understand the molecular mechanisms of the FBR and the heterogeneity of human responses, as well as predictive models for screening new biomaterials.


 


Speaker bio:


Lindsay Fitzpatrick is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University with cross-appointment in the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences. Dr. Fitzpatrick is a proud McMaster alumnus, having completed her B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering and Biosciences, while working with Dr. Heather Sheardown for many summers as an undergraduate researcher. She then did her Ph.D. with Dr. Michael Sefton in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Tech with Dr. Todd McDevitt, before joining Queen’s in 2014. Currently, Dr. Fitzpatrick is the President-Elect for the Canadian Biomaterials Society, having previously served Senior Board Member, and is the Co-Chair of the 2025 CBS Annual Meeting in Kingston. Dr. Fitzpatrick’s research lies at the intersection of biomaterial science, immunology, and inflammation. Her currently work focuses on the development of multicellular in vitro models of biomaterial host responses to advance our understanding of molecular mechanisms that guide cell-material interactions and to develop strategies to modulate biomaterial host responses for medical devices and implants, with a focus on treatments for diabetes and its complications, including insulin infusion sets and diabetic foot ulcers. Her team has received funding from the New Frontiers Research Fund – Exploration (NFRF-E), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI).


 


In-Person: ABB 102


Online: https://mcmaster.zoom.us/j/98466097971


Meeting ID: 984 6609 7971

Passcode: 843520