Luiz E. Bertassoni, DDS PhD
Associate Professor
- Division of Biomaterials and Biomechanics, Department of Restorative Dentistry, OHSU School of Dentistry
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, OHSU School of Medicine
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, OHSU School of Medicine
- Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR), Knight Cancer Institute
Dr. Luiz E. Bertassoni graduated with a DDS degree in Brazil, obtained a PhD in Biomaterials from University of Sydney, and two postdoctoral degrees in Bioengineering from University of California San Francisco, and the Division of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard Medical School and MIT. Currently, Dr. Bertassoni is an Associate Professor at Oregon Health & Science University. He also holds appointments at the department of restorative dentistry, the OHSU Center for Regenerative Medicine, the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research center (CEDAR) at the Knight Cancer Institute. Dr. Bertassoni leads a multidisciplinary research group working on various aspects of biomaterials and tissue engineering. His work has encompassed various aspects of micro-scale technologies and bioprinting for tissue regeneration; nanoscale structural and mechanical properties of mineralized tissues; and different aspects in the field of ‘organs-on-a-chip’. His research has been covered extensively in the media (Fox News, BBC, The Guardian, Fox Business, Wired.com, Tech Crunch, etc) and some of his recent work was selected as one of the top 100 science stories of the year by Discover Magazine. Luiz has published over 50 research manuscripts, including research articles, reviews and book chapters, and is a recipient of 28 national and international awards. He serves as a reviewer for 45 peer reviewed international journals, is an editorial board member of other 6.
Associate Professor
- Division of Biomaterials and Biomechanics, Department of Restorative Dentistry, OHSU School of Dentistry
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, OHSU School of Medicine
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, OHSU School of Medicine
- Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR), Knight Cancer Institute
Dr. Luiz E. Bertassoni graduated with a DDS degree in Brazil, obtained a PhD in Biomaterials from University of Sydney, and two postdoctoral degrees in Bioengineering from University of California San Francisco, and the Division of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard Medical School and MIT. Currently, Dr. Bertassoni is an Associate Professor at Oregon Health & Science University. He also holds appointments at the department of restorative dentistry, the OHSU Center for Regenerative Medicine, the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research center (CEDAR) at the Knight Cancer Institute. Dr. Bertassoni leads a multidisciplinary research group working on various aspects of biomaterials and tissue engineering. His work has encompassed various aspects of micro-scale technologies and bioprinting for tissue regeneration; nanoscale structural and mechanical properties of mineralized tissues; and different aspects in the field of ‘organs-on-a-chip’. His research has been covered extensively in the media (Fox News, BBC, The Guardian, Fox Business, Wired.com, Tech Crunch, etc) and some of his recent work was selected as one of the top 100 science stories of the year by Discover Magazine. Luiz has published over 50 research manuscripts, including research articles, reviews and book chapters, and is a recipient of 28 national and international awards. He serves as a reviewer for 45 peer reviewed international journals, is an editorial board member of other 6.
Research Associate
S. Prakash Parthiban, PhD
Prakash obtained his PhD from Nagoya University, Japan working on calcium phosphate bioceramics. After PhD, he worked on cell-material interactions, mostly focussing on 3D vascular morphogenesis in hydrogels and stem cell spheroids. His major interests are hard tissue mineralization, vascular and developmental biology.
Prakash obtained his PhD from Nagoya University, Japan working on calcium phosphate bioceramics. After PhD, he worked on cell-material interactions, mostly focussing on 3D vascular morphogenesis in hydrogels and stem cell spheroids. His major interests are hard tissue mineralization, vascular and developmental biology.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Cristiane Miranda França, DDS, MS, PhD
Cristiane Miranda Franca is a dentist scientist with a Ph.D. in Oral Pathology from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. The majority of her work was focused on the local modulation of immune cells in wound healing and macrophage polarization using different light sources, as lasers and LEDs. Passionate about how research can improve people’s lives, Cristiane joined OHSU to work at the School of Dentistry with Dr. Bertassoni, extending her experience to tissue engineering and organs-on-a-chip. She is currently investigating strategies to foster dental pulp regeneration such as the development, optimization and application of a microfluidic device, the ‘Tooth-on-a-chip’, to study dental pulp angiogenesis and pulp responses to biomaterials. Moreover, she is also involved in 3D bioprinting studies to fabricate vascularized tissues for dental and craniofacial applications. Her major research interests include pulp regeneration, angiogenesis, organs-on-a-chip, cell-extracellular matrix interactions, immune cell modulation and wound healing.
Cristiane Miranda Franca is a dentist scientist with a Ph.D. in Oral Pathology from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. The majority of her work was focused on the local modulation of immune cells in wound healing and macrophage polarization using different light sources, as lasers and LEDs. Passionate about how research can improve people’s lives, Cristiane joined OHSU to work at the School of Dentistry with Dr. Bertassoni, extending her experience to tissue engineering and organs-on-a-chip. She is currently investigating strategies to foster dental pulp regeneration such as the development, optimization and application of a microfluidic device, the ‘Tooth-on-a-chip’, to study dental pulp angiogenesis and pulp responses to biomaterials. Moreover, she is also involved in 3D bioprinting studies to fabricate vascularized tissues for dental and craniofacial applications. Her major research interests include pulp regeneration, angiogenesis, organs-on-a-chip, cell-extracellular matrix interactions, immune cell modulation and wound healing.
Ramesh (Ramy) Subbiah, PhD
Dr. Subbiah has obtained Bachelors in Pharmaceutical Sciences from KMCH College of pharmacy, affiliated Dr. MGR Medical University in Tamil Nadu, India. Dr. Subbiah was awarded with full-scholarship throughout MS and PhD programs in Biomedical Engineering respectively from Gachon University and Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) South Korea. His research program is focused on mineralized microgels, growth factors delivery using nano/micro particles, tunable cell derived extracellular matrices and geometry integrated scaffolds for the regeneration of vascularized musculoskeletal tissues. His collective Ph.D. research has implications across a variety of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine field such as nanoparticles-in-microcapsules for dual growth factors delivery, investigation of cellular mechanics, fabrication of 3D scaffolds based on biopolymers, tough hydrogel for intervertebral disc replacement, fractal cut based 3D geometric scaffold for investigating the mechanism of wound healing. Prior to joining Bertassoni Lab, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Guldberg Musculoskeletal research laboratory at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Dr. Subbiah has obtained Bachelors in Pharmaceutical Sciences from KMCH College of pharmacy, affiliated Dr. MGR Medical University in Tamil Nadu, India. Dr. Subbiah was awarded with full-scholarship throughout MS and PhD programs in Biomedical Engineering respectively from Gachon University and Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) South Korea. His research program is focused on mineralized microgels, growth factors delivery using nano/micro particles, tunable cell derived extracellular matrices and geometry integrated scaffolds for the regeneration of vascularized musculoskeletal tissues. His collective Ph.D. research has implications across a variety of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine field such as nanoparticles-in-microcapsules for dual growth factors delivery, investigation of cellular mechanics, fabrication of 3D scaffolds based on biopolymers, tough hydrogel for intervertebral disc replacement, fractal cut based 3D geometric scaffold for investigating the mechanism of wound healing. Prior to joining Bertassoni Lab, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Guldberg Musculoskeletal research laboratory at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Amin Mansoorifar, PhD
Dr. Mansoorifar obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Southern Methodist University, Dallas in 2019. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Shiraz University, Iran in 2012 and 2014, respectively. He joined Bertassoni lab as a postdoctoral associate on August 2019. His primary research interests are Micro, Nano, and Biofluidics with a specific focus on the development of new microfluidic platforms for biological studies.
Dr. Mansoorifar obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Southern Methodist University, Dallas in 2019. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Shiraz University, Iran in 2012 and 2014, respectively. He joined Bertassoni lab as a postdoctoral associate on August 2019. His primary research interests are Micro, Nano, and Biofluidics with a specific focus on the development of new microfluidic platforms for biological studies.
Graduate Students
Avathamsa Athirasala, BTech, MS
Avathamsa Athirasala graduated with a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University, India and completed a Masters program in the same from University of Pennsylvania in 2012. She is currently a graduate student in the Bertassoni Lab at the Oregon Health and Science University. Her major research interests include mechanobiology of stem cell nuclei, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering.
Avathamsa Athirasala graduated with a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University, India and completed a Masters program in the same from University of Pennsylvania in 2012. She is currently a graduate student in the Bertassoni Lab at the Oregon Health and Science University. Her major research interests include mechanobiology of stem cell nuclei, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering.
Gabriela de Souza Balbinot, DDS, MS
Gabriela graduated with a DDS degree from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS - Brazil) with one-year internship in BEng Dental Materials at Queen Mary University of London. Gabriela obtained a masters degree in Dental Materials at the Post-graduate program in Dentistry from UFRGS and is a PhD student at the same post-graduate program. At OHSU, Gabriela is performing a 6 months internship as a visiting researcher. Her major research interests include the development of bioactive materials for bone regeneration and tissue engineering.
Gabriela graduated with a DDS degree from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS - Brazil) with one-year internship in BEng Dental Materials at Queen Mary University of London. Gabriela obtained a masters degree in Dental Materials at the Post-graduate program in Dentistry from UFRGS and is a PhD student at the same post-graduate program. At OHSU, Gabriela is performing a 6 months internship as a visiting researcher. Her major research interests include the development of bioactive materials for bone regeneration and tissue engineering.
Diana Cunha, DDS, MS
Diana graduated with a DDS degree from the Federal University of Ceara - Brazil. Diana obtained a Masters degree in Dental Materials at the Post-graduate program in Dentistry from UFC and is a PhD student at the same post-graduate program. At OHSU, Diana is performing a 12 months internship as a visiting researcher. Her major research interests include the development of bioactive materials for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering.
Diana graduated with a DDS degree from the Federal University of Ceara - Brazil. Diana obtained a Masters degree in Dental Materials at the Post-graduate program in Dentistry from UFC and is a PhD student at the same post-graduate program. At OHSU, Diana is performing a 12 months internship as a visiting researcher. Her major research interests include the development of bioactive materials for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering.
Research Assistants
Anthony Tahayeri, BSc
Anthony Tahayeri graduated with a B.S. in Biological Engineering from Oregon State University. He is currently a research assistant in the Bertassoni lab located at Oregon Health Science University. His research interests include the development of manufacturing processes for biomaterial production and the development of biomedical devices as well as biomaterials.
Anthony Tahayeri graduated with a B.S. in Biological Engineering from Oregon State University. He is currently a research assistant in the Bertassoni lab located at Oregon Health Science University. His research interests include the development of manufacturing processes for biomaterial production and the development of biomedical devices as well as biomaterials.
Visiting Scholars
Prof. Grigoriy Sereda, PhD
Prof. Sereda earned M.S. in Chemistry (1988) and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (1992) from Moscow State University (Russia) and worked as a high school and middle school chemistry teacher. Since 2002, he is a tenured professor of chemistry working in the area of organic chemistry at The University of South Dakota (USA). Prof. Sereda has authored and co-authored numerous publications, books, and book chapters on chemical education in both English and Russian. He co-authored the 2014 Standardized ACS Exam on the first semester of Organic Chemistry. The research group of Prof. Sereda explores applications of organic chemistry in catalysis, photocatalysis, immunology, dentistry, industrial polymers, and drug delivery. Prof. Sereda is also involved in collaborative research with faculty in the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences (BBS) in the Sanford School of Medicine and in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program in Sioux Falls.
Prof. Sereda earned M.S. in Chemistry (1988) and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (1992) from Moscow State University (Russia) and worked as a high school and middle school chemistry teacher. Since 2002, he is a tenured professor of chemistry working in the area of organic chemistry at The University of South Dakota (USA). Prof. Sereda has authored and co-authored numerous publications, books, and book chapters on chemical education in both English and Russian. He co-authored the 2014 Standardized ACS Exam on the first semester of Organic Chemistry. The research group of Prof. Sereda explores applications of organic chemistry in catalysis, photocatalysis, immunology, dentistry, industrial polymers, and drug delivery. Prof. Sereda is also involved in collaborative research with faculty in the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences (BBS) in the Sanford School of Medicine and in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program in Sioux Falls.
Interns, Guest Students, Summer Fellows and Undergrads
Albena Zahariev
Aly Zahariev graduated with a B.S. in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon. She is currently a DMD student at Oregon Health and Science University and is volunteering in the Bertassoni laboratory under the guidance of Ramesh Subbiah, PhD.
Aly Zahariev graduated with a B.S. in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon. She is currently a DMD student at Oregon Health and Science University and is volunteering in the Bertassoni laboratory under the guidance of Ramesh Subbiah, PhD.
Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson is a senior at Portland State University studying biology and psychology. He plans to work as a research assistant in a neuroscience lab upon graduating as preparation for attending the Behavioral Neuroscience program at Oregon Health and Science University.
Ian Anderson is a senior at Portland State University studying biology and psychology. He plans to work as a research assistant in a neuroscience lab upon graduating as preparation for attending the Behavioral Neuroscience program at Oregon Health and Science University.
