Vinay Abhyankar Headshot

Vinay Abhyankar

Associate Professor

Department of Biomedical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering

585-475-4665
Office Location
Office Mailing Address
160 Lomb Memorial Dr Rochester, NY 14623

Vinay Abhyankar

Associate Professor

Department of Biomedical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering

Education

BS, Binghamton University; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin

Bio

Dr. Vinay Abhyankar received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Binghamton University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After one year in technical consulting, he joined the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Department at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, CA. Prior to joining RIT, he led the Biological Microsystems Division at the University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute. Dr. Abhyankar’s research laboratory works at the intersection of engineering, biomaterials science, and biology. 

Current work focuses on developing accessible microfluidic systems that integrate controlled microenvironments with topographically defined matrices to engineer biomimetic tissue interfaces.These technology platforms are well-suited for both undergraduate and graduate research involvement and combine simulation-based design, hands-on prototyping, and experimental studies to better understand human disease.

Select Scholarship

RIT students are in bold

Ahmed, A., Joshi, I. M., Goulet, M. R., Vidas, J. A., Byerley, A. M., Mansouri, M., Day, S. W., & Abhyankar, V. V. (2022). Microengineering 3D Collagen Hydrogels with Long-Range Fiber Alignment. J. Vis. Exp., e64457. https://doi.org/10.3791/64457

Mansouri, M., Ahmed, A., Ahmad, S. D., McCloskey, M. C., Joshi, I. M., Gaborski, T. R., Waugh, R. E., McGrath, J. L., Day, S. W., & Abhyankar, V. V. (2022). The Modular μSiM Reconfigured: Integration of Microfluidic Capabilities to Study in vitro Barrier Tissue Models under Flow. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2200802. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202200802

McCloskey, M. C., Kasap, P., Ahmad, S. D., Su, S.-H., Chen, K., Mansouri, M., Ramesh, N., Nishihara, H., Belyaev, Y., Abhyankar, V. V, Begolo, S., Singer, B. H., Webb, K. F., Kurabayashi, K., Flax, J., Waugh, R. E., Engelhardt, B., & McGrath, J. L. (2022). The Modular µSiM: A Mass Produced, Rapidly Assembled, and Reconfigurable Platform for the Study of Barrier Tissue Models In Vitro. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2200804. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202200804

Hsu, M.-C., Mansouri, M., Ahamed, N. N. N., Larson, S. M., Joshi, I. M., Ahmed, A., Borkholder, D. A., & Abhyankar, V. V. (2022). A miniaturized 3D printed pressure regulator (µPR) for microfluidic cell culture applications. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 10769. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15087-9

Ahmed, A., Mansouri, M., Joshi, I. M., Byerley, A. M., Day, S. W., Gaborski, T. R., & Abhyankar, V. V. (2022). Local extensional flows promote long-range fiber alignment in 3D collagen hydrogels. Biofabrication, 14(3), 035019. https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ac7824

Ahmed, A., Joshi, I. M., Larson, S., Mansouri, M., Gholizadeh, S., Allahyari, Z., Forouzandeh, F., Borkholder, D. A., Gaborski, T. R., & Abhyankar, V. V. (2021). Microengineered 3D Collagen Gels with Independently Tunable Fiber Anisotropy and Directionality. Advanced Materials Technologies, 6(4), 2001186. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202001186

Ahmed, A., Joshi, I. M., Mansouri, M., Ahamed, N. N. N., Hsu, M.-C., Gaborski, T. R., & Abhyankar, V. V. (2021). Engineering fiber anisotropy within natural collagen hydrogels. American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology, 320(6), C1112–C1124. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpcell.00036.2021

Williams, M. J., Lee, N. K., Mylott, J. A., Mazzola, N., Ahmed, A., & Abhyankar, V. V. (2019). A low- cost, Rapidly Integrated Debubbler (RID) module for microfluidic cell culture applications. Micromachines, 10(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/mi10060360

 

Currently Teaching

BIME-411
3 Credits
The focus of this course will be on the interaction between organ systems for the purpose of maintaining overall homeostasis. Attention will be paid to feedback mechanisms that involve electrical and chemical feedback and control systems. The interactions between systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal) and how they affect fluid and electrolyte balance, material exchange and disease processes will be discussed. Throughout the course, diseases and disorders of the various systems will be discussed. Students will learn to analyze the systems in a quantitative manner based on engineering analysis.
BIME-470
3 Credits
This hands-on course gives engineering students experience with different culture platforms and analysis techniques. Students will be given experiments relating to current literature and state of the art techniques in the area of Tissue Engineering. In a project-based course style, individual experiments require multiple weeks and students will be expected to maintain their own cultures.
BIME-499
0 Credits
One semester of paid work experience in biomedical engineering.
BIME-570
3 Credits
This course is intended to provide an overview of how replacement organs and tissues can be engineered using both natural and synthetic biomaterials that direct cellular differentiation and integration. The objectives of the course are to present how tissues can be engineered using the physical and chemical properties of biomaterials and targeted differentiation of multi- and pluripotent stem cells. Topics include the adhesion, migration, growth and differentiation of cells as well as the optimization and modeling of molecular and cellular transport within and across engineered tissues. Additionally, the course will investigate the engineering parameters and necessary functionality of artificial tissues.
BIME-670
3 Credits
This is a course with lecture and seminar components. The lecture component will provide a state-of-the-art overview of how replacement organs and tissues can be engineered using both natural and synthetic biomaterials as well as chemical and physical cues that direct cellular differentiation and integration. Furthermore, techniques commonly employed in tissue engineering research are discussed. In the seminar component, students will review and present current journal articles and will listen to research talks given by experts in the field of tissue engineering. Scientific interaction with the presenting researchers in the form of Q&A sessions is expected. Additionally, the course will train students in grant proposal writing.

In the News

  • March 22, 2023

    person holding a microphone giving a presentation.

    RIT honors 14 researchers added to prestigious PI Millionaires group

    RIT faculty members, who led research initiatives as principal investigators, were honored at a reception on March 21 to celebrate the individuals who helped the university reach record awards surpassing $92 million and place among the top private research universities in the country.

  • July 25, 2022

    professor and two students talking in a lab.

    Vinay Abhyankar receives NSF grant to assess cancer cell migration processes

    Cancer spreading from the primary tumor location to another is called metastasis and is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Research efforts today focus on discovering the guidance cues, or indicators, that promote movement of cancer cells toward blood vessels during early metastasis, and some of that work is taking place at RIT and the University of Rochester.