Anne Mari A. Rokstad
Background and activities
Inflammation, the body’s natural process in early defense of foreign invaders or in endogenous processes as wound healing, is increasingly recognized as an essential player in disease. Behind an inflammatory process are cellular and protein players communicating in complex ways. Depending on the disturbance, different cellular or protein players might be involved. To understand these systems could help us developing new treatment points and strategies in the fights against various diseases for improved health and well beeing.
My research focuses are on inflammatory mechanisms of exogenous and endogenous materials. More explained, the exogenous materials are externally derived as transplantation devices, wound healing materials and ther materials used in biomedical treatment. The endogenous materials are supplied by the body itself often causing disease. An example is cholesterol crystals produced in atherosclerotic disease and recently shown as an active player in inflammation and thromboinflammation. Despite different materials, they all impact the immune system through common and specific mechanistic pathways. By revealing the underlying mechanisms new treatment options can be developed. My research is thus basically to increase the knowledge both to the inflammatory/immune patterns for developing new treatment options for improved health.
Since inflammation is also an underlying cause of obesity related disease, the understanding of these connections can be important for improving the treatment in obesity disease. The immune system and metabolic system is interellated, thus there could be intersting links between the diets and immunity. Connected to Centre for Obesity and Innovation (ObeCe) at St. Olavs hospital , I am currently exploring the impact of weight reduction to the inflammation in obesity.
Currently, I am involved in a global network of researchers developing a functional biodevice based teatment for diabetes 1. My role in this project is the development of the material-host responses for improved materials design. Projects are also involving the explorations of cholesterol crystals in thromboinflammation, and the impact of obesty and weight reduction to inflammation and immunity.
Scientific, academic and artistic work
A selection of recent journal publications, artistic productions, books, including book and report excerpts. See all publications in the database
Journal publications
- (2020) Cholesterol crystals use complement to increase NLRP3 signaling pathways in coronary and carotid atherosclerosis. EBioMedicine. vol. 60:102985.
- (2019) Cholesterol Crystals Induce coagulation Activation through Complement-Dependent Expression of Monocytic Tissue Factor. Journal of Immunology. vol. 203 (4).
- (2019) Ultrapure Wood Nanocellulose - Assessments of Coagulation and Initial Inflammation Potential. ACS Applied Bio Materials (AABM). vol. 2 (3).
- (2018) Alginate encapsulation as long-term immune protection of allogeneic pancreatic islet cells transplanted into the omental bursa of macaques. Nature Biomedical Engineering. vol. 2.
- (2018) Structural characterization of fucoidan from Laminaria hyperborea: Assessment of coagulation and inflammatory properties and their structure−function relationship. ACS Applied Bio Materials (AABM). vol. 1 (6).
- (2017) Alginate microbeads are coagulation compatible, while alginate microcapsules activate coagulation secondary to complement or directly through FXII. Acta Biomaterialia. vol. 58.
- (2017) In Vitro and In Vivo Biocompatibility Evaluation of Polyallylamine and Macromolecular Heparin Conjugates Modified Alginate Microbeads. Scientific Reports. vol. 7 (11695).
- (2017) Iron oxide nanoparticles induce cytokine secretion in a complement-dependent manner in a human whole blood model. International Journal of Nanomedicine. vol. 12.
- (2016) Sulfated alginate microspheres associate with factor H and dampen the inflammatory cytokine response. Acta Biomaterialia. vol. 42.
- (2016) Producing ultrapure wood cellulose nanofibrils and evaluating the cytotoxicity using human skin cells. Carbohydrate Polymers. vol. 150.
- (2016) Alginate microsphere compositions dictate different mechanisms of complement activation with consequences for cytokine release and leukocyte activation. Journal of Controlled Release. vol. 229.
- (2015) Reconstituted high-density lipoprotein attenuates cholesterol crystal-induced inflammatory responses by reducing complement activation. Journal of Immunology. vol. 195 (1).
- (2015) RGD-peptide modified alginate by a chemoenzymatic strategy for tissue engineering applications. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A. vol. 103 (3).
- (2014) Advances in biocompatibility and physico-chemical characterization of microspheres for cell encapsulation. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. vol. 67-68.
- (2013) Acute hypoxia impacts similarly on encapsulated and non-encapsulated human pancreatic islets. Diabetologia. vol. 56.
- (2013) Alginate Microencapsulation of Human Islets Does Not Increase Susceptibility to Acute Hypoxia. Experimental Diabetes Research. vol. 2013.
- (2013) The induction of cytokines by polycation containing microspheres by a complement dependent mechanism. Biomaterials. vol. 34 (3).
- (2013) Biocompatibility and Biotolerability Assessment of Microspheres Using a Whole Blood Model. Micro and Nanosystems. vol. 5 (3).
- (2012) Poly-cation containing alginate microcapsules induce cytokines by a complement-dependent mechanism. Immunobiology. vol. 217 (11).
- (2012) Microencapsulation of small intestinal neuroendocrine neoplasm cells for tumor model studies. Cancer Science. vol. 103 (7).