Tom Gaborski
Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
585-475-4117
Office Location
Office Mailing Address
Institute Hall 73-3100
Tom Gaborski
Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Education
BS, Cornell University; MS, Ph.D., University of Rochester
Bio
Tom Gaborski is a biomedical engineer, professor, and entrepreneur with expertise in materials engineering, biological separations, and cellular barrier models, including the biophysical study of cell-substrate interactions.
As the director of the NanoBio Materials Laboratory at RIT, he leads a team studying and developing nanomembranes for tissue-on-a-chip and the purification of extracellular vesicles. His laboratory has been funded by six institutes at the National Institutes of Health as well as the National Science Foundation, New York State, and multiple industry partners. He is also the Director of the Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Ph.D. program at RIT. He joined RIT in the spring of 2012 as a founding member of the Biomedical Engineering Department. Before returning to academia, Tom was the co-founder and president of SiMPore, an early-stage nanomaterials company, where he helped raise two rounds of investment, was awarded three NIH grants as principal investigator, and brought several products to market.
585-475-4117
Areas of Expertise
Biomedical engineering
Ultra-thin nano-membranes
Nanomanufacturing
Cellular micro-environments
Microfluidics
Select Scholarship
Journal Paper
Ahmed, A, et al. "Microengineered Three-Dimensional Collagen Landscapes with Independetly Tunable Fiber Anisotropy and Directionality." Advanced Materials Technologies 6. 4 (2021): 2001186. Print.
Allahyari, Z, et al. "Micropatterned Poly(ethylene glycol) Islands Disrupt Endothelial Cell–Substrate Interactions Differently from Microporous Membranes." ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 6. 2 (2020): 959-968. Print.
Hill, K, et al. "Second Generation Nanoporous Silicon Nitride Membranes for High Toxin Clearance and Small Format Hemodialysis." Advanced Healthcare Materials. (2020): 1900750. Print.
Khire, TS, et al. "Microvascular Mimetics for the Study of Leukocyte–Endothelial Interactions." Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering 13. (2020): 125-139. Print.
Piazza, N, et al. "Therapeutic Potential of Extracellular Vesicles in Degenerative Diseases of the Intervertebral Disc." Frontiers Bioengineering and Biotechnology 8. (2020): 311. Print.
Miler, JJ, et al. "Free Standing, Large Area Silicon Nitride Membranes for High Toxin Clearance and Small Format Hemodialysis." Membranes 10. 6 (2020): 119. Print.
Dehghani, M, et al. "Systematic Evaluation of PKH Labelling on Extracellular Vesicle Size by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis." Scientific Reports 10. (2020): 9533. Print.
Luca, K, et al. "Critical Flux Behavior of Ultrathin Silicon Nanomembranes." Separathion and Purification Technology 251. (2020): 117342. Print.
Ramirez, MM, et al. "Use of Nanosphere Self-assembly to Pattern Ultrathin Membranes for the Study of Extracellular Vesicles." Nanoscale Advances 2. (2020): 4427-4436. Print.
Salminen, AT, et al. "In Vitro Studies of Transendothelial Migration for Biological and Drug Discovery." Frontiers in Medical Technology 2. (2020): 600616. Print.
Salminen, AT, et al. "Endothelial Cell Apicobasal Polarity Facilitates Distinct IL-8 Secretion and Immune Responses to Systemic vs. Local Inflammation." Integrative Biology 12. 11 (2020): 275-289. Print.
Gholizadeh, S, et al. "Robust Variable and Gradient Thickness Membranes for Tissue Barrier Models." Advanced Materials Technology 5. 12 (2020): 2000474. Print.
Rode, RP, et al. "Trilayer Interlinked Graphene Oxide Membrane for Wearable Hemodialyzer." Advanced Materials Interfaces 8. 3 (2020): 2170011. Print.
Salminen, AT, et al. "Ultrathin Dual-Scale Nano- and Micro-Porous Membranes for Vascular Transmigration Models." Small 15. 6 (2019): 1804111. Print.
Dehghani, M, et al. "Tangential Flow Microfluidics for the Capture and Release of Nanoparticles and Extracellular Vesicles on Conventional and Ultrathin membranes." Advanced Materials Technologies 4. 11 (2019): 1900539. Print.
Chung, H.H., et al. "Use of Porous Membranes in Tissue Barrier and Co-culture Models." Lab on a Chip 18. (2018): 1671-1689. Print.
Chung, H.H., et al. "Extended Live-tracking and Quantitative Characterization of Wound Healing and Cell Migration with SiR-Hoechst." Experimental Cell Research 1. 2 (2018): 198-210. Print.
Carter, R.N., et al. "Ultrathin Transparent Porous Glass Membranes For Cell Culture." Biofabrication 9. 1 (2017): 1-23. Print.
Casillo, S.M., et al. "Membrane Pore Spacing Can Modulate Endothelial Cell-Substrate and Cell-Cell Interactions." ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 3. 3 (2017): 243-248. Print.
Ramirez, M.M. and T.R. Gaborski. "Fabrication Techniques Enabling Ultrathin Nanostructured Membranes for Separations." Electrophoresis 28. 19 (2017): 2374-2388. Print.
Chung, H.H., et al. "Porous Substrates Promote Early Endothelial Migration at the Expense of Fibronectin Fibrillogenesis." ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 4. 1 (2018): 222-230. Print.
Winans, Joshua, et al. "Membrane Capacity and Fouling Mechanisms for Ultrathin Nanomembranes in Dead-end Filtration." Journal of Membrane Science 499. (2016): 282-289. Print.
Qi, Chengzhu, et al. "Influence of silicon dioxide capping layers on pore characteristics in nanocrystalline silicon membranes." Nanotechnology 26. (2015): 55706. Print.
Winans, Joshua D., et al. "Membrane capacity and fouling mechanisms for ultrathin nanomembranes in dead-end filtration." Journal of Membrane Science 499. (2016): 282-289. Print.
Qi, Chengzhu, et al. "Highly Porous Silicon Membranes Fabricated from Silicon Nitride/Silicon Stacks." Small 42. 11-12 (2014): 851-855. Print.
Mazzocchi, Andrea R, et al. "Porous Membranes Promote Endothelial Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells and Perivascular Interactions." Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering 7. 3 (2014): 369-378. Print.
DesOrmeax, Jon-Paul S, et al. "Nanoporous Silicon Nitride Membranes Fabricated from Porous Nanocrystalline Silicon Templates." Nanoscale 6. 18 (2014): 10798-10805. Print.
Nehilla, Barrett J, et al. "Endothelial Vacuolization Induced By Highly-permeable Silicon Membranes." Acta Biomateriala 10. 11 (2014): 4670-4677. Print.
Miller, Joshua J, et al. "Lift-off of Large-Scale Ultrathin Nanomembranes." Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering 25. 1 (2014): 15011. Print.
Snyder, Jessica L, et al. "High Performance, Low Voltage Electroosmotic Pumps with Molecularly Thin Nanoporous Silicon Membranes." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110. 46 (2013): 18425-18430. Print.
Johnson, Dean G., et al. "Ultrathin Silicon Membranes for Wearable Hemodialysis." Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease 20. 6 (2013): 508-513. Print.
Gaborski, Thomas R., et al. "Dynamics of Adhesion Molecule Domains on Neutrophil Membranes: Surfing the Dynamic Cell Topography." European Biophysics Journal 42. 11-12 (2013): 851-855. Print.
Kavalenka, Maryna N, et al. "Ballistic and Non-Ballistic Gas Flow through Ultrathin Nanopores." Nanotechnology 23. 14 (2012): 145706. Print.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
Gaborski, TR. "Development of Nanopocket Membranes for Tangential Flow Analyte Capture (TFAC) of Extracellular Vesicles." North American Membrane Society Annual Meeting. North American Membrane Society. Phoenix, AZ. 20 May 2020. Conference Presentation.
Mireles, M, C Soule, and TR Gaborski. "Use of Nanosphere Self-Assembly to Pattern Nanoporous Membranes for the Study of Extracellular Vesicles." 2019 Annual North American Membrane Society Meeting. North American Membrane Society. Pittsburgh, PA. 15 May 2019. Conference Presentation.
Gaborski, T.R. "Engineering Porous Membranes to Optimize in Vitro Cellular Barrier Models." IEEE NANOMED. IEEE. Waikiki, HI. 4 Dec. 2018. Conference Presentation.
Gaborski, Thomas, et al. "Transparent and Ultrathin Nanomembranes for Cellular Barrier and Co-culture Models." Annual Meeting. Biomedical Engineering Society. Minneapolis, MN. 7 Oct. 2016. Conference Presentation.
Dehghani, Mehdi and Thomas Gaborski. "Feasibility of Isolating Exosomes From Biofluids Using Ultrathin Nanomembranes." International Conference on Nano Micro and Mini Channels. ASME. Washington, DC. 13 Jul. 2016. Conference Presentation.
Gaborski, Thomas R. "Ultrathin silicon-based nanomembranes can revolutionize biological separations and serve as advanced cell culture platforms." International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels and Minichannels. American Society for Mechanical Engineers. San Francisco, CA. 7 Jul. 2015. Conference Presentation.
Gaborski, Thomas R. "Ultrathin Membranes Promote Endothelial Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells. Invited Presentation." World Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Congress. Terrapinn. London, England. 22 May 2015. Conference Presentation.
Gaborski, Thomas R. "Porous Membranes Promote Endothelial Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells and Perivascular Interactions." Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting. BMES. San Antonio, TX. 25 Oct. 2014. Conference Presentation.
Peer Reviewed/Juried Poster Presentation or Conference Paper
Allahyari, Z and TR Gaborski. "Can Porous Membranes be Engineered to Induce Physiologically Relevant Cell-substrate Interactions?" Proceedings of the 2019 Annual North American Membrane Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Pittsburgh, PA: n.p..
Dehghani, M and TR Gaborski. "Tangential Flow Microfluidics for the Capture and Release of Nanoparticles and Extracellular Vesicles on Conventional and Ultrathin Membranes." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual North American Membrane Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Pittsburgh, PA: n.p..
Mireles, M, C Soule, and TR Gaborski. "Surface-Specific Thermoresponsive Coating of Membranes." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual North American Membrane Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Pittsburgh, PA: n.p..
Gholizadeh, S and TR Gaborski. "Low-cost Ultrathin Porous Polymeric Membranes with Precise Control Over Pore Size and Membrane Geometrical Features for Modeling Leukocyte Transmigration through Barrier Models." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual North American Membrane Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Pittsburgh, PA: n.p..
Allahyari, Z and TR Gaborski. "Disrupted Surfaces Reduce Nuclear YAP Localization through Diminished Cell Spreading in ADSCs." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Philadelphia, PA: n.p..
Salminen, A and TR Gaborski. "The Role of Endothelial Cell Apicobasal Polarity in Sepsis Associated Neutrophil Dysfunction." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Philadephia, PA: n.p..
Ahmed, A, TR Gaborski, and VV Abhyankar. "Microfluidic Shear Based Approach to Fabricate Physically Distinct Tissue Interfaces." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Philadelphia, PA: n.p..
Mireles, M, C Soule, and TR Gaborski. "Surface-Specific Thermoresponsive Coating of Membranes." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Philadelphia, PA: n.p..
Mireles, M, C Soule, and TR Gaborski. "Use of Nanosphere Self-Assembly to Pattern Nanoporous Membranes for the Study of Extracellular Vesicles." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Philadelphia, PA: n.p..
Gholizadeh, S and TR Gaborski. "Low-cost Ultrathin Porous Polymeric Membranes with Precise Control Over Pore Size and Membrane Geometrical Features for Modeling Leukocyte Transmigration through Barrier Models." Proceedings of the 2019 Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting. Ed. NA. Philadelphia, PA: n.p..
Dehghani, M.A. and T.R. Gaborski. "Capture and Release of Extracellular Vesicles on Nanoporous Membranes." Proceedings of the ASME International Conference on Mini Micro and Nanochannels. Ed. ASME. Boston, MA: ASME.
Chung, H.H., et al. "Porous Substrates Influence Early Endothelial Migration and the Associated Fibronectin Fibrillogenesis." Proceedings of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Ed. BMES. Phoenix, AZ: BMES.
Casillo, S.M., S.J. Perry, and T.R. Gaborski. "Disrupted Surfaces of Porous Membranes Reduce YAP Nuclear Localization in Adipose-Derived Stem Cells." Proceedings of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Ed. BMES. Phoenix, AZ: BMES.
Ramirez, M.M., C. Soule, and T.R. Gaborski. "Co-Culture Membranes With Tunable Nanopore Sizes To Selectively Control Cell-Cell Communication." Proceedings of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Ed. BMES. Phoenix, AZ: BMES.
Ramirez, M.M., et al. "Development of Transparent Ultrathin Membranes Capable of Modulating Cell-Substrate and Cell-Cell Interactions." Proceedings of the Materials Research Society. Ed. MRS. Phoenix, AZ: MRS.
Casillo, Stephanie, et al. "Cell-Substrate and Cell-Cell Interactions in Endothelial Barrier Models on Porous Glass Membranes." Proceedings of the Annual Meeting. Ed. NA. Minneapolis, MN: Biomedical Engineering Society.
Currently Teaching
BIME-499
Co-op
0 Credits
One semester of paid work experience in biomedical engineering.
BIME-697
Graduate Research Practicum
2 - 6 Credits
This course will give students supervised practical training within academic research laboratories prior to conducting their own dissertation research. Students will identify a laboratory or laboratories to conduct the research with the permission of the graduate director and principal investigator. For each practicum, students will complete a brief critical literature review in the sub-field of the particular laboratory with the principal investigator. Students will then be trained on experimental or computational methods and learn relevant applied data analysis techniques. The practicum will conclude with a written summary and oral presentation. A typical 2 credit practicum is 120 hours of research training in a laboratory. Students will typically enroll in either 2 or 4 credits per semester (1 or 2 practicums) with a maximum of 6 credits earned during the degree program.
ENGR-701
Interdisciplinary Research Methods
3 Credits
This course emphasizes collaboration in modern research environment and consists of five modules. Students will introduced to the concepts of inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research conducted from both a scientific and an engineering perspective. Students will learn how to write a dissertation proposal, statement of work, timeline for their program of study and the elements of an effective literature review. Students will develop skills related to reviewing and annotating technical papers, conducting a literature search and proper citation. Students will demonstrate an understanding of (a) ethics as it relates to the responsible conduct of research, (b) ethical responsibility in the context of the engineering professions, (c) ethics as it relates to authorship and plagiarism, (d) basic criteria for ethical decision making and (e) identify professional standards and code of ethics relevant to their discipline. Students demonstrate an ability to identify and explain the potential benefits of their research discoveries to a range of stakeholders, including policy makers and the general public.
ENGR-795
Doctoral Seminar
1 Credits
This seminar course presents topics of contemporary interest to graduate students enrolled in the program. Presentations include off campus speakers, and assistance with progressing on your research. Selected students and faculty may make presentations on current research under way in the department. All doctoral engineering students enrolled full time are required to attend each semester they are on campus. (Graduate standing in a technical discipline)
ENGR-899
Independent Study
3 Credits
This course is used by students who plan to study a topic on an independent study basis. The student and instructor must prepare a plan of study and method of evaluation for approval by the program director prior to course registration.
In the News
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September 1, 2023
![two researchers standing next to each other in a lab.]()
RIT researchers pioneer solutions for degenerative disc disease and back pain
Researchers are improving non-invasive treatment options for degenerative disc disease, an ailment that impacts 3 million adults yearly in the U.S. Using state-of-the-art gene editing technology in mesenchymal stem cells, the researchers will add to the growing field of regenerative medicine, the process of producing cellular therapies to alleviate pain and lack of mobility.
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May 11, 2022
![four people in yellow clean suits looking at microchips.]()
Powering the future
Supply chain disruptions and a strong demand for consumer electronics during the pandemic led to a global chip shortage. The shortage has highlighted the need to strengthen the domestic semiconductor industry and has put a new emphasis on microelectronic engineering education.
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July 16, 2020
![illustration of round cells fitting into holes on a surface.]()
Researchers develop new method to filter extracellular vesicles to improve diagnostics options
Researchers at RIT and the University of Rochester discovered an alternative to successfully purify biological particles to better understand how cells communicate with one another.
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September 26, 2023
Gaborski named to NIH study section