Our faculty’s research in this area focuses on harnessing the power of cells and tissues to characterize native tissue and cell biomechanics to predict disease states; incorporating biomechanical signals to direct stem cell differentiation; engineering novel bioactive materials and functional tissue implants to treat cardiovascular, orthopaedic, ophthalmologic, and endocrinology diseases. Our researchers are also developing in vitro functional models of human physiology and pathology (“organs-on-chip”) to test pharmaceutical therapies, control the differentiation of stem cells, and uncover mechanisms of human disease. Research is conducted in collaborations with the Department of Pathology, Cardiology, Surgery, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Medicine, the Diabetes Research Institute, the Stem Cell Institute, the VA Medical Center, and industrial partners.
