Shyni Varghese

Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished 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

  • Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
  • 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:

Education

  • Ph.D. National Chemical Laboratory (India), 2002

Research Interests

Musculoskeletal tissue repair, disease biophysics and organ-on-a-chip technology

Courses Taught

  • NEUROSCI 494: Research Independent Study 2
  • NEUROSCI 493: Research Independent Study 1
  • ME 592: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
  • ME 591: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
  • 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

Representative Publications

  • Gonzales, Gavin, Jiaul Hoque, Colin Kaeo, Stefan Zauscher, and Shyni Varghese. “Grafting of cationic molecules to hyaluronic acid improves adsorption and cartilage lubrication.” Biomater Sci, August 9, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4bm00532e.
  • Cottrill, Ethan, Zach Pennington, Nathan Sattah, Crystal Jing, Dave Salven, Eli Johnson, Max Downey, Shyni Varghese, Brett Rocos, and William Richardson. “Gene Therapy and Spinal Fusion: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Available Data.” World Neurosurg 186 (June 2024): 219-234.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2024.03.174.
  • Gonzales, Gavin, Jiaul Hoque, Anna Gilpin, Biswanath Maity, Stefan Zauscher, and Shyni Varghese. “Branched poly-l-lysine for cartilage penetrating carriers.” Bioeng Transl Med 9, no. 3 (May 2024): e10612. https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10612.
  • Hainline, Kelly M., Helena Freire Haddad, Anna Gilpin, Elizabeth J. Curvino, Shyni Varghese, and Joel H. Collier. “Active immunotherapy for C5a-mediated inflammation using adjuvant-free self-assembled peptide nanofibers.” Acta Biomater 179 (April 15, 2024): 83–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2024.02.042.
  • Price, Meghan J., Annee D. Nguyen, Corinne Haines, César D. Baëta, Jovita Byemerwa, Debarati Murkajee, Sandeep Artham, et al. “UDP-6-glucose dehydrogenase in hormonally responsive breast cancers.” BioRxiv, March 21, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.20.585919.