Picture of the Month – April 2012 April 6th, 2012

Isotropic cardiac myocyte monolayer stained for actin (red), beta-catenin (white), and nuclear DNA (blue). Image by Megan McCain, Parker lab.

Congrats to Kartik Balachandran! March 14th, 2012

Kartik Balachandran has been awarded the Postdoctoral Fellow Best Abstract Award by the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin Special Interest Group of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) at the SOT Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA. This competitive award was based on a submitted abstract and a cover letter outlining the significance of his research. The award includes a plaque and monetary award of $500. Congratulations, Kartik!!

Congrats to Josh Goss!! March 5th, 2012

Josh Goss is one of the winners of the first Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Excellence Award. Josh is the senior instrumentation engineer and staff scientists in the Disease Biophysics Group, designing and prototyping all of our experimental systems from microfluidic systems for organs on chips to blast bioreactors for brain injury research. Congratulations, Josh!! Thanks for all of your hard work!!

Picture of the Month – February 2012 February 24th, 2012

Micropatterned mouse ventricular muscle cells assembled into an anisotropic tissue showing nuclei (pink) and organized sarcomeres (orange). This organization recapitulates features of the native architecture of cardiac tissue. Image by Anna Grosberg, Parker lab.

Postdoctoral Positions in the DBG February 19th, 2012

We have several postdoctoral positions opening now and in the coming months. We are especially interested in candidates with backgrounds in theoretical biomechanics who are interested in conducting bench experiments. These positions will focus on our efforts to recapitulate organ-level function on chips for drug discovery and safety pharmacology.

All of these positions require a doctoral degree in an appropriate field and a demonstrated publication record. Applications in the form of a single PDF file containing a cover letter, resume, and up to three examples of first author papers should be forwarded to Prof Parker (kkparker@seas.harvard.edu). A list of references should be submitted with the resume with contact information.

43. Desplantez T, McCain ML, Beauchamp P, Rigoli G, Rothen-Rutishauser B, Parker KK, Kleber AG. Connexin43 ablation in foetal atrial myocytes decreases electrical coupling, partner connexins, and sodium current. Cardiovasc Res. 2012;94:58-65.

42. Shim J, Grosberg A, Nawroth JC, Parker KK, Bertoldi K. Modeling of cardiac muscle thin films: Pre-stretch, passive and active behavior. J. Biomech. 2012;45:832-841.

41. Sheehy SP, Parker KK. The Role of Mechanical Forces in Guiding Tissue Differentiation. In: Bernstein H, editor. Tissue Engineering in Regenerative Medicine. Springer; 2011:77-97.

40. Balachandran K, Alford PW, Wylie-Sears J, Goss JA, Grosberg A, Bischoff J, Aikawa E, Levine RA, Parker KK. Cyclic strain induces dual-mode endothelial-mesenchymal transformation of the cardiac valve. PNAS. 2011;108:19943-19948.

39. McCain ML, Desplantez T, Geisse NA, Rothen-Rutishauser B, Oberer H, Parker KK, Kleber AG. Cell-to-cell coupling in engineered pairs of rat ventricular cardiomyocytes: relation between Cx43 immunofluorescence and intercellular electrical conductance. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2012;302:H443-H450.

38. Mellado P, McIlwee HA, Badrossamay MR, Goss JA, Mahadevan L, Parker KK. A simple model for nanofiber formation by rotary jet-spinning. Appl Phys Lett. 2011;99:203107.

37. Grosberg A, Alford PW, McCain ML, Parker KK. Ensembles of engineered cardiac tissues for physiological and pharmacological study: Heart on a chip. Lab Chip. 2011;11(24):4165-4173.