Research Interests
Musculoskeletal tissue repair, disease biophysics and organ-on-a-chip technology
Bio
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.
Education
- Ph.D. National Chemical Laboratory (India), 2002
Positions
- Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
- Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center
Courses Taught
- NEUROSCI 494: Research Independent Study 2
- NEUROSCI 493: Research Independent Study 1
- EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
- BME 792: Continuation of Graduate Independent Study
- BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
- BME 590: Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
- BME 494: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
- BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
- BME 394: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
In the News
- Three Engineering Projects to Build Greener Materials (Feb 25, 2025 | Pratt School of Engineering)
- Injecting Hope (Nov 12, 2024 | Duke Today)
- Protecting Bones from Cancer Treatment (Dec 5, 2023 | School of Medicine)
- 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
- Li, Jiaoni, Yu-Ru Vernon Shih, Huchen Tao, Mitchell Negus, Jeffrey Bohrer Guerra, and Shyni Varghese. “Extensive Periosteal Injury During Fracture Induces Long-Term Pain in Mice.” J Orthop Res 43, no. 6 (June 2025): 1155–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.26067.
- Natesh, N. R., and S. Varghese. “Advances and Challenges in Human 3D Solid Tumor Models.” Advanced Functional Materials 35, no. 20 (May 16, 2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202419912.
- Newman, Hunter, Yu-Ru V. Shih, Jiaul Hoque, Yuze Zeng, Naveen R. Natesh, Gavin Gonzales, Wendi Guo, et al. “Enabling adenosine signaling to promote aged fracture healing.” NPJ Regen Med 10, no. 1 (April 9, 2025): 18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-025-00406-1.
- Madhurakkat Perikamana, Sajeeshkumar, Hunter Newman, Yuru Vernon Shih, Lavonia Duncan, Hilal Ahmad Rather, Jiaoni Li, Ravikanth Velagapudi, Niccolò Terrando, and Shyni Varghese. “Depletion of senescent cells improves surgery-induced neuroinflammation in aged mice.” PNAS Nexus 4, no. 4 (April 2025): pgaf103. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf103.
- Shih, Yu-Ru V., Huchen Tao, Anna Gilpin, Yuan-Wen Lee, Sajeeshkumar Madhurakkat Perikamana, and Shyni Varghese. “Specialized pro-resolving mediator Maresin 1 attenuates pain in a mouse model of osteoarthritis.” Osteoarthritis Cartilage 33, no. 3 (March 2025): 341–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2024.10.018.