MEET THE FACULTY CANDIDATES Candidates will be present to meet with faculty recruiters on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 from 3:30pm – 5:30pm in Exhibit Hall DE. Admission to the Poster Forum (other than candidates below) are by a business card showing that the individual is a faculty recruiter and a valid BMES Annual Meeting badge. AMR ASHRAF ABDEEN, PhD Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI . [email protected] Research Overview: My interests lie at a unique intersection of biomaterials and mechanobiology, genomics and stem cell therapies. I aim to advance the analysis of biomaterial-cell interaction, fundamental mechanobiology and biomaterials-based therapeutics using novel genome engineering methods in the biomaterials field. My doctoral work focused on the use of biomaterials to probe cell-matrix interaction – how cell matrix affects their differentiation and secretory profile for therapeutic purposes. My postdoctoral work focuses on the more translational usage of biomaterials for therapies. Here, I’ve worked on protein delivery for genome editing, had exposure to state -of the-art regenerative stem cell therapies (for in vivo implantation) and immunotherapies (such as CAR-T therapies). In addition, I now have extensive experience in CRISPR-based genome manipulation for fundamental studies as well as therapeutic purposes. This work involved learning more sophisticated, high-throughput molecular biology assays. One focus of my lab will be studying the more fundamental biomaterials-cell interactions using unbiased biological methods such as high throughput sequencing or functional screens, coupled with a library of biomaterials that covers a wide range of materials properties. Another focus will be the m ore translational aspect of therapeutics, with a focus on delivery techniques for both gene and cell therapies. Our more fundamen tal work will inform the design of biomaterials for translation. Education: 2016 | Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2010 | B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, German University in Cairo Research/Work Experience: 2016 - Present | Postdoctoral Researcher Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin – Madison (Advisor: Krishanu Saha) 2011 - 2016 | Graduate Research Assistant Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana -Champaign (Advisor: Kristopher Kilian) Selected Publications: 1. G. Chen*, A. A. Abdeen*, Y. Wang*, P. Shahi, S. Robertson, R. Xie, M. Suzuki, B. Pattnaik, K. Saha, S. Gong (2019). " A biodegradable nanocapsule delivers a Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex for in vivo genome editing", Nature Nanotechnology (Accepted). 2. A. A. Abdeen*, J. Lee*, Y. Li, K. A. Kilian (2017). "Cytoskeletal priming of mesenchymal stem cells to a medicinal phenotype", Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine, 3(1) p5-14. 3. A. A. Abdeen, J. Lee, N. A. Bharadwaj, R. Ewoldt, K. A. Kilian (2016). "Temporal modu lation of stem cell activity using magnetoactive hydrogels", Advanced Healthcare Materials, 5(19) p2536-2544. 4. J. Lee, A. A. Abdeen, K. L. Wycislo, T. M. Fan, K. A. Kilian (2016). "Interfacial geometry dictates cancer cell tumorigenicity", Nature MAterials, 15(8) p856. 5. A. A. Abdeen, J. B. Weiss, J. Lee, K. A. Kilian (2014). "Matrix composition and mechanics direct proangiogenic signaling f rom mesenchymal stem cells", Tissue Engineering A, 20(19-20) p2737-2745. Awards/Honors: -Fellowship to attend GEM4 Mechanobiology of the Brain Workshop, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (2015). -Racheff Teaching Fellowship, University of Illinois at Urbana -Champaign (2013). DANIEL ABEBAYEHU, PhD Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 415 Lane Road, Room 1225, Charlottesville, VA, 22908 [email protected] Research Overview: My future goal is to become an independent investigator as a tenure-track professor at a major research university. As a professor, my research interests would entail exploring the intersection of innate immunity and regenerative medicine to improve tissue repair and wound healing. In particular, I am interested in helping to unravel the complexity behind the immuno-stromal axis and determining avenues for intervention, as well as design immunomodulatory biomaterials that promote healing and repair. My academic and research training have provided me with a strong background in biomaterial fabrication, molecular biology, and immunology. Education: B.S. Biomedical Engineering, 2011, University of Virginia PhD Biomedical Engineering, 2017, Virginia Commonwealth University Research/Work Experience: 2019 – Present NRSA NHLBI Ruth L. Kirchstein Postdoc Fellow at UVA 2017 – 2019 Postdoc Fellow on T32 Cardiovascular Research Training Grant at UVA 2015 – 2017 Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) PhD Fellow 2013 – 2015 Teaching Assistant, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University (Courses taught: EGRB101 Biomedical Engineering Practicuum I, EGRB102 Intro to Engineering, and EGRB303 Biotransport) 2011 – 2013 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University 2010 NSF REU Summer Researcher, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia 2008 – 2011 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia Selected Publications: • Abebayehu D, Spence AJ, McClure MJ, Haque TT, Rivera K, and Ryan JJ (2019). “Polymer Scaffold Architecture is a Key Determinant in Mast Cell Inflammatory and Angiogenic Responses” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, 107(4): 884 - 892. • Witherel CE, Abebayehu D, Barker TH, and Spiller KL (2019). “Macrophage and fibroblast interactions in biomaterialmediated fibrosis.” Advanced Healthcare Materials, 8(4): e1801451. • Abebayehu D, Spence AJ, Caslin HL, Taruselli MT, Haque T, Kiwanuka K, Kolawole EM, Chumanevich A, Sell SA, Oskeritzian C, and Ryan JJ (2019). “La ctic acid suppresses inflammatory responses and enhances angiogenic effects of IgE-stimlated mast cells.” Cellular Immunology, pii: S0008-8749. • Caslin HL, Abebayehu D, Qayum AA, Haque TT, Taruselli MT, Paez PA, Pondicherry N, Barnstein BO, Hoeferlin LA, Chalfant CE, and Ryan JJ (2019). “Lactic acid inhibits LPS-induced mast cell function by limiting glycolysis and ATP availability.” Journal of Immunology, ji1801005. • Abebayehu D, Spence AJ, Boyan BD, Schwartz Z, Ryan JJ, and McClure MJ (2017). “Galectin -1 Promotes and M2 Macrophage Response to Polydioxanone Scaffolds.” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, 105(9): 2562 -2571. • Abebayehu D, Ndaw VS, Spence AJ, Paez PA, Kolawole EM, Taruselli MT, Caslin HL, Chumanevich AP, Paranjape A, Baker B, Barnstein BO, Oskeritzian CA, and Ryan JJ (2017). “TGFβ1 Suppresses IL-33-induced Mast Cell Function.” Journal of Immunology, 199(3): 866-873. • Abebayehu D, Spence AJ, Abdul Qayum A, Taruselli MT, McLeod JJA, Caslin HL, Chumanveich AP, Montunrayo EM, Paran jape A, Baker B, Ndaw VS, Barnstein BO, Oskeritzian CA, Sell SA, and Ryan JJ (2016). “Lactic Acid Suppresses IL-33-mediated Mast Cell Inflammatory Responses via Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF)-1-dependent miR-155 Suppression” Journal of Immunology, 197(7): 2909-17. Awards/Honors: F32 NRSA Ruth L. Kirchstein Postdoctoral Fellowship Travel award to Hilton Head Regenerative Medicine Workshop T32 Postdoc fellowship Cardiovascular Research Training Grant Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) PhD Fellowship American Association of Immunologists Annual Conference Trainee Poster Award 1ST place award winner at the VCU Graduate Student Association Research Symposium Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology/Maximizing Access to Research Careers Travel Award Winner ($1850) Finalist at the TERMIS-NA meeting poster competition in the Student and Young Investigator Section ALEXANDRE ALBANESE, PhD Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, MIT, E25-353, 77 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA, 02139 [email protected] Research Overview: Organoid models provide a unique opportunity to study the complex cellular landscapes that underlie human biology. My research program will apply high-resolution fluorescence microscopy to analyze the spatial context of individual cells inside intact organoids to model patient-specific diseases. This research will combine my experience in 3D culture models, tissue clearing and biomaterial engineering to quantify the coordination of cellular networks inside human tissues. My PhD work with Prof. Warren Chan (University of Toronto) involved the development of a tumor-on-a-chip model to quantify nanoparticle accumulation and interactions inside the tumor microenvironment. My postdoctoral research continued to explore 3D culture models with Kwanghun Chung (MIT) where I developed a pipeline for high-dimensional analysis of intact human cerebral organoids using tissue clearing, light-sheet microscopy and algorithmic image analysis. Building on this work, my goal is to apply volumetric imaging of organoids to quantify three-dimensional cellular organization and responses in tissue models. This research will pursue three aims. (1) Development of a high-throughput organoid imaging pipeline. By correlating each cell's phenotype and context, it will be possible to infer cell populations from 2-3 strategic markers. This approach will be used to build a “flow cytometer” for organoids to enable rapid analysis. (2) Development of frameworks to correlate single-cell atlases with