Chiara Bellini
Associate Professor, Bioengineering
Research Focus
Diseases of the cardiovascular system; effects of cellmediated growth and remodeling processes on tissue and organ mechanics
Education
- 2012 PhD in Biomedical Engineering, The University of Calgary
- 2008 MSc in Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
- 2005 BSc in Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Honors & Awards
Research Overview
Diseases of the cardiovascular system; effects of cellmediated growth and remodeling processes on tissue and organ mechanics
Selected Research Projects
- Cardiopulmonary Risk Assessment from Smoke Exposure at the Wildland Urban Interface
- – co-Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health
- Continuous, Non-Invasive Optical Monitoring of Circulating Tumor Cell-Mediated Metastasis in Awake Mice
- – Principal Investigator, National Cancer Insititute and NIH
- Evaluation of Aortic Stiffening as an Early Indicator of Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity
- – Principal Investigator, National Institute of Health
- Health Consequences Following Acute and Chronic Firefighter Exposure to Wildland Fire Smoke
- – Principal Investigator, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Health Consequences Following Electronic Cigarette Exposure
- – Principal Investigator, National Institute of Health
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Augustin, Christoph M., Fastl, Thomas E., Neic, Aurel, Bellini, Chiara, Whitaker, John, Rajani, Ronak, O’Neill, Mark D., Bishop, Martin J., Plank, Gernot, Niederer, Steven A. (2020). The impact of wall thickness and curvature on wall stress in patient-specific electromechanical models of the left atrium. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 19(3),1015-1034. 10.1007/S10237-019-01268-5
- Boytard, Ludovic, Hadi, Tarik, Silvestro, Michele, Qu, Hengdong, Kumpfbeck, Andrew, Sleiman, Rayan, Fils, Kissinger Hyppolite, Alebrahim, Dornazsadat, Boccalatte, Francesco, Kugler, Matthias, Corsica, Annanina, Gelb, Bruce E., Jacobowitz, Glenn, Miller, George, Bellini, Chiara, Oakes, Jessica, Silvestre, Jean-Sébastien, Zangi, Lior, Ramkhelawon, Bhama (2020). Lung-derived HMGB1 is detrimental for vascular remodeling of metabolically imbalanced arterial macrophages. Nature Communications, 11(1). 10.1038/S41467-020-18088-2
- Dong, Melody, Oakes, Jessica M., Bellini, Chiara, Rayz, Vitaliy L., LaDisa, John F., Parker, Dave, Wilson, Nathan M., Shadden, Shawn C., Marsden, Alison L., Goergen, Craig J., Boster, Kimberly A. Stevens (2020). Integrated Image-Based Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling Software as an Instructional Tool. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 142(11). 10.1115/1.4047479
- Farra, Yasmeen M., Eden, Matthew J., Coleman, James R., Kulkarni, Praveen, Ferris, Craig F., Oakes, Jessica M., Bellini, Chiara (2020). Acute neuroradiological, behavioral, and physiological effects of nose-only exposure to vaporized cannabis in C57BL/6 mice. Inhalation Toxicology, 32(5),200-217. 10.1080/08958378.2020.1767237
- Fitzgerald, Jessica E., Byrd, Brook K., Patil, Roshani A., Strawbridge, Rendall R., Davis, Scott C., Bellini, Chiara, Niedre, Mark (2020). Heterogeneity of circulating tumor cell dissemination and lung metastases in a subcutaneous Lewis lung carcinoma model. Biomedical Optics Express, 11(7),3633. 10.1364/BOE.395289
- Mueller, Amy V., Eden, Matthew J., Oakes, Jessica M., Bellini, Chiara, Fernandez, Loretta A. (2020). Quantitative Method for Comparative Assessment of Particle Removal Efficiency of Fabric Masks as Alternatives to Standard Surgical Masks for PPE. Matter, 3(3),950-962. 10.1016/J.MATT.2020.07.006
- Spronck, Bart, Ferruzzi, Jacopo, Bellini, Chiara, Caulk, Alexander W., Murtada, Sae-Il, Humphrey, Jay D. (2020). Aortic remodeling is modest and sex-independent in mice when hypertension is superimposed on aging. Journal of Hypertension, 38(7),1312-1321. 10.1097/HJH.0000000000002400
- A. Korneva, L. Zilberberg, D.B. Rifkin, J.D. Humphrey, C. Bellini, Absence of LTBP-3 Attenuates the Aneurysmal Phenotype But Not Spinal Effects on the Aorta in Marfan Syndrome, Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 18(1), 2019,261-273
- C. Bellini, N.J. Kristofik, M.R. Bersi, T.R. Kyriakides, J.D. Humphrey, A Hidden Structural Vulnerability in the Thrombospondin-2 Deficient Aorta Increases the Propensity to Intramural Delamination, Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedial Materials, 71, 2017, 397-406
- C. Bellini, M.R. Bersi, A. Caulk, J. Ferruzzi, D.M. Milewicz, F. Ramirez, D.B. Rifkin, G. Tellides, H. Yanagiswa, J.D. Humphrey, Comparison of Ten Murine Models Reveals a Distinct Biomechanical Phenotype in Thoracuc Aortic Aneurysms, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 14(130), 2017
Oct 14, 2022
PhD Spotlight: Yasmeen Farra, PhD’22 – Bioengineering
Yasmeen Farra, PhD’22, bioengineering, focuses research on vascular mechanics – specifically, how chronic disease associated with e-cigarette “vaping” or cigarette smoking influences the structural integrity and functional health of large arteries. Following graduation, Farra took her passion for scientific research to her new role as a scientist at Senda Biosciences, a biotech startup in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She works on the translational biology team to help bring life-changing treatments to patients by harnessing Senda’s platform for fully programmable medicines.
Jul 13, 2022
BioE Alum Wins 2022 Innovator Award
Bioengineering alumna Samantha Johnson, E’21, ME’21, was the first place winner of the 2022 Innovator Awards given out by Northeastern’s Women Who Empower in the young alumnae graduate category, which she will use to develop a robotic arm that can sign in ASL.
Mar 07, 2022
Research to Help Unlock the Mystery of How Cancer Spreads
Bioengineering Professor Mark Niedre and Assistant Professor Chiara Bellini received a 5-year, $2.7M grant titled “Continuous, Non-Invasive Optical Monitoring of Circulating Tumor Cell-Mediated Metastasis in Awake Mice” from the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health. The project will develop a new instrument (“w-DiFC”) for optically detecting and counting rare circulating tumor cells continuously and non-invasively in awake, freely-moving mice.
Feb 23, 2022
$3.4M NIH ONES Award to Study the Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Human Health
BioE Assistant Professors Jessica Oakes and Chiara Bellini were awarded a 5-year, $3.4M NIH grant for “Cardiopulmonary Risk Assessment from Smoke Exposure at the Wildland Urban Interface.”
Feb 17, 2022
Sign Language Robot You Can Feel
Bioengineering alumna Samantha Johnson, E’21, ME’21, created the tactile sign language robot, TATUM, for people who are deaf and blind to communicate. Related Article: Using Robots to Help Blind and Deaf People Communicate
Aug 05, 2021
Using Robots to Help Blind and Deaf People Communicate
Samantha Johnson, E’21, ME’21, bioengineering, built a robotic hand that can be used to produce tactile sign language so that people who are blind and deaf can be more independent.
Feb 08, 2021
Spring 2021 PEAK Experience Recipients
Congratulations to the COE student recipients of the Spring 2021 PEAK Experiences Awards. The PEAK Experiences Awards are a progressively structured sequence of opportunities designed to support learners as they continue climbing to new heights of achievement in undergraduate research and creative endeavor throughout their Northeastern journeys. PEAK Experience Ascent Awardees Ryan Brady, COE’22, Chemical […]
Apr 29, 2019
Faculty and Staff Awards 2019
Congratulations to all the winners of the faculty and staff awards, and to everyone for their hard work and dedication during the 2018-2019 academic school year. See Photo Gallery Faculty Fellow Matthew Eckelman, CEE Yongmin Liu, MIE Outstanding Teacher of First Year Engineering Students Joseph Depasquale, Chemistry Brian O’Connell, FYE Sumi Seo, Mathematics Matthew Webber, […]
Sep 27, 2018
Oakes & Bellini Awarded $1.5M FEMA Grant to Study Health Effects of Wildland Fire Smoke to Firefighters
BioE Assistant Professors Jessica Oakes and Chiara Bellini were awarded a $1.5M award from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), administered through The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate, for examining the “Health Consequences Following Acute and Chronic Firefighter Exposure to Wildland Fire Smoke.”
Sep 26, 2018
Studying the Long-Term Health Hazards of E-Cigarettes
BioE Assistant Professors Jessica Oakes and Chiara Bellini are studying the health effects of vaping versus traditional combustible cigarettes.