Amir Vahabikashi
Assistant Professor, Bioengineering
Office
- ISEC 319
Related Links
Research Focus
Cell and nucleus mechanobiology, soft bioelectronics for organoid/tissue scale mechanobiology and regenerative engineering, mechanotransduction, implantable bioelectronics
Education
- PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2016
Professional Affiliations
- International Society for Eye Research (ISER)
- Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
- Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
- American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
Research Overview
Cell and nucleus mechanobiology, soft bioelectronics for organoid/tissue scale mechanobiology and regenerative engineering, mechanotransduction, implantable bioelectronics
The Vahabikashi lab conducts research at the intersection of multiscale mechanobiology and soft bioelectronics. Our primary focus is on integrating engineering, physics, and biological approaches to understand the role of the microenvironment, cytoskeleton, and nucleoskeleton in mechanobiology of ocular and neuromuscular systems. Furthermore, we focus on engineering compliant multimodal bioelectronic interfaces that facilitate mechanobiology studies at the organoid and tissue scale with projections for advanced regenerative engineering and therapeutics.
Vahabikashi Lab
The Vahabikashi Lab conducts research at the intersection of multiscale mechanobiology and soft bioelectronics. We combine multiple science and engineering disciplines to 1) investigate the mechanobiology of human diseases, 2) build and integrate advanced bioelectronic interfaces with 3D multicellular biological systems for disease modeling, and 3) develop new therapeutics, devices, and regenerative approaches for the diseases we study. We conduct interdisciplinary research with a strong focus on translational landscapes to pursue our value of doing “science with purpose for social impact”. Our goal for every project is creating the potential to solve a challenging health issue to make life easier and more enjoyable for humankind.
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Sivagurunathan S., Vahabikashi A., Yang H., Zhang J., Vazquez K., Rajasundaram D., Politanska Y., Abdala-Valencia H., Notbohm J., Guo M., Adam SA., and Goldman RD. Expression of vimentin alters cell mechanics, cell-cell adhesion, and gene expression profiles suggesting the induction of a hybrid EMT in human mammary epithelial cells. Front. Cell Dev. Biol, 10:929495, 2022.
- Vahabikashi, A., Sivagurunathan, S., Nicdao, FAS., Han, YL., Park, CY., Kittisopikul, M., Wong, X., Tran, JR., Gundersen, GG., Reddy, KL., Luxton, GWG., Guo, M., Fredberg, JJ., Zheng, Y., Adam, SA., Goldman, RD. Nuclear lamin isoforms differentially contribute to LINC complex-dependent nucleocytoskeletal coupling and whole-cell mechanics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 119: e2121816119, 2022.
- Vahabikashi, A., Adam, SA., Medalia, O., Goldman, RD. Nuclear lamins: Structure and function in
mechanobiology. APL Bioengineering, 6: 011503, 2022. - McDowell, C. M., K. Kizhatil, M. H. Elliott, D. R. Overby, J. van Batenburg-Sherwood, J. C. Millar, M. H. Kuehn, G. Zode, T. S. Acott, M. G. Anderson, S. K. Bhattacharya, J. A. Bertrand, T. Borras, D. E. Bovenkamp, L. Cheng, J. Danias, M. L. De Ieso, Y. Du, J. A. Faralli, R. Fuchshofer, P. S. Ganapathy, H. Gong, S. Herberg, H. Hernandez, P. Humphries, S. W. M. John, P. L. Kaufman, K. E. Keller, M. J. Kelley, R. A. Kelly, D. Krizaj, A. Kumar, B. C. Leonard, R. L. Lieberman, P. Liton, Y. Liu, K. C. Liu, N. N. Lopez, W. Mao, T. Mavlyutov, F. McDonnell, G. J. McLellan, P. Mzyk, A. Nartey, L. R. Pasquale, G. C. Patel, P. P. Pattabiraman, D. M. Peters, V. Raghunathan, P. V. Rao, N. Rayana, U. Raychaudhuri, E. Reina-Torres, R. Ren, D. Rhee, U. R. Chowdhury, J. R. Samples, E. G. Samples, N. Sharif, J. S. Schuman, V. C. Sheffield, C. H. Stevenson, A. Soundararajan, P. Subramanian, C. K. Sugali, Y. Sun, C. B. Toris, K. Y. Torrejon, Vahabikashi, A., J. A. Vranka, T. Wang, C. E. Willoughby, C. Xin, H. Yun, H. F. Zhang, M. P. Fautsch, E. R. Tamm, A. F. Clark, C. R. Ethier and W. D. Stamer. Consensus Recommendation for Mouse Models of Ocular Hypertension to Study Aqueous Humor Outflow and Its Mechanisms. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 63(2): 12-12, 2022.
- Vincent, M., Stack, T., Vahabikashi, A., Li, G., Perkumas, K., Ren, R., Gong, H., Stamer, D., Johnson, M. Scott, E. Surface Engineering of FLT4-Targeted Nanocarriers Enhances Cell-Softening Glaucoma Therapy. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 13: 32823-32836, 2021.
Jul 06, 2023
New Faculty Spotlight: Amir Vahabikashi
Amir Vahabikashi joins the Bioengineering department in July 2023 as an Assistant Professor.