Shyni Varghese

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

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 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
• EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
• 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
• NEUROSCI 493: Research Independent Study 1

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

• 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, vol 130 no. 2 (2023), pp. e370-e380 [10.1016/j.bja.2022.05.025] [abs].
• Rana, I; Kataria, S; Tan, TL; Hajam, EY; Kashyap, DK; Saha, D; Ajnabi, J; Paul, S; Jayappa, S; Ananthan, ASHP; Kumar, P; Zaarour, RF; Haarshaadri, J; Kansagara, G; Rizvi, A; Zirmire, RK; Badarinath, K; Khedkar, SU; Chandra, Y; Samuel, R; George, R; Danda, D; Jacob, PM; Dey, R; Dhandapany, PS; He, Y-W; Varga, J; Varghese, S; Jamora, C, Mindin (SPON2) Is Essential for Cutaneous Fibrogenesis in a Mouse Model of Systemic Sclerosis., Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2022) [10.1016/j.jid.2022.10.011] [abs].
• Hoque, J; Zeng, Y; Newman, H; Gonzales, G; Lee, C; Varghese, S, Microgel-Assisted Delivery of Adenosine to Accelerate Fracture Healing., Acs Biomaterials Science & Engineering, vol 8 no. 11 (2022), pp. 4863-4872 [10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00977] [abs].
• Aung, A; Davey, SK; Theprungsirikul, J; Kumar, V; Varghese, S, Deciphering the Mechanics of Cancer Spheroid Growth in 3D Environments through Microfluidics Driven Mechanical Actuation., Adv Healthc Mater (2022) [10.1002/adhm.202201842] [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, vol 32 no. 43 (2022) [10.1002/adfm.202207590] [abs].