Current Projects

• Nano mechanics of cardiovascular tissues


• Vascular disease models on chips


• Novel Biomaterials for cardiovascular tissue engineering.


• Heart Valve Tissue Engineering.

Nano mechanics of cardiovascular tissues

The calcification, stenosis and pathological degeneration of cardiac and vascular tissues are associated with increased mortality risks.The nano/microscale mechanics and microenvironmental mechano-chemical cues such as soluble molecules, insoluble biochemical signals and local stress non-uniformity play vital roles in the initiation and progress of many of these cardiovascular diseases. However, the exact influence of nano/microscale mechanics on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of these diseases is unknown. The goal of this project are to understand the correlations between the nano-scale cell-and-tissue level biomechanics of the and the pathological conditions of cardiovascular diseases. The has two distinct aims:

Aim 1: High Bandwidth AFM-based nano Mechanics of Heart Valves and Blood Vessels.

Aim 2: Development of a New Poroelastic Numerical Model for Blood vessels and Heart Valves Simulation.

Development of vascular disease models on chip

Vascularization is crucial for the survival of tissue engineered constructs and is one of the biggest challenges in tissue engineering. Besides, vascular diseases are among the major causes of death worldwide. On chip methods of vascularizing artificial tissues and in vitro models of vascular diseases can revolutionize the new generation therapeutics for atherosclerosis, hypertension, cardiac attack, stroke, cancer and many other diseases. Moreover, the progress of patient specific smart diagnostics and personalized medicine will be greatly benefited from the development of blood vessel models on chip. One of the goals of our research, therefore, is to develop the in vitro models of vascular diseases, specifically atherosclerosis, hypertension, and cancer metastasis on microfluidic chips. The project has three specific aims namely:

Aim 1: Development of biomimetic blood vessels on chip.

Aim 2: Development of vascular disease models on chip.

Aim 3: Nano-medicine loaded novel microparticles for cardiovascular drug delivery.

Novel Biomaterials for Cardiovascular Tissue engineering

Hydrogels and electrospun nanofibers are two of the most popular biomaterials used in tissue engineering. However, hydrogels lack suitable mechanical properties, while the electrospun fibers are usually of hydrophobic nature that results in poor cell attachment, spreading and proliferation. Our research focuses on development of novel composite and hybrid biomaterials satisfying both the mechanical and biological properties requirements for tissue specific applications. The project will has two specific aims:

Aim 1: Novel biomaterials by incorporating electrospun nanofibers in hydrogels for soft tissue engineering.

Aim 2: Carbon nanofiber and graphene oxide incorporated hybrid hydrogels for cardiovascular tissue engineering.

Development of Next Generation Viable Tissue Engineered Heart Valves

Heart valve disease represents a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in today’s world. Nearly 300,000 valve replacement surgeries are performed each year, and this number is expected to triple as the aging population increases over the next 30 years. One of the fundamental challenges in the tissues engineering of heart valves for regenerative medicine is the design of an appropriate 3-D scaffold, combined with an appropriate cell source. The research in our lab includes study of biologically functional 3D-microenvironment for valvular progenitor cells within hydrogel scaffolds that can stimulate valvular endothelial cells and valvular interstitial cells production in vitro/in vivo. This project is aimed at development of next generation viable tissue engineered heart valves (TEHV). The most suitable biodegradable materials will be identified and used for in vitro development of a model next generation artificial viable heart valve. Performance of the newly developed valve will be thoroughly characterized prior to animal studies.