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
- Email Address: sharon.gerecht@duke.edu
- Websites:
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
- BME 890: Advanced topics for PhD students
In the News
- Duke Faculty Members Hone Skills With ACC Peers Through a Year-Long Experience …
- Meet Duke’s 2023 Fellows in the ACC Academic Leadership Network (Jan 17, 2023 |…
- University Awards 24 New Distinguished Professorships (May 18, 2022)
- Welcome the Pratt School New Faculty (Oct 26, 2021 | Pratt School of Engineerin…
- Sharon Gerecht: Engineering Stem Cells for Blood Vessel Growth (Sep 21, 2021 | …
Representative Publications
- Pruitt, Hawley C., Ya Guan, Hudson Liu, Alexis E. Carey, W Nathaniel Brennen, Jiayun Lu, Corrine Joshu, et al. “Collagen VI deposition mediates stromal T cell trapping through inhibition of T cell motility in the prostate tumor microenvironment.” Matrix Biology : Journal of the International Society for Matrix Biology 121 (August 2023): 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matbio.2023.06.002.
- Volkova, Eugenia, Linda Procell, Lingyang Kong, Lakshmi Santhanam, and Sharon Gerecht. “Vascular stiffening in aging females with a hypertension-induced HIF2A gain-of-function mutation.” Bioengineering & Translational Medicine 8, no. 2 (March 2023): e10403. https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10403.
- 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.