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2026

Conference Presentations

Zhou, B., Labbe, D., Nair, A., Vahabikashi, A. Collagen I and fibronectin enhance mechanosensing in Schlemm’s canal cells on stiffer substrates; 2026 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Denver, CO — Read Abstract Here

Labbe, D., Keane, L., Zhou, B., Vahabikashi, A. Substrate Stiffness Distinctly Modulates the Mechanical Behavior of Normal and Glaucomatous Schlemm’s Canal Endothelial Cells; 2026 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Denver, CO — Read Abstract Here

Mossuto, S., Kang, Y., Amato, F., Berger, D., Lee, J., Osaki, T., Rogers, J., Vahabikashi, A. Engineering a 3D Electronically Integrated Human iPSC-Derived Neuromuscular System; 2026 Northeast Bioengineering Conference, Philadelphia, PA

Berger, D.,Smith, Z., Amato, F., Mossuto, S., Yamagishi, K., Vahabikashi, A. Liquid-Metal–Integrated Elastomeric Micropillar Platform for Force Sensing in Engineered Skeletal Muscle Tissue; 2026 Northeast Bioengineering Conference, Philadelphia, PA

2025

Conference Presentations

Avuthu, S., Aksenova, V., Jathana, A., Yelem, B., Dasso, M., Vahabikashi, A. Temporal Regulation of Epithelial Nuclear and Cellular Mechanics by Lamin A/C; 2025 American Society for Cell Biology, Philadelphia, PA — Read Abstract Here

Millan, S., Abe, Y., Karpova, C., Patel, M., Lam, J., Dai, G., Yamagishi, K., Vahabikashi, A. Ultrathin Stretchable Cardiac Patches for Tissue Regeneration and Electrophysiological Monitoring; 2025 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting, Boston, MA — Read Abstract Here

Amato, F., Park, C.Y., Tran, J., Zheng, Y., Fredberg, J., Adam, S., Vahabikashi, A. A Human iPSC Derived Neuromuscular System with Integrated 3D Bioelectronics; 2025 Biomedical Engineering Society, San Diego, CA — Read Abstract Here

Labbe, D., Lakk, M., Krizaj, D., Vahabikashi, A. Substrate mechanics differentially affect the stiffness of primary healthy and glaucomatous human trabecular meshwork cells (Selected for travel award); 2025 International Society for Eye Research / BrightFocus Glaucoma Symposium, Atlanta, GA — Read Abstract Here

Avuthu, S., Aksenova, V., Dasso, M., Vahabikashi, A. Investigating the Role of Nuclear Lamins in the Mechanobiology of Epithelium (First place poster award in Masters category); 2025 Proceedings of the National Organization for the Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) Annual Meeting, Boston, MA — Featured by MIT Department of Chemistry

2022

Journal Papers

Vahabikashi, A., Sivagurunathan, S., Nicdao, F. A. S., Han, Y. L., Park, C. Y., Kittisopikul, M., Wong, X., Tran, J. R., Gundersen, G. G., Reddy, K. L., Luxton, G. W. G., Guo, M., Fredberg, J. J., Zheng, Y., Adam, S. A., and Goldman, R. D. (2022) Nuclear lamin isoforms differentially contribute to LINC complex-dependent nucleocytoskeletal coupling and whole-cell mechanics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 119, e2121816119 —Featured by Phys.org, The Medical News, and NU Feinberg — Read Here

Vahabikashi, A., Adam, S. A., Medalia, O., and Goldman, R. D. (2022) Nuclear lamins: Structure and function in mechanobiology. APL Bioengineering 6, 011503 —Read Here

Sivagurunathan, S., Vahabikashi, A., Yang, H., Zhang, J., Vazquez, K., Rajasundaram, D., Politanska, Y., Abdala-Valencia, H., Notbohm, J., Guo, M., Adam, S. A., and Goldman, R. D. (2022) Expression of vimentin alters cell mechanics, cell-cell adhesion, and gene expression profiles suggesting the induction of a hybrid EMT in human mammary epithelial cells. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 10 —Read Here

McDowell, C. M., K. Kizhatil, M. H. Elliott, D. R. Overby, J. van Batenburg-Sherwood, J. C. Millar, M. H. Kuehn, G. Zode, T. S. Acott, M. G. Anderson, S. K. Bhattacharya, J. A. Bertrand, T. Borras, D. E. Bovenkamp, L. Cheng, J. Danias, M. L. De Ieso, Y. Du, J. A. Faralli, R. Fuchshofer, P. S. Ganapathy, H. Gong, S. Herberg, H. Hernandez, P. Humphries, S. W. M. John, P. L. Kaufman, K. E. Keller, M. J. Kelley, R. A. Kelly, D. Krizaj, A. Kumar, B. C. Leonard, R. L. Lieberman, P. Liton, Y. Liu, K. C. Liu, N. N. Lopez, W. Mao, T. Mavlyutov, F. McDonnell, G. J. McLellan, P. Mzyk, A. Nartey, L. R. Pasquale, G. C. Patel, P. P. Pattabiraman, D. M. Peters, V. Raghunathan, P. V. Rao, N. Rayana, U. Raychaudhuri, E. Reina-Torres, R. Ren, D. Rhee, U. R. Chowdhury, J. R. Samples, E. G. Samples, N. Sharif, J. S. Schuman, V. C. Sheffield, C. H. Stevenson, A. Soundararajan, P. Subramanian, C. K. Sugali, Y. Sun, C. B. Toris, K. Y. Torrejon, Vahabikashi, A., J. A. Vranka, T. Wang, C. E. Willoughby, C. Xin, H. Yun, H. F. Zhang, M. P. Fautsch, E. R. Tamm, A. F. Clark, C. R. Ethier and W. D. Stamer. Consensus Recommendation for Mouse Models of Ocular Hypertension to Study Aqueous Humor Outflow and Its Mechanisms. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 63(2): 12-12, 2022. — Read Here

2021

Journal Papers

Vincent, M. P., Stack, T., Vahabikashi, A., Li, G., Perkumas, K. M., Ren, R., Gong, H., Stamer, W. D., Johnson, M., and Scott, E. A. (2021) Surface Engineering of FLT4-Targeted Nanocarriers Enhances Cell-Softening Glaucoma Therapy. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 13, 32823-32836 —Read full paper here

2020

Journal Papers

Stack, T., Vincent, M., Vahabikashi, A., Li, G., Perkumas, K. M., Stamer, W. D., Johnson, M., and Scott, E. (2020) Targeted Delivery of Cell Softening Micelles to Schlemm’s Canal Endothelial Cells for Treatment of Glaucoma. Small, e2004205 —Read full paper here

Patteson, A. E., Vahabikashi, A., Goldman, R. D., and Janmey, P. A. (2020) Mechanical and Non-Mechanical Functions of Filamentous and Non-Filamentous Vimentin. Bioessays, e2000078 —Read full paper here

Thiam H.R., Wong S.L., Qiu R., Kittisopikul M., Vahabikashi A., Goldman A.E., Goldman R.D., Wagner D.D., Waterman C.M. REPLY TO LIU: The disassembly of the actin cytoskeleton is an early event during NETosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 117: 7326-7337, 2020. Read Here

Thiam H.R., Wong S.L., Qiu R., Kittisopikul M., Vahabikashi A., Goldman A.E., Goldman R.D., Wagner D.D., Waterman C.M. NETosis proceeds by cytoskeleton and endomembrane disassembly and PAD4-mediated chromatin decondensation and nuclear envelope rupture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 117: 7326-7337, 2020. Read Here

2019

Journal Papers

Vahabikashi, A., Park, C. Y., Perkumas, K., Zhang, Z., Deurloo, E. K., Wu, H., Weitz, D. A., Stamer, W. D., Goldman, R. D., Fredberg, J. J., and Johnson, M. (2019) Probe Sensitivity to Cortical versus Intracellular Cytoskeletal Network Stiffness. Biophys J116, 518-529 —Read Here

Cover of Biophysical Journal, volume 116, issue 11 from June 4, 2019, featuring illustrations of molecular structures and cellular membranes, with the journal title and publication details displayed.

Vahabikashi, A., Gelman, A., Dong, B., Gong, L., Cha, E. D. K., Schimmel, M., Tamm, E. R., Perkumas, K., Stamer, W. D., Sun, C., Zhang, H. F., Gong, H., and Johnson, M. (2019) Increased stiffness and flow resistance of the inner wall of Schlemm’s canal in glaucomatous human eyes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A —Featured by BlackPhysicists and NU Feinberg — Read Here

Patteson, A. E.*, Vahabikashi, A.*, Pogoda, K., Adam, S. A., Mandal, K., Kittisopikul, M., Sivagurunathan, S., Goldman, A., Goldman, R. D., and Janmey, P. A. (2019) Vimentin protects cells against nuclear rupture and DNA damage during migration. J Cell Biol218, 4079-4092 —Read Here

2018

Journal Papers

Stack, T., Vahabikashi, A., Johnson, M., Scott, E. Modulation of Schlemm’s canal endothelial cell stiffness via latrunculin loaded block copolymer micelles. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A., 2018:00A:000–000, 2018. Read Here

2014

Journal Papers

Overby, D. R., Zhou, E. H., Vargas-Pinto, R., Pedrigi, R. M., Fuchshofer, R., Braakman, S. T., Gupta, R., Perkumas, K. R., Sherwood, J. M., Vahabikashi, A., Dang, Q., Kim, J. H., Ethier, C. R., Stamer, W. D., Fredberg J. J., Johnson, M. Altered Mechanobiology of Schlemm’s Canal Endothelial Cells in Glaucoma. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 111(38): 13876-13881, 2014. Read Here — Featured in Science Daily

2013

Journal Papers

Vargas-Pinto, R., Gong, H., Vahabikashi, A., Johnson, M. The Effect of the Endothelial Cell Cortex on Atomic Force Microscope Measurements. Biophysical Journal, 105(2): 300-309, 2013. Read Here

2011

Journal Papers

Cover of Small journal featuring a stylized illustration of molecules and DNA strands in water, with the title 'Nano Micro Small' and publication details.
Close-up of a small bat resting on a rocky surface.
Cover of the Journal of Cell Biology featuring a colorful, detailed microscopic image of a cellular structure, with the journal title, volume, issue, date, website, and Rockefeller University Press logo.
Cover of PNAS journal featuring an underwater scene with a large fish and smaller fish swimming around coral reef, with the title 'Vulnerability of functional diversity in reef systems'.
Cover of Biophysical Journal showing a red and orange maze-like pattern, with the title 'Biophysical Journal' and authors' names in yellow text.

Shahnazari, M. R., Vahabikashi, A. Permeability Prediction of Porous Media with Variable Porosity by Investigation of Stokes Flow over Multi-particles. Journal of Porous Media, 14(3): 243-250, 2011. Read Here

Patents

Cherchi, M., Vahabikashi, A., Systems and Methods for Assessment of Cyclotorsion (PCT/US2017/047322).

Johnson, M., Vahabikashi, A., Stack, T., Vincent, M., Scott, E., Nanoparticles for Delivery of Therapeutics to the Eye for Treatment of Glaucoma (Provisional 63/203,128, File date: 7/9/2021)

Vahabikashi, A., Zhu, Y., Ramachandra, S., Johnson, M., Ameer, G., Laminin-Derived Peptide-Hydrogel Complex to Restore Lost Schlemm’s Canal Endothelial Markers (Disclosed, Northwestern INVO# 2019-225).