Brett Mitchell, Ph.D., Texas A&M, to present seminar on 2/23/18 at 11:00 LIB-110: “Why is my immune system making my blood pressure rise?”

Brett Mitchell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Medical Physiology
Texas A&M College of Medicine

“Why is my immune system making my blood pressure rise?”

Almost 1 in 2 Americans have hypertension (HTN) according to the new guidelines, while half of these people exhibit salt-sensitive hypertension (SSHTN). Research from around the world suggests that our immune system plays a role in the development of HTN, but the immune cells and particular mechanisms involved are still being unraveled. Additionally, it is not feasible to suppress the immune systems of millions of people so new therapeutic strategies are needed to reduce the incidence of HTN. In this seminar, some published work will be briefly presented regarding how immune cell activation contributes to the development of HTN and HTN during pregnancy. Then, recent unpublished work in 3 different mouse models of HTN characterizing the immune cell infiltration into the kidneys and how this affects renal lymphatic vessels will be discussed. Lymphatic vessels are responsible for extracting immune cells out of the interstitial space, and when these do not respond or function appropriately tissue inflammation and organ dysfunction occurs. Data will be presented demonstrating how renal lymphatics contribute to HTN as well as how modulating them may be a promising therapeutic for HTN and SSHTN. Future directions regarding lymphatics and HTN will also be presented in an effort to generate discussion, feedback, and collaborations.

Friday, February 23, 2018, 11:00AM-12:00PM, LIB-110
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Fort Worth, Texas