Meilin Zhu (BLAINEY & KWON LABS)

A Metabolism-based Approach to Shifting the Female Genital Tract Microbiome

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a syndrome of the female genital tract (FGT) microbiome, affects over 50% of females in many populations worldwide and is associated with increased risks of preterm birth, HIV transmission, and HPV and cervical dysplasia. The current standard of care, metronidazole, results in rapid recurrence in 50% or more of cases. We aim to use a metabolism-specific approach to rationally shift the FGT microbiota towards health-associated states.

Elise Gubbins (GRIFFITH & GUO LABS)

Engineering a Physiologically Relevant In vitro Mucosal Barrier Model via Organoid Fusion

Mucosal barriers are selectively permeable barriers, serving as both the body’s first line of defense against external threats and sites of absorption. The tissue 3D architecture is vital to this function, as it provides a physical stem cell niche to maintain the highly proliferative tissues. In this work, we generated a tissue-engineered in vitro model that recapitulates the structure-function relationship of mucosal barriers by organoid fusion in PEG-based synthetic hydrogels, and adapted this model to a microfluidic device platform.