PreMiEr Spring 2024 Seminar Series – Dr. Shalani Prasad

Please join the NSF Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr) and host Duke University for a talk by Dr. Shalani Prasad of the University of Texas – Dallas.

Title:Non-invasive tracking host inflammatory response due to infection and chronic disease

Abstract: Inflammation is a biological response of the immune system that can be triggered by a variety of factors, including pathogens, damaged cells and toxic compounds. These factors may induce acute and/or chronic inflammatory responses in multiple organs, potentially leading to tissue damage or disease. Both infectious and non-infectious agents and cell damage activate inflammatory cells and trigger inflammatory signaling pathways. Hence, there is a widespread interest in designing technologies that will enable tracking of the human body’s inflammatory response due to non-infectious and infectious triggers.

In this work we demonstrate the viability of passive perspiration, a functional biofluid toward tracking the human body’s inflammatory response. Cytokines are biomarkers that orchestrate the manifestation and progression of an infection/inflammatory event. Hence, noninvasive, real-time monitoring of cytokines can be pivotal in assessing the progression of infection/inflammatory event, which may be feasible through monitoring of host immune markers in eccrine sweat. This work is the first experimental proof demonstrating the ability to detect inflammation/infection such as fever, FLU directly from passively expressed sweat in human subjects using a wearable “SWEATSENSER” device. The developed SWEATSENSER device demonstrates stable, real-time monitoring of inflammatory cytokines in passive sweat.

We have expanded the tracking of Inflammation to chronic disease with inflammatory bowel disease being the disease model. This work demonstrates the first proof-of-feasibility of multiplexed cytokine and inflammatory marker detection in passively expressed eccrine sweat in a wearable form-factor that can be utilized toward better management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Open to the public, but registration is required for non-PreMiEr members.

Non-PreMiEr members can register for the seminar series through this link.