ME Faculty Candidate Seminar: Amir Vahabikashi

ME Faculty Candidate Seminar:

“Unveiling the Potential of Multiscale Mechanobiology: From Discovery to Therapeutics and Regeneration”

Amir Vahabikashi

K99/R00 Postdoctoral Fellow

Northwestern University

Wednesday, March 29, 2023, 11:00 am

2540 ME Grand Conference Room

GG Brown Building

Seminar Zoom Link

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Abstract:

Cells and tissues in living organisms are continually exposed to mechanical stimuli. There is growing evidence that the interplay between these stimuli and cellular processes, referred to as mechanobiology, plays a significant role in several physiological phenomena including cell function, migration, tissue repair, and regeneration. I will demonstrate that the altered mechanobiology of Schlemm’s Canal endothelium and its underlying substrate is a key factor in the pathology of primary open-angle glaucoma, and that this discovery can be used to develop new therapeutics for this disease. I will also show that selective engagements between the cell nucleus and cytoskeletal systems can regulate cell stiffness and contractile state in a distinctive manner. These interactions, which are mediated by the interplay between the nucleoskeleton and the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complexes, provide insights into mechanisms for cellular defects observed in laminopathies and many cancers. Lastly, I will exhibit the potential of compliant two and three-dimensional bioelectronic interfaces for organoid and tissue-scale mechanobiology studies and their possible applications in disease investigations and regenerative engineering. My overall research program aims to harness the power of soft bioelectronics and multiscale mechanobiology to understand the mechanisms of human development and disease and to apply this knowledge to develop new therapeutic and regenerative strategies for various diseases.

Bio:

Amir Vahabikashi is a postdoctoral research fellow at Northwestern University, where he holds joint appointments in the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics and the Cell and Developmental Biology Department. He earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from K.N.Toosi University of Technology in Iran and Villanova University, respectively. His doctoral studies at Northwestern University’s Biomedical Engineering Department, under Prof. Mark Johnson, focused on the mechanobiology of outflow tissue in primary open-angle glaucoma. As a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Robert Goldman’s lab, he studied the role of the cytoskeleton and nucleuskeleton in cellular and nuclear mechanobiology. Currently, Dr. Vahabikashi is focused on developing compliant two and three-dimensional multimodal bioelectronic interfaces for organoid and tissue-scale mechanobiology studies, implantable technologies, and regenerative engineering in the lab of Prof. John Rogers. He is a recipient of the Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Eye Institute, the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Cancer Institute, and the Innovation Corps Award from the National Science Foundation. His goal is to use the combination of soft bioelectronics and multiscale mechanobiology to understand the mechanisms of human development and disease and develop new therapeutic and regenerative approaches for various illnesses.