Rachel Scissors
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Patrick Robichaud
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Internal Medicine – Cardiology Research / Medicine
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 3 – 1:40pm – 2:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Rachel Scissors, Patrick Robichaud, Claire Johnson, David J. Pinsky
Presenter: 91
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe illness with a poor prognosis, an unknown etiology and no available cure that affects mostly women with a mean age of 37. PAH is characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and vascular remodeling of the pulmonary arteries, including thickening of the vessel wall and the formation of plexiform lesions. The Sugen-Hypoxia (SuHx) model is a method of inducing PAH in rats through an injection of Sugen. The aim of this study was to develop a collection of histology stains that would serve as a foundational description of the SuHx model currently being used in the Pinsky lab. These slides would help detail the future direction of work within a wide variety of current projects focused on PAH, stroke, heart failure and deep vein thrombosis. Lung tissue samples from rats with SuHx-induced PAH were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies against three biomarkers associated with PAH: alpha-Smooth Muscle Actin (a-SMA), integrin beta 3 (CD61), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). a-SMA is a structural protein exclusively associated with smooth muscle cells. CD61 is known to regulate cell proliferation and migration and facilitate cell signaling. MCP-1 is an inflammatory cytokine which acts in the reconstruction of vascular endothelial cells. The intended outcome of this study is to look for significant differences in these biomarkers between Sugen rats that were treated with a therapeutic target and those that were not. These predicted differences will add to the cumulative study of PAH in the Pinsky lab and may lead to future breakthroughs in the unknown causes of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Natural/Life Sciences
