Serpooshan & Bauser

Labs

for tissue manufacturing & analysis

About Us

The Serpooshan Team uses a multidisciplinary approach to design and develop micro/nano-scale tissue engineering technologies with the ultimate goal of generating functional tissues and organs. Current projects in my lab include:

1) Bioengineering iPSC-based, functional cardiovascular tissue models, via 3D bioprinting technologies, as in vitro platforms to study human heart development and diseases;

2) Design and manufacturing novel patient-specific cardiac patch systems to regenerate damaged myocardium following ischemic heart injury;

3) 3D bioprinting of functional in vitro models of cortical organoids to study human brain development; and

4) Engineering highly tunable bioprinted models to study pediatric tumor growth, aggression, and response to therapies.

news

Serpooshan-Bauser Lab NEWS

research

OUR LINES OF RESEARCH

Modeling human heart development & congenital heart disease

Using state-of-the-art 3D bioprinting, perfusion bioreactor, and induced pluripotent stem cell technologies to engineer in vitro models of human heart development and diseases. Studying various cellular and environmental factors underlying congenital heart defects and their therapies.

Advanced cardiac patch devices to regenerate damaged heart tissue

Using a variety of bioengineering approaches, together with human induced pluripotent stem cell technologies and paracrine signalling, to create novel biomaterial-based cardiac patch devices. These patient-specific scaffolds are capable of regenerating the damaged heart tissue following acute injuries such as heart attack.

Smart Nanobiomaterials

Synthesis, characterization, and application of various nano/micro-scale biomaterials for diverse biomedical applications in vitro and in vivo. Examples include: magnetic nanoparticles for antibacterial and imaging applications, conductive nanorods to enhance cardiac tissue function, and nanostructured scaffolds.

our team

Meet The Team

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Vahid Serpooshan, PhD

Principal Investigator

Associate Professor

Director, Center for Innovation in Congenital Heart Disease (CiCHD)

Scientific Director, Children's Heart Institute

McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston

Vahid Serpooshan, PhD, received his BSc and MSc in Materials Science and Engineering from Sharif University of Technology and his PhD in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering from McGill University. He subsequently trained at Stanford University School of Medicine in Pediatric Cardiology and the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, where his research focused on biomaterials, cardiac tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and 3D bioprinting, including the development of engineered cardiac patches for heart repair. In 2018, Dr. Serpooshan joined Emory University and the Georgia Tech as faculty in Biomedical Engineering and Pediatrics, where he established a multidisciplinary research program focused on 3D bioprinting-based tissue engineering. In 2025, he joined UTHealth Houston as Associate Professor of Pediatrics at McGovern Medical School and Scientific Director of the Children’s Heart Institute. He is also Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Innovation in Congenital Heart Disease (CiCHD). His research integrates advanced 3D bioprinting, stem cell engineering, and organ-on-chip technologies to develop human tissue models and regenerative therapies, with a particular emphasis on congenital and pediatric cardiovascular diseases.

Holly Bauser-Heaton, MD, PhD, is Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at UTHealth Houston, where she serves as Co-Executive Director of the Children’s Heart Institute, Co-Director of the Center for Innovation in Congenital Heart Disease, and the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair. She joined UTHealth in 2025 after serving on the faculty at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University. Dr. Bauser-Heaton received her MD and PhD from Indiana University in 2009, where her research focused on NO signaling and endothelial function, and subsequently completed her clinical training at Stanford University. Her clinical-research programs focus on pulmonary vascular disease and congenital heart disease, Her research also integrates 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering, and vascular biology to model pulmonary vascular disease and develop regenerative vascular therapies for children with complex congenital heart disease.

Holly Bauser, MD PhD

Assistant Professor

Pediatric Cardiologist

Sibley Heart Center, Pediatric Cardiology

Emory University School of Medicine

Sarah Rezapour, MD

Sarah Rezapour earned her MD degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Tehran, Iran) in 2015. Following the completion of her degree, she embarked on a three-year practice in the field of medicine, gaining invaluable experience in patient care and medical practice. With a passion for delving deeper into the unmet needs in clinical settings, Dr. Rezapour transitioned to the research arena, joining the Tehran Research Institute of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases. Her project was directed toward unraveling the complex pathways involved in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) progression and developing novel approaches for diagnosis and treatment. Sarah joined the Serpooshan lab in May 2023 as a postdoctoral research fellow. In her current role, she mainly focuses on Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD). Her project centers on biofabrication and in vitro culture strategies for constructing a vascular 3D model of the healthy human liver (hepatic sinusoid) vs. FALD tissue models.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Pediatrics

Emory University School of Medicine

Georgia Institute of Technology

Mehdi Salar Amoli received his BSc from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnique, Iran), studying biomaterials and tissue engineering, and performing research on osteochondral tissue engineering. Next, he moved to London, where he continued studies in the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering at Imperial College London (ICL), conducting research at Dr. Molly Stevens group on nanoneedle based gene delivery techniques. Following his training at ICL, Mehdi moved to Belgium, where he received his PhD from KU Leuven. His doctoral research focused on development of bioinks for 3D bioprinting strategies aimed at regeneration of the dentoalveolar tissues. During his PhD, he focused on development of a range of stimuli-responsive biomaterials for bioprinting, sustained release delivery systems for incorporation of drugs and growth factors, as well as physical, mechanical and biological characterization of tissue engineered constructs. In 2023, Mehdi joined Serpooshan lab, where his main research focus is to develop in vitro disease models using bioprinting.

Mehdi Salar Amoli, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Pediatrics

Emory University School of Medicine

Georgia Institute of Technology

Kaveeta Kaw, MD PhD

Postodcotoral Fellow, Cardiology Fellow

Basic Science Research Track (ABIM)
1st Year Fellow

Emory University School of Medicine

Kaveeta Kaw, MD, PhD, is a cardiology fellow in the Basic Science Research Track at Emory University, where she previously completed her internal medicine residency. She earned her MD and PhD from McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston in 2022. During her training, Dr. Kaw was actively involved in biomedical innovation, co-developing “AnchorCath,” a flexible, flat catheter designed to reduce dislodgement, which was presented at the Georgia Tech/Emory BME Senior Capstone in Fall 2022, and subsequently leading “PACMasters,” an advanced Swan–Ganz catheter adaptation aimed at improved hemodynamic monitoring, showcased in Fall 2023. She has contributed to cardiopulmonary research, including presenting work at the Southern Pediatric Research Conference in June 2025 on ER stress–driven vascular remodeling using a 3D-bioprinted pulmonary arterial hypertension model. Her work reflects a commitment to integrating basic science and clinical cardiology to advance patient care. Beyond her academic pursuits, Dr. Kaw is active on social media (@PinkPipettes), where she shares her enthusiasm for travel, staying active, and drawing.

Graduate Students

Linqi Jin

PhD Student

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Emory University and

Georgia Institute of Technology

Mostafa Meselhe

MD PhD Student

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Emory University and

Georgia Institute of Technology

Gopika Dharmendra

MS Student

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Emory University and

Georgia Institute of Technology

Vani Sridhar

PhD Student

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Emory University and

Georgia Institute of Technology

Manasvi Parab

MS Student

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Emory University and

Georgia Institute of Technology

Maher Saadeh

PhD Student

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Emory University and

Georgia Institute of Technology

Chidubem Onyeagoro

PhD Student

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Emory University and

Georgia Institute of Technology

Adithya Pillai

MS Student

Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Emory University and

Georgia Institute of Technology

Undergraduate Students

Ashay Bongirwar

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Elizabeth Kuehnle

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Zoëe Jodesty

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Hanyesl Dieter

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Divya Sivakumar

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

original-3FE16E2F-2AE8-422E-9946-865C7296B96F_edited.jpg

Sarah Fineman

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Emmah Howard

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Wyatt DeBord

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Roshni Nandwani

Undergraduate Researcher

Emory University

Pranitha Kaza

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Avaneesh Jayadev

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Margaret wade

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Lab Alumni

Martin L. Tomov, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Now: Assoc Director, Innovation Core

@ Emory School of Medicine

Jemma Hwang, BS, BA

Lead Res Specialist

Now: Res Specialist

@ Emory University

Liqun Ning, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Now: Assistant Professor

@ Cleveland State University

Boeun Hwang, PhD

PhD Student

Now: Postdoctoral Fellow

@ Boston University

Melissa Cadena, PhD

PhD Student

Now: Postdoctoral Fellow

@ Emory School of Medicine

Carmen J. Gil, PhD

PhD Student

Now: Postdoctoral Fellow

@ Emory School of Medicine

Amrita Basuu

Undergraduate Researcher

Now:BME student

@ GT

Lama Rita El Shammas

BME MS Student

Now: Assoc. Clinical Specialist

@ Abbott

Sophia Norton

Undergraduate Researcher

Now: BME Student

@ GT

Yamini Singh, MSc

Research Specialist

Now: BME PhD Student

@ Arizona State U

Zahra Alghoul

BME MS Student

Yuxiao Wu

Lauren Korsnick

Undergraduate Student @ Emory

Undergraduate Researcher

Now: PhD Student

@ ...

Now: Mech Eng PhD Student

@ Stanford University

Zinah Ghazi

Research Specialist

Now: Keller Williams Realty

Vani Sridhar

BME MS Student

Now: BME PhD Student

@ Emory & Georgia Tech

Stefano Zanella

Andrea Theus

BME MS Student

Now: Medtronic

Research Specialist

Now: Assoc Engineer at BD

Katherine Pham Do

Research Specialist

Now: Medical School

Rosemary Tran

Undergraduate Researcher

Emory University

Mostafa Abdalla

Research Specialist

Now: USPTO

Anjum Alam

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Jayce Schwartz

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Caroline Harpole

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Faiza Syed

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Alex Cetnar

Linqi Jin

Gabriella Kabboul

Joy E. Nish

BME MS Student

Now: R&D Eng II @ Medtronic

BME MS Program

Now: BME PhD Student @ Serpooshan Lab

Undergraduate Researcher

Now: PhD Student @ Levit Lab

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Ishita Raghuvanshi

Undergraduate Researcher

Now: BME Student

@ Georgia Tech

Riya Mehta

Davis White

Corinna Shimalla

Victor Putaturo

Undergraduate Researcher

Emory University

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Federico Prokopczuk

Hannah Komanapalli

SURE Program 2018

California State University, Northridge

SURE Program 2018

Purdue University

Huyun Chen

Kevin M. McCoy

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Rommi Kashlan

Rebecca R. Xu

High School Intern

Now @: BME Undergrad at Georgia Tech

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Bryanna J. Lima

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Rithvik Sarasani

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Alpravinta Alagesan

Agastya Vaidya

Allison Wombwell

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Undergraduate Researcher

Emory University

Undergraduate Researcher

Georgia Institute of Technology

publications

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

L. Ning, J. Shim, M.L. Tomov, R. Liu, R. Mehta, A. Mingee, B. Hwang, L. Jin, A. Mantalaris, C. Xu, M. Mahmoudi, K.C. Goldsmith, V. Serpooshan. A 3D bioprinted in vitro model of neuroblastoma recapitulates dynamic tumor-endothelial cell interactions contributing to solid tumor aggressive behavior. Advanced Science, 9 (23), 2200244, 2022.
J.W. Buikema, …, V. Serpooshan, S. Jovinge, B.K. Fleischmann, P.A. Doevendans, J. van der Velden, K.C. Garcia, J.C. Wu, J. PG Sluijter, and S.M. Wu. Wnt activation and reduced cell-cell contact synergistically induce massive expansion of functional human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Cell Stem Cell, 27, 50-63, 2020.
M. Mahmoudi, M. Yu, V. Serpooshan, J.C. Wu, R. Langer, R.T. Lee, J.M. Karp, and O.C. Farokhzad. Multiscale technologies for treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Nature Nanotechnology, 12, 845-55, 2017.
K. Wei+, V. Serpooshan+ (Co-First Author), …, M.D. Schneider, M.J.B. van den Hoff, M.J. Butte, P.C. Yang, K. Walsh, B. Zhou, D. Bernstein, M. Mercola, and P. Ruiz-Lozano. Epicardial FSTL1 reconstitution regenerates the adult mammalian heart. Nature, 525, 479-85, 2015.

S. Chen, M.L. Tomov, L. Ning, C.J. Gil, B. Hwang, H.D. Bauser‐Heaton, H. Chen, and V. Serpooshan. Extrusion‐based 3D bioprinting of adhesive tissue engineering scaffolds using hybrid functionalized hydrogel bioinks. Advanced Biology, 7 (7), 2300124, 2023.
S. Neelakantan, M. Kumar, E.A. Mendiola, H. Phelan, V. Serpooshan, S. Sadayappan, R. Avazmohammadi. Multiscale characterization of left ventricle active behavior in the mouse. Acta Biomaterialia, 162, 240-253, 2023.
M.J. Hajipour, R. Safavi‐Sohi, S. Sharifi, N. Mahmoud, A.A. Ashkarran, E. Voke, V. Serpooshan, M. Ramezankhani, A.S. Milani, M.P. Landry, and M. Mahmoudi. An overview of nanoparticle protein corona literature. Small, 19 (36), 2301838, 2023.
L. Ning and V. Serpooshan. Giant salamander-derived hydrogel granules with superior bioadhesive properties. Matter, 5 (9), 2581-2584, 2022.
A.S. Theus, L. Ning, G. Kabboul, B. Hwang, M.L. Tomov, C.N. LaRock, H.D. Bauser-Heaton, M. Mahmoudi, V. Serpooshan. 3D bioprinting of nanoparticle-laden hydrogel scaffolds with enhanced antibacterial and imaging properties. iScience, 25 (9), 104947, 2022.
L. Ning, M.L. Tomov, S. Zanella, B. Zambrano, R. Avazmohammadi, M. Mahmoudi, H.D. Bauser-Heaton, and V. Serpooshan. Magnetic nanoparticle-mediated targeting of endothelium to address restenosis in a bioprinted in vitro model of pulmonary arteries. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 42, A550, 2022.
S. Sharifi, A. Ata Saei, H. Gharibi, N.N. Mahmoud, S. Harkins, N. Dararatana, E.M. Lisabeth, V. Serpooshan, Á. Végvári, A. Moore, M. Mahmoudi. Mass spectrometry, structural analysis, and anti-inflammatory properties of photo-cross-linked human albumin hydrogels. ACS Applied Bio Materials, 5 (6), 2643-2663, 2022.
J.Q. Ho, M.R. Sepand, B. Bigdelou, T. Shekarian, R. Esfandyarpour, P. Chauhan, V. Serpooshan, L.K. Beura, G. Hutter, S. Zanganeh. The immune response to COVID‐19: Does sex matter? Immunology, 166 (4), 429-443, 2022.
C.J. Gil, L. Li, B. Hwang, M. Cadena, A.S. Theus, T.A. Finamore, H. Bauser-Heaton, M. Mahmoudi, R.K. Roeder, V. Serpooshan. Tissue engineered drug delivery vehicles: Methods to monitor and regulate the release behavior. Journal of Controlled Release, 349, 143-155, 2022.
L. Li, C.J. Gil, T.A. Finamore, C.J. Evans, M.L. Tomov, L. Ning, A.S. Theus, G. Kabboul, V. Serpooshan, R.K. Roeder. Methacrylate-modified gold nanoparticles enable noninvasive monitoring of photocrosslinked hydrogel scaffolds. Advanced NanoBiomed Research, 2 (7), 2200022, 2022.
M.L. Tomov, L. Perez, L. Ning, H. Chen, ..., J. Zhang, R. Avazmohammadi, A. Mantalaris, B.D. Lindsey, D. Frakes, L.P. Dasi, V. Serpooshan, and H. Bauser-Heaton. A 3D Bioprinted In Vitro Model of Pulmonary Artery Atresia to Evaluate Endothelial Cell Response to Microenvironment. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 10 (20), 2100968, 2021.
M. Mahmoudi, V. Serpooshan, P.C. Yang, and M. Heydarpour. The effect of cell sex on magnetic nanoparticle uptake of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Circulation Research, 129, AP392-AP392, 2021.
C.J. Gil, C. Evans, L. Li, M. Vargas, G. Kabboul, T. Fulton, R. Veneziano, N. Willet, H. Bauser-Heaton, R.K. Roeder, and V. Serpooshan. A precision medicine approach for non-invasive, longitudinal, and quantitative monitoring of cardiac tissue-engineered scaffolds. Circulation Research, 129, AMP207-AMP207, 2021.
M. Mahmoudi, P.C. Yang, , P. Abadi, and M. Heydarpour. The effect of cell sex on cardiogenic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells and their maturation processes. Circulation Research, 129, A109-A109, 2021.
S. Chen, M.L. Tomov, L. Ning, C.J. Gil, B. Hwang, H. Bauser-Heaton, and V. Serpooshan. Three-dimensional bioprinting of adhesive cardiac patch systems. Circulation Research, 129, AP403-AP403, 2021.
M. Zhao, Y. Nakada, Y. Wei, W. Bian, Y. Chu, A.V. Borovjagin, M. Xie, W. Zhu, T. Nguyen, Y. Zhou, V. Serpooshan, G.P. Walcott, and J. Zhang. Cyclin D2 Overexpression Enhances the Efficacy of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes for Myocardial Repair in a Swine Model of Myocardial Infarction. Circulation, 144 (3), 210-228, 2021.
M.J. Hajipour, H. Aghaverdi, V. Serpooshan, H. Vali, S. Sheibani, and M. Mahmoudi. Sex as an important factor in nanomedicine. Nature Communications, 12, 2984-3010, 2021.
L. Ning, N. Zhu, A. Smith, A. Rajaram, H. Hou, S. Srinivasan, F. Mohabatpour, L. He, A. Mclnnes, V. Serpooshan, P. Papagerakis, and X. Chen. Noninvasive Three-Dimensional In Situ and In Vivo Characterization of Bioprinted Hydrogel Scaffolds Using the X-ray Propagation-Based Imaging Technique. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 13, 25611, 2021.
O. Chirikian, W.R. Goodyer, E. Dzilic, V. Serpooshan, J.W. Buikema, W. McKeithan, H. Wu, G. Li, S. Lee, M. Merk, F. Galdos, A. Beck, A. JS Ribeiro, S. Paige, M. Mercola, J.C. Wu, B.L. Pruitt, and S.M. Wu. CRISPR/Cas9-based targeting of fluorescent reporters to human iPSCs to isolate atrial and ventricular-specific cardiomyocytes. Scientific Reports, 11, 1, 2021.
M. Shokouhimehr, A.S. Theus, A. Kamalakar, L. Ning, C. Cao, M.L. Tomov, J.M. Kaiser, S. Goudy, N.J. Willett, H.W. Jang, C.N. LaRock, P. Hanna, A. Lechtig, M. Yousef, J. Da Silva Martins, A. Nazarian, M.B. Harris, M. Mahmoudi, V. Serpooshan. 3D Bioprinted Bacteriostatic Hyperelastic Bone Scaffold for Damage-Specific Bone Regeneration. Polymers, 13, 1099, 2021 (Editor's Choice).