People

Principle Investigator

Portrait of David Wood

David K. Wood, Ph.D. 

Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering

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Angelica DaSilva

PhD Candidate

I am a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in the Living Devices Lab. My research focuses on investigating precursors to blood clot formation in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), rare blood cancers that result in unchecked proliferation of mature blood cells. I am currently investigating the role of integrin a4B1 in pro-adhesive interactions between the blood and endothelium. In my free time I enjoy swing dancing, running, reading, and spending time with my dog.

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Dillon Williams

PhD Candidate

I am a 5th year PhD candidate in the lab. My research focuses on the changes occurring to single red blood cells from sickle cell disease patient as the cells undergo the sickling process. Specifically I am interesting in the time scale of this process and the resulting material changes to the red blood cell.

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Brianna Brennecke

PhD Student

Co-advised by Paolo Provenzano

I am currently working with polyacrylamide nano-patterns to study different mechanical environments’ effects on T cell migration and killing abilities. Development of PDAC-on-a-chip microfluidic device for novel 3D T cell killing assay

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Legacy of Excellence: Honoring Our Lab Alumni

We are incredibly proud of our lab alumni, whose contributions continue to inspire and shape the field of Biomedical Engineering. Their dedication, passion, and hard work during their time with us have laid the foundation for impactful research and innovation. As they move forward in their careers, we remain grateful for their time with us and look forward to witnessing their continued success in the future!

 

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Coinneach Dover

Post Doc

The general structure of sickle cell fibers is known to comprise 7 protofilament pairs (or double strands) but the strength of the inter double strand bonds and the role of van der Walls interactions between double strand pairs within the fibers are not precisely characterized. Filling in the considerable gaps in our understanding of the fundamental chemistry of these polymer fibers is essential for the effective remediation of this illness. I have developed software that models the stochastic growth of sickle cell fibers that depends on the energies of the characteristic bonds within the individual protofilament pairs and the van der Walls interactions between protofilament pairs.

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Luna Zhang

PhD Candidate

Investigating the effects of soluble factors from primary tumor on endothelial cells in the pre-metastatic niche.

Understanding the pro-tumoral effects of monocytes and macrophages in the pre-metastatic niche

Studying the cellular interactions between cancer cells-endothelial cells-monocytes/macrophages during breast cancer metastasis.

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Ritu Shah

PhD Student

I am a second-year PhD student. Before joining UMN, I completed my BS/MS at UIC, working on various tissue engineering and biomaterial research projects in academic and industry labs. When not in the lab, I like exploring new restaurants, making food, and spending time in nature and with family.

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Emilio Tarcitano

Researcher 

Biomedical Scientist with a Master's degree in Biotechnology and a PhD in Oncology. I also completed my post-doctoral training in the field of Cancer Biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. MBA in Data Science in progress and expected to finish in mid-2025. Interested in Molecular Biology, Genomics, Genetic Engineering, Microtissues, 3D Bioprinting, Non-coding RNAs, Bioinformatics and Cancer Dormancy.

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Samantha Schad

PhD Candidate

I have developed an endothelialized, oxygen-tunable microfluidic model to investigate underlying sickle cell disease pathophysiology. I am currently probing the effects of hypoxia-reperfusion injury on endothelial biology by modulating the oxygen levels in endothelialized devices, then examining changes to endothelial cell morphology and gene expression via RNA sequencing.

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Hannah Szafraniec

PhD Student

My research interests include microfluidics and biofluid mechanics. Currently, I am developing multiple microfluidic platforms that allow me to test for physical mechanisms that drive abnormal blood rheology in patients with sickle cell disease. Prior to grad school, I received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University. During undergrad, I used droplet microfluidics to study viral propagation and cell death kinetics of influenza A virus. I then worked at a start-up developing a fungal derived protein product sourced from Yellowstone National Park. In my free time, I like to cross-country ski and run.

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Maggie Chiu

PhD Candidate

Co-advised by Paolo Provenzano

I'm a fourth-year co-advised PhD student with Drs. Paolo Provenzano and Dave Wood using microfluidic technology to study dormant breast cancer. Breast cancer metastatic dormancy is a phenomenon describing aggressive metastases that arise after many years of insignificant cancer progression post-treatment of the primary breast cancer tumor. My research aims to recapitulate an ECM rich stromal microenvironment seeded with discrete, single breast cancer cells to create a physiologically relevant, high-throughput, and cost-effective model to study dormancy, through micro-engineered metastatic environments (MEMEs), AKA microtissues, generated using microfluidic PDMS-on-glass chips and controlled flow. Outside the lab, I enjoy art, graphic design, video games, and trying new recipes and experiences.

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Ellie Rono

Researcher

Biological Scientist from North Dakota State University where I worked with geckos on a project studying temperature sex determination in response to simulated climate change. I also worked in another lab in North Dakota using In vitro transcription to create mRNA and saRNA. Interested in microtissues, RNA extraction from tissues/RNA, 3D bioprinting, drug response, and molecular biology.