Sina Kheiri

Research areas: Regenerative Medicine; Translation and Innovation; Medical Technology; Precision Health Areas of expertise: Microphysiological Systems; Organ-on-a-Chip; Tissue Engineering and Cancer Modeling; Vasculogenesis & Angiogenesis; Translational Oncology; Computational Fluid Dynamics Current research: I am developing microphysiological systems (MPS), which are engineered microfluidic devices that recreate the structure and function of human tissue at a small scale, allowing me to study disease and test therapies in a setting that closely mirrors human biology. My lab is working on building vascularized tumor MPS models, with a strong interest in upper gastrointestinal cancers, incorporating functional lymphatic vessels alongside blood vasculature, since these are the primary routes for both drug delivery and metastatic spread. To construct these tissues, I am using a narrative engineering approach: biomanufacturing strategies that assemble living building blocks, such as shape-defined tumor organoids, into structured, functional tissue architectures, giving me a level of control over tumor geometry and organization not achievable through cell culture alone. I am also combining these platforms with computational approaches, including computational fluid dynamics and machine learning, to guide device design and predict tissue behavior. The central goal of my research is to build MPS models that better reflect patient diversity by incorporating sex as a biological variable and recreating circadian rhythms within the tissue systems, both of which strongly influence drug metabolism and cancer progression. Areas of interest: Interaction between tumor cells and the vascular and lymphatic microenvironment; Biomanufacturing of vascularized tissues; Sex- and time-informed precision medicine in cancer; Self-driving bio labs

1. 4D force patterning enables spatial control of angiogenesis. Kheiri S*, Shah J*, Chai P, Venkatesh SA, Flynn RA, Kamm RD, Raman R. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 2026; PMID: 42406945 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2532667123 2. GlycoRNA complexed with heparan sulfate regulates VEGF-A signalling. Chai P, Kheiri S, Kuo A, Shah J, et al. Nature. 2026; PMID: 41606331 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10052-8 3. Machine learning-assisted exploration of multidrug-drug administration regimens for organoid arrays. Yakavets I*, Kheiri S*, Cruickshank J, Hickman RJ, Rakhshani F, Aldeghi M, Rajaonson EM, Young EWK, Aspuru-Guzik A, Cescon DW, Kumacheva E. Science Advances 2025; PMID: 40737392 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt1851 4. Microfl