Dylan McLaughlin garners Robert Smith Resident Award
SEPTEMBER 2022
Dylan K. McLaughlin, MD, MSc, PGY-3 Emory integrated vascular surgery resident, received the Robert B. Smith, III, MD, Resident Award for best resident/fellow presentation from the Georgia Vascular Foundation (GVF) at the 10th Annual Georgia Vascular Society (GVS) Scientific Sessions, September 9-11, 2022, The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee.
Dr. McLaughlin's presentation was entitled "Role of patient smoking status in vascular regenerative medicine tools for CLTI," and will be published in Annals of Vascular Surgery, the official journal of the GVS. His mentor Katherine E. Hekman, MD, PhD, assistant professor of surgery in the Emory Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, was senior author.
The Robert Smith Resident Award spotlights the significant contributions of residents and fellows to their fields of research, and is named in honor of emeritus Emory vascular surgeon Robert B. Smith, III, MD, who received the first GVF Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to training residents and fellows in the field of vascular surgery.
Dr. McLaughlin's abstract described the use of patient mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a new regenerative medicine tool to treat no-option chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI). Patient comorbidities such as smoking status may limit the regenerative capacity of MSCs obtained from patients with CLTI and therefore limit their therapeutic potential.
The research team sought to determine the effect of smoking on the mitochondrial function of patient derived MSCs, a key marker of a cell's capability for self-renewal and differentiation known as "stemness." Using MSCs obtained from patients at the Atlanta VA Healthcare System, the team found that patient smoking status led to a more quiescent energetic state of CLTI MSCs, but did not affect other markers of stemness like mitochondrial turnover. Drs. McLaughlin and Hekman concluded that differences in regenerative capacity of patient-derived cells will ultimately guide stem cell-based therapies for no-option CLTI patients.
Current vascular surgery residents Karthik Bhat, MD, Brandi Mize, MD, Emma Rooney, MD, and general surgery resident Anna Beth West, MD, also delivered well-received presentations at the meeting.