Shyni Varghese

Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science and Orthopaedics

Shyni Varghese has a triple appointment in the Duke departments of Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, and Orthopaedic Surgery. She is the first MEDx Investigator.

A leader in the field of biomaterials and stem cells, Varghese will develop her research at Duke in three major areas:

• Musculoskeletal tissue repair
• Disease biophysics, and
• Organ-on-a-chip technology

A new initiative of the Pratt School of Engineering and Duke School of Medicine, Duke MEDx seeks to enhance and form new collaborations between doctors and engineers.

Appointments and Affiliations

• Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
• Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
• Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center

Contact Information

• Email Address: shyni.varghese@duke.edu
• Websites:
  • Varghese Lab

Education

• Ph.D. National Chemical Laboratory (India), 2002

Research Interests

Musculoskeletal tissue repair, disease biophysics and organ-on-a-chip technology

Courses Taught

• BME 290L: Intermediate Topics with Lab (GE)
• BME 394: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
• BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
• BME 494: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
• BME 590: Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
• BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
• ME 555: Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering
• ME 591: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
• ME 592: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science

In the News

• Organ-on-a-chip: Better Health Care Through Superior Drug Testing (Nov 24, 2021 | Duke Science & Technology)
• Soft Robotic Dragonfly Signals Environmental Disruptions (Mar 25, 2021 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• A Crystal Ball for the Decade Ahead (Jan 9, 2020)
• Engineering a Better Bandage to Promote Faster Healing (Dec 13, 2019 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• Big Ideas on a Small Chip Surface (Nov 1, 2019 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• Researchers ID Pharmaceutical Target That Reverses Osteoporosis in Mice (Aug 22, 2019 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• Shyni Varghese: Making Miniature Models of Muscles, Bones and Tumors (Nov 18, 2016 | Pratt School of Engineering)

Representative Publications

• Newman, H; Hoque, J; Shih, Y-RV; Marushack, G; Ko, U; Gonzales, G; Varghese, S, pH-Sensitive nanocarrier assisted delivery of adenosine to treat osteoporotic bone loss., Biomater Sci, vol 10 no. 18 (2022), pp. 5340-5355 [10.1039/d2bm00843b] [abs].
• Bartholf DeWitt, S; Hoskinson Plumlee, S; Brighton, HE; Sivaraj, D; Martz, EJ; Zand, M; Kumar, V; Sheth, MU; Floyd, W; Spruance, JV; Hawkey, N; Varghese, S; Ruan, J; Kirsch, DG; Somarelli, JA; Alman, B; Eward, WC, Loss of ATRX promotes aggressive features of osteosarcoma with increased NF-κB signaling and integrin binding., Jci Insight, vol 7 no. 17 (2022) [10.1172/jci.insight.151583] [abs].
• Yang, T; Velagapudi, R; Kong, C; Ko, U; Kumar, V; Brown, P; Franklin, NO; Zhang, X; Caceres, AI; Min, H; Filiano, AJ; Rodriguiz, RM; Wetsel, WC; Varghese, S; Terrando, N, Protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids in a blood-brain barrier-on-chip model and on postoperative delirium-like behaviour in mice., Bja: British Journal of Anaesthesia (2022) [10.1016/j.bja.2022.05.025] [abs].
• Madhurakkat Perikamana, SK; Seale, N; Hoque, J; Ryu, JH; Kumar, V; Shih, YV; Varghese, S, Molecularly Tailored Interface for Long-Term Xenogeneic Cell Transplantation, Advanced Functional Materials, vol 32 no. 4 (2022) [10.1002/adfm.202108221] [abs].
• Chansoria, P; Blackwell, J; Etter, EL; Bonacquisti, EE; Jasiewicz, N; Neal, T; Kamal, SA; Hoque, J; Varghese, S; Egan, T; Nguyen, J, Rationally Designed Anisotropic and Auxetic Hydrogel Patches for Adaptation to Dynamic Organs, Advanced Functional Materials (2022) [10.1002/adfm.202207590] [abs].