Jeffrey W. Ruberti
Professor, Bioengineering
Affiliated Faculty, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Contact
- j.ruberti@northeastern.edu
- 215 ISEC
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Office
- 617.373.3984
Research Focus
Tissue engineering of load-bearing matrix (bone, cornea); bioreactor design; multi-scale mechanobiochemistry; statistical mechanics; energetics microscopy; high-resolution imaging; biopolymer self-assembly
Education
- PhD (1998), Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University
Honors & Awards
- Constantinos Mavroidis Translational Research Award (2021). College of Engineering, Northeastern University
- Soren Buus Outstanding Research Award (2008), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
- Dean’s Service Award (2011), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
Teaching Interests
- Capstone Design
- Biomechanics
- Principles of Bioengineering
Professional Affiliations
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers International
- Biomedical Engineering Society
Research Overview
Tissue engineering of load-bearing matrix (bone, cornea); bioreactor design; multi-scale mechanobiochemistry; statistical mechanics; energetics microscopy; high-resolution imaging; biopolymer self-assembly
My lab focuses on the role matrix molecules play in the transition of animals from a loosely-connected grouping of cells to a fully-connected, mechanically robust structure. The relevant disciplines are: Mechanochemistry, Mechanobiology, Mechanobioreactor Development, Cell Culture, Single Molecule Light Microscopy, High Resolution Electron Microscopy.
Selected Research Projects
- Exploring flow-induced crystallization as a critical mechanism driving corneal stromal lamellogenesis
- – Principal Investigator, NIH/NEI
- Acquisition of a Lumick’s SuperC-Trap correlative optical tweezers and Fluorescence Microscope (CTFM) system
- – Co-Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation, MRI: Division of Biological Infrastructure
- Biomimetic Bone: From Nano to Micro
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation
- Mechanobiology of Matrix Production
- – Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Siadat SM, Susilo ME, Paten JA, Silverman AA, DiMarzio CA and JW Ruberti (2021). Development and validation of fluorescently labeled, functional type I collagen molecules. bioRxiv: doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.26.437209
- Siadat SM, Silverman AA, DiMarzio CA and JW Ruberti (2021) Measuring collagen fibril diameter with differential interference contrast microscopy. Journal of Structural Biology Mar; 213(1): 107697
- Jamieson RR, Stasiak SE, Polio SR, Ruberti JW and Parameswaran H. (2021). Stiffening of the extracellular matrix is a sufficient condition for airway hyperreactivity. Journal of Applied Physiology. J Appl Physiol (Chosen as “APS Select”)
- H. Hosseini, A. Rangchian, M.L. Prins, C.L. Giza, J.W. Ruberti, H.P. Kavehpour, Probing Flow-Induced Biomolecular Interactions with Micro-Extensional Rheology: Tau Protein Aggregation, J. Biomech Eng., 142(3), 2020
- M. Chaudhary, E.N. Ismail, P. Yao, F. Tayyari, R.A. Radu, S. Nusinowitz, M.E. Boulton, R.S. Apte, J.W. Ruberti, J.T. Handa, P. Tontonoz, G. Malek, LXRs Regulate Features of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and May be a Potential Therapeutic Target, JCI Insight, 5(1), 2020
- J.A. Paten, C.L. Martin, J.T. Wanis, S.M. Siadat, A.M. Figueroa-Navado, J.W. Ruberti, L.F. Deravi Molecular Interactions Between Collagen and Fibronectin: A Reciprocal Relationship that Regulates De Novo Fibrillogenesis, Chem, 5, 2019, 2126-2145
- B. Wingender, P. Bradley, N. Saxena, J.W. Ruberti, L. Gower, Biomimetic Organization of Collagen Matrices to Template Bone-Like Microstructures, Matrix Biology, 52-54, 2016, 384-396
- M. Susilo, J. Paten, E. Sander, T.D. Nguyen, J.W. Ruberti Collagen Network Strengthening Following Cyclic Tensile Loading, Interface Focus, 6(1), 2016
- J.A. Paten, S. Siadat, M.E. Susilo, I.N. Ebraheim, J.L. Stoner, J.P. Rothstein, J.W. Ruberti, Flow-Induced Crystallization of Collagen: A Potentially Critical Mechanism in Early Tissue Formation, ACS Nano, 10(5), 2016, 5027-5040
Apr 14, 2022
Using Spark Fund Award for Active Human Collagen to Promote Rapid Healing
BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti was able to use the Spark Funds he received earlier this year to help commercialize his methods to produce active human collagen.
Jan 27, 2022
2022 Spark Fund Awardees
BioE Professor Jeff Ruberti, ECE Assistant Professor Aatmesh Shrivastava, ChE Assistant Professor Benjamin Woolston, and MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng are recipients of Spark Fund Awards, which help Northeastern researchers bridge the gap between promising lab results and demonstrating a commercially viable prototype.
Nov 24, 2021
Device for Collagenous Tissue Repair
BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti was awarded a patent for a “Collagenous tissue repair device.”
Oct 12, 2021
Announcing Fall 2021 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Fall 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. ASCENT AWARDS […]
Jun 07, 2021
Summer 2021 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Congratulations to the COE student recipients of the Summer 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. BASE CAMP AWARDS Ana Salichs, E’22, “Colorimetric Assays […]
May 12, 2021
Fostering Innovation through Collaboration
In recent years, the Kostas Research Institute located at the Innovation Campus in Burlington, Massachusetts, added an Expeditionary Cyber & Unmanned Aircraft Systems Lab—the first of its kind in the United States. Ongoing renovations also added 30,000 square feet of entrepreneurial space—the Venture Creation Center, furthering innovation opportunities for engineering faculty, students, and alumni.
May 04, 2021
Engaging Research from the Start
Curiosity and engagement are top traits of high-potential talented students. To tap into and nurture this excitement, the College of Engineering introduced an innovative program in Fall 2020: Undergraduate Program for Leaders In Future Transformation (UPLIFT). UPLIFT Scholars are paired with a faculty mentor and work in their mentor’s lab conducting research starting their first semester of their first year of study at Northeastern.
Jan 14, 2021
Ruberti Awarded Patent for Mechanochemical Collagen Assembly
BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti was awarded a patent for designing a “Mechanochemical collagen assembly.”
May 21, 2020
Ruberti Awarded Grant for Low-Cost COVID-19 Diagnostics Testing
BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti, in collaboration with the University of California-Los Angeles and University of Massachusetts Amherst, was awarded a $150K NSF RAPID grant for “Low-Cost, Non-invasive, Fast Sample Collection System for COVID-19 Viral Load Level Diagnosis: Point-of-Care and Environmental Testing.”
Aug 06, 2019
Using Collagen to Help Repair Tendons
BioE Professor Jeff Ruberti is developing a method to use collagen to help speed up the recovery after a tendon is injured.