Luiz E. Bertassoni, DDS PhD
Associate Professor and Director
- Division of Oncological Sciences, Knight Cancer Institute
- Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR), Knight Cancer Institute
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, OHSU School of Medicine
- Oral Reahibilitation & Bioscieces, OHSU School of Dentistry
Dr. Luiz E. Bertassoni is the founding director of the Knight Cancer Precision Biofabrication Hub and Associate Professor at the Division of Oncological Sciences at the Knight Cancer Institute. He also holds appointments at the the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research center (CEDAR) at the Knight Cancer Institute and the OHSU School of Dentistry. Dr. Bertassoni obtained a PhD in Biomaterials from University of Sydney, and was a postdoctoral researcher at UCSF, and subsequently at Harvard Medical School and MIT's joint program in Health Sciences and Technology. 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’. Luiz has published over 80 manuscripts, including research articles, reviews and book chapters. His worked has appeared in several high-impact journals, such as Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, and has been broadly covered by the media. He is a recipient of over 30 national and international research awards, including the state of Oregon (Richard Jones) New Investigator award, the IADR Centennial award, and the Silver Family Innovation award. He serves as a reviewer for over 55 peer reviewed international journals, an associate editor for 3 journals, and editorial board member for other 6 publications. Dr. Bertassoni is also a co-founder of 2 biotech spin-off companies, HuMarrow and RegendoDent, which resulted from his work on cancer research and regenerative medicine.
Associate Professor and Director
- Division of Oncological Sciences, Knight Cancer Institute
- Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR), Knight Cancer Institute
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, OHSU School of Medicine
- Oral Reahibilitation & Bioscieces, OHSU School of Dentistry
Dr. Luiz E. Bertassoni is the founding director of the Knight Cancer Precision Biofabrication Hub and Associate Professor at the Division of Oncological Sciences at the Knight Cancer Institute. He also holds appointments at the the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research center (CEDAR) at the Knight Cancer Institute and the OHSU School of Dentistry. Dr. Bertassoni obtained a PhD in Biomaterials from University of Sydney, and was a postdoctoral researcher at UCSF, and subsequently at Harvard Medical School and MIT's joint program in Health Sciences and Technology. 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’. Luiz has published over 80 manuscripts, including research articles, reviews and book chapters. His worked has appeared in several high-impact journals, such as Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, and has been broadly covered by the media. He is a recipient of over 30 national and international research awards, including the state of Oregon (Richard Jones) New Investigator award, the IADR Centennial award, and the Silver Family Innovation award. He serves as a reviewer for over 55 peer reviewed international journals, an associate editor for 3 journals, and editorial board member for other 6 publications. Dr. Bertassoni is also a co-founder of 2 biotech spin-off companies, HuMarrow and RegendoDent, which resulted from his work on cancer research and regenerative medicine.
Research Assistant Professors
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. She is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry, OHSU and is currently working on the development, optimization and application of an organ-on-a-chip device for dental research, the ‘Tooth-on-a-chip’. Moreover, Cristiane is also involved in dental pulp regeneration projects and 3D bioprinting studies to fabricate vascularized tissues for dental and craniofacial applications. Her previous work was focused on the modulation of immune cells in wound healing and macrophage polarization using different strategies as photobiomodulation and neuro-immune modulation. Passionate about how research can improve people’s lives, her goal is to combine her background in oral pathology with current training in microfluidics and tissue engineering to investigate translatable approaches for dental and craniofacial regeneration. Her major research interests include organs-on-a-chip, tissue engineering, angiogenesis, 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. She is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry, OHSU and is currently working on the development, optimization and application of an organ-on-a-chip device for dental research, the ‘Tooth-on-a-chip’. Moreover, Cristiane is also involved in dental pulp regeneration projects and 3D bioprinting studies to fabricate vascularized tissues for dental and craniofacial applications. Her previous work was focused on the modulation of immune cells in wound healing and macrophage polarization using different strategies as photobiomodulation and neuro-immune modulation. Passionate about how research can improve people’s lives, her goal is to combine her background in oral pathology with current training in microfluidics and tissue engineering to investigate translatable approaches for dental and craniofacial regeneration. Her major research interests include organs-on-a-chip, tissue engineering, angiogenesis, immune cell modulation, and wound healing.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Avathamsa Athirasala, PhD
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 post-doctoral fellow in the Bertassoni Lab at 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 post-doctoral fellow in the Bertassoni Lab at Oregon Health and Science University. Her major research interests include mechanobiology of stem cell nuclei, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering.
Mauricio Gonçalves da Costa Sousa, DDS, MS, PhD
Mauricio Gonçalves da Costa Sousa is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Luiz Bertassoni's laboratory at the School of Dentistry. He received his BSE in dentistry in 2014 at the Catholic University of Brasilia, a Master’s in health sciences in 2017 at the University of Brasilia, and a Ph.D. in Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology at Catholic University of Brasilia. His graduate research focused on developing a new antibiofilm and immunomodulatory nanofibrous scaffold loaded with host defense peptides to regenerate the dental pulp tissue. His major interests include single cell printing, immunomodulation, host defense peptides, oral biology, cellular communication, organs on a chip and wound healing.
Mauricio Gonçalves da Costa Sousa is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Luiz Bertassoni's laboratory at the School of Dentistry. He received his BSE in dentistry in 2014 at the Catholic University of Brasilia, a Master’s in health sciences in 2017 at the University of Brasilia, and a Ph.D. in Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology at Catholic University of Brasilia. His graduate research focused on developing a new antibiofilm and immunomodulatory nanofibrous scaffold loaded with host defense peptides to regenerate the dental pulp tissue. His major interests include single cell printing, immunomodulation, host defense peptides, oral biology, cellular communication, organs on a chip and wound healing.
Senior Research Associates
Abhinay Mishra, PhD
Dr. Abhinay Mishra received his master’s degree in materials science and technology from Banaras Hindu University, India and obtained his PhD degree in materials science and technology from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, India. He has worked as a postdoctoral/research fellow in University of Massachusetts Lowell, Nanyang Technology University and Singapore MIT Alliance for Research & Technology, Singapore before joining as a Senior Research Associate. He has been working in the area of synthesis, fabrication and characterization of polymer biomaterials for drug delivery, tissue engineering and biomedical applications. His research interest includes development of biomedical devices, biosensors, bio-printing and 3D printing for industrial applications.
Narendra K. Singh, PhD
Dr. Narendra K. Singh has completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Indian Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU), India and was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea and subsequently at Center for papid prototyping based 3D tissue/ organ printing, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), South Korea as Korea Research Fellow. His past research work focused on biomaterials, drug delivery, 3D cell printing technology, organ-on-a-chip for the development of in vitro disease models and drug toxicology advancement, proteomics analysis of dECM bioinks. In particular, his current research interests include single cell bioprinting of in vitro 3D functional organ/ tissue models, microfluidic, organ-on-a-chip, biomaterials, tissue engineering.
Graduate Students
Haylie Helms, MS
Haylie Helms is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering and International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection (ACED) fellow. Her research is focused on recreating tumors, with single cell spatial precision, to study cell-cell communication effects in the early tumor microenvironment. By systematically manipulating the cellular composition and arrangement of the tumor microenvironment we hope to uncover the fundamental biology of tumor initiation and progression. Prior to starting the PhD program, Haylie managed the 3D Bioprinting Core Facility at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, served as the Panoskaltsis-Mortari lab manager, taught a graduate level 3D Bioprinting course, and led several independent research projects. She holds a bachelors in Biology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and a masters in Human Anatomy from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Haylie Helms is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering and International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection (ACED) fellow. Her research is focused on recreating tumors, with single cell spatial precision, to study cell-cell communication effects in the early tumor microenvironment. By systematically manipulating the cellular composition and arrangement of the tumor microenvironment we hope to uncover the fundamental biology of tumor initiation and progression. Prior to starting the PhD program, Haylie managed the 3D Bioprinting Core Facility at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, served as the Panoskaltsis-Mortari lab manager, taught a graduate level 3D Bioprinting course, and led several independent research projects. She holds a bachelors in Biology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and a masters in Human Anatomy from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Sofia Vignolo, BSc
Sofia Vignolo received her Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from the University of Miami in 2018. Following graduation, she worked for two years as a research data manager at Boston Children's Hospital in the Precision Vaccines Program. In 2020, she joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at Oregon Health & Science University. She is currently in the PhD portion of the dual MD-PhD degree in the biomedical engineering graduate program. Her research interests are in craniofacial surgery and engineering, specifically bone regeneration.
Sofia Vignolo received her Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from the University of Miami in 2018. Following graduation, she worked for two years as a research data manager at Boston Children's Hospital in the Precision Vaccines Program. In 2020, she joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at Oregon Health & Science University. She is currently in the PhD portion of the dual MD-PhD degree in the biomedical engineering graduate program. Her research interests are in craniofacial surgery and engineering, specifically bone regeneration.
Senior Research Assistants
Anissa Bartolome, MS
Anissa Bartolome graduated with a M.S. in Biology emphasized in Biotechnology from New Mexico State University in 2016. She has five years of clinical experience working as a chairside dental assistant. In 2018, she joined OHSU School of Dentistry's Division of Biomaterials and Biomechanics to study the mechanical properties of dental composite resins and other dental materials. She is currently a senior research assistant in the Bertassoni lab. Her research interests include the production of novel biomaterials, product testing, and product commercialization.
Anissa Bartolome graduated with a M.S. in Biology emphasized in Biotechnology from New Mexico State University in 2016. She has five years of clinical experience working as a chairside dental assistant. In 2018, she joined OHSU School of Dentistry's Division of Biomaterials and Biomechanics to study the mechanical properties of dental composite resins and other dental materials. She is currently a senior research assistant in the Bertassoni lab. Her research interests include the production of novel biomaterials, product testing, and product commercialization.
Anthony Tahayeri, BSc
Anthony Tahayeri graduated with a B.S. in Biological Engineering from Oregon State University. He is currently a senior 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 senior 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
Alice Corrêa Silva-Sousa, DDS
Alice Corrêa Silva-Sousa obtained her DDS degree in the School of Dentistry of University of Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP), Brazil. Her main area of expertise in Clinical Dentistry is Endodontics. She is currently PhD student with an emphasis in Endodontics by the School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto from the University of São Paulo (FORP-USP), with a research internship in the Department of Adult Restorative Dentistry, University of Nebraska Medical Center - College of Dentistry (Lincoln, NE, USA). Her main previous research activities include subjects such protocols for preparation and filling of root canals, micro CT, endodontic materials, restoration of endodontically treated teeth and genetic associations with persistent periapical lesions. She joined the Bertassoni Lab at the Oregon Health and Science University in March 2023, as a visiting scholar. Her major research interests include organs-on-a-chip, tissue engineering, macrophages and biomaterials.
Alice Corrêa Silva-Sousa obtained her DDS degree in the School of Dentistry of University of Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP), Brazil. Her main area of expertise in Clinical Dentistry is Endodontics. She is currently PhD student with an emphasis in Endodontics by the School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto from the University of São Paulo (FORP-USP), with a research internship in the Department of Adult Restorative Dentistry, University of Nebraska Medical Center - College of Dentistry (Lincoln, NE, USA). Her main previous research activities include subjects such protocols for preparation and filling of root canals, micro CT, endodontic materials, restoration of endodontically treated teeth and genetic associations with persistent periapical lesions. She joined the Bertassoni Lab at the Oregon Health and Science University in March 2023, as a visiting scholar. Her major research interests include organs-on-a-chip, tissue engineering, macrophages and biomaterials.
May Anny Alves Fraga, DDS, MSc
May Anny Alves Fraga obtained her DDS in Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil at 2017, and Master’s degree in Dental Materials at Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas, Brazil. Currently, she is a current PhD student in Dental Materials at Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas, Brazil. She worked on the development of biomaterials to increase the longevity of dental restorations. Where, developed bio-interactive and polymerization shrinkage stress-reducing materials. She joined the Bertassoni Lab at the Oregon Health and Science University in March 2023, as a visiting scholar. Her major research interests include tissue engineering, wound healing, tissue regeneration and biomaterials.
May Anny Alves Fraga obtained her DDS in Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil at 2017, and Master’s degree in Dental Materials at Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas, Brazil. Currently, she is a current PhD student in Dental Materials at Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas, Brazil. She worked on the development of biomaterials to increase the longevity of dental restorations. Where, developed bio-interactive and polymerization shrinkage stress-reducing materials. She joined the Bertassoni Lab at the Oregon Health and Science University in March 2023, as a visiting scholar. Her major research interests include tissue engineering, wound healing, tissue regeneration and biomaterials.
Alumni
RESEARCH ASSOCIATES & POSTDOCS
GRADUATE STUDENTS - VISITING
INTERNS & UNDERGRADUATES
VISITING SCIENTISTS
SUMMER INTERNS
- Rahul Madathiparambil Visalakshan, PhD
- Ramesh (Ramy) Subbiah, PhD
- Amin Mansoorifar, PhD
- S. Prakash Parthiban, PhD
- Nelson Monteiro, PhD
- Greeshma Thrivikraman, PhD
GRADUATE STUDENTS - VISITING
- Maria Elisa Quezado Lima Verde, DDS, MS
- Gabriela de Souza Balbinot, DDS, MS
- Diana Cunha, DDS, MS
- Sivaporn Horsophonphong
- Christina Hipfinger
INTERNS & UNDERGRADUATES
- Katherine Ouda
- Albena Zahariev
- Ian Anderson
- Rebecca Forshaw
- Wenting He
- Ashley Sercia
VISITING SCIENTISTS
- Prof. Laurie B. Gauwer
- Prof. Grigoriy Sereda, PhD
SUMMER INTERNS
- Anh Nguyen
- Bruno Salas Garcia
- Christine Bynum
- Darsh Mandera
- Jonathan Nguyen
