Sharon Gerecht

Paul M. Gross Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Gerecht’s research group studies how the microenvironment regulates cellular responses, with the long-term goal of developing countermeasures and therapeutics. We develop biomaterials and culture systems to emulate mechanical and physical stressors toward understanding tissue function, reliance, and homeostasis. We also use that information to uncover pathways in injury and disease development to guide tissue healing and regeneration. We focus on blood vessels and their multifaceted roles in tissue performance, aging, and disease. 

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Paul M. Gross Distinguished Professor
  • Professor of Biomedical Engineering
  • Associate Dean for Research and Infrastructure in the Pratt School of Engineering
  • Member of the Duke Cancer Institute

Contact Information

Education

  • Ph.D. Israel Institute of Technology (Israel), 2004

Research Interests

stem cells, biomaterials, hypoxia, blood vessels, physics of cancer, regenerative medicine

Courses Taught

  • BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
  • BME 644: Physiology for Engineers
  • BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 792: Continuation of Graduate Independent Study

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Warren, Emily, and Sharon Gerecht. “BEYOND THE ENDOTHELIUM: THE ROLE OF MURAL CELLS IN VASCULAR BIOLOGY: In vitro systems to study endothelial/pericyte cell interactions.” Vascular Biology (Bristol, England) 5, no. 1 (February 2023): e220021. https://doi.org/10.1530/vb-22-0021.
  • Chavez, Taylor, and Sharon Gerecht. “Engineering of the microenvironment to accelerate vascular regeneration.” Trends in Molecular Medicine 29, no. 1 (January 2023): 35–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2022.10.005.
  • Bokhari, Rihana S., Afshin Beheshti, Sarah E. Blutt, Dawn E. Bowles, David Brenner, Robert Britton, Lawrence Bronk, et al. “Looking on the horizon; potential and unique approaches to developing radiation countermeasures for deep space travel.” Life Sci Space Res (Amst) 35 (November 2022): 105–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lssr.2022.08.003.
  • Elliott, Morgan B., Hiroshi Matsushita, Jessica Shen, Jaeyoon Yi, Takahiro Inoue, Travis Brady, Lakshmi Santhanam, Hai-Quan Mao, Narutoshi Hibino, and Sharon Gerecht. “Off-the-shelf, heparinized small diameter vascular graft limits acute thrombogenicity in a porcine model.” Acta Biomaterialia 151 (October 2022): 134–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2022.07.061.
  • Yarbrough, Danielle, and Sharon Gerecht. “Engineering Smooth Muscle to Understand Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Vascular Disease.” Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) 9, no. 9 (September 2022): 449. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9090449.