Sharon Gerecht

Paul M. Gross Distinguished Professor

Gerecht’s research group studies how the microenvironment regulates cellular responses, with the long-term goal of developing countermeasures and therapeutics. We develop biomaterials and culture systems to emulate mechanical and physical stressors toward understanding tissue function, reliance, and homeostasis. We also use that information to uncover pathways in injury and disease development to guide tissue healing and regeneration. We focus on blood vessels and their multifaceted roles in tissue performance, aging, and disease. 

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Paul M. Gross Distinguished Professor
  • Professor of Biomedical Engineering
  • Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering
  • Member of the Duke Cancer Institute

Contact Information

Education

  • Ph.D. Israel Institute of Technology (Israel), 2004

Research Interests

stem cells, biomaterials, hypoxia, blood vessels, physics of cancer, regenerative medicine

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Fellow . American Heart Association. 2024
  • Fellow. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 2020
  • Member. National Academy of Inventors. 2020
  • Member. National Academy of Medicine. 2019
  • Invitee. Inaugural 2019 NAM Emerging Leaders Forum. 2019
  • Recipient. Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Fund. 2017
  • Fellow. American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIBME). 2016
  • National Established Investigator Award. American Heart Association. 2015
  • Scholar. Inaugural Kent Gordon Croft Investment Management Faculty Scholar. 2015
  • Inaugural President's Frontier Award. Johns Hopkins University. 2015
  • Heart Award. W.W. Smith Charitable Trust. 2014
  • CAREER Award. National Science Foundation (NSF). 2011
  • Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award. March of Dimes Foundation. 2009
  • Junior Investigator Award. North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO). 2009
  • National Scientist Development Award. American Heart Association. 2008
  • Allan C. Davis Medal, Outstanding Young Engineering Award. Maryland Academy of Sciences. 2008

Courses Taught

  • EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
  • BME 890: Advanced topics for PhD students
  • BME 792: Continuation of Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 644: Physiology for Engineers
  • 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

  • Anderson, A. R., E. L. P. Caston, L. Riley, L. Nguyen, D. Ntekoumes, S. Gerecht, and T. Segura. “Engineering the Microstructure and Spatial Bioactivity of MAP Scaffolds Instructs Vasculogenesis In Vitro and Modifies Vessel Formation In Vivo.” Advanced Functional Materials 35, no. 3 (January 15, 2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202400567.
  • Ntekoumes, Dimitris, Jiyeon Song, Haohao Liu, Connor Amelung, Ya Guan, and Sharon Gerecht. “Acute Three-Dimensional Hypoxia Regulates Angiogenesis.” Advanced Healthcare Materials 14, no. 2 (January 2025): e2403860. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202403860.
  • Villares, Emma, and Sharon Gerecht. “Engineered Biomaterials and Model Systems to Study YAP/TAZ in Cancer.” ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 10, no. 9 (September 2024): 5550–61. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c01170.
  • Hall, Franklyn D., Christine N. Miller, Sharon Gerecht, and Kenneth R. Boheler. “Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line, JHUi005-A, from a Marfan Syndrome patient harboring a pathogenic c.3338-2A>C intronic splicing variant.” Stem Cell Research 79 (September 2024): 103475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scr.2024.103475.
  • Brady, Travis, Sharon Gerecht, and Lakshmi Santhanam. “Functional profiling of resident cells during vascular aging.” In Physiology, Vol. 39. American Physiological Society, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1152/physiol.2024.39.s1.2103.