Asuri, Prashanth

Dr. Prashanth Asuri joined the Bioengineering faculty at Santa Clara University in Fall 2011 after holding research positions in academia and industry. Dr. Asuri earned his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and M.B.A. with a focus on Leading Innovative Organizations from Santa Clara University. His research efforts focus on the design and development of biomaterial-based in vitro platforms to understand complex in vivo phenomena, and he has published over 50 journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on topics related to biomaterials, tissue engineering, and healthcare innovation. Dr. Asuri also serves as the Director of School of Engineering's Healthcare Innovation and Design Program that partners with industry to empower students to discover, innovate, and address complex challenges within healthcare.

For more information on Dr. Asuri, please check out his LinkedIn profile.

• Brutocao Family Foundation Award for Curriculum Innovation, Santa Clara University (2022)
• President’s Special Recognition Award, Santa Clara University (2019)
• School of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award, Santa Clara University (2018)
• School of Engineering Researcher of the Year, Santa Clara University (2016)
• Founders Award of Excellence, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - recognizing the top 1% of the institution (2006).
• Howard P. Isermann '42 Graduate Fellowship, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2003).

• Introduction to Nanobioengineering (BIOE 256)
• Stem Cell Bioengineering (BIOE 269)
• Advanced Topics in Tissue Engineering (BIOE 273)
• Healthcare Marketing (MKTG 3805)

Our lab interests are interdisciplinary in nature, integrating tools and concepts from biomaterials engineering, nanotechnology, and biology. Our current efforts focus on the development of hydrogel-based models for assessment of nanoparticle and chemical toxicity, macromolecular crowding and confinement, and mechanical properties of nanocomposites.

(A complete list of publications is available at Dr. Asuri’s Google Scholar profile.)

• Sandwich culture platforms to investigate the roles of stiffness gradients and cell–matrix adhesions in cancer cell migration, Cancers, 15, 1729 (2023).
• Silver nanoparticle surface chemistry determines interactions with human serum albumin and cytotoxic responses in human liver cells, ACS Omega, 8, 3310-3318 (2023).
• Role of polymer concentration and crosslinking density on release rates of small molecule drugs, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23, 4118 (2022).
• Cultivating student adoption of design thinking and entrepreneurial skills by addressing complex challenges in healthcare through industry partnerships, ASEE Conference Proceedings (2021).
• Multifunctional hydrogel nanocomposites for biomedical applications, Polymers, 13, 856 (2021).
• Combined effects of confinement and macromolecular crowding on protein stability, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21, 8516 (2020).
• Low‐dose silver nanoparticle surface chemistry and temporal effects on gene expression in human liver cells, Small, 16, 2000299 (2020).
• Solution effects on the self-association of a water-soluble peptoid, Biopolymers, 110, e23248 (2019). 
• Exploring the role of nanoparticles in enhancing mechanical properties of hydrogel nanocomposites, Nanomaterials, 8, 882 (2018).
• Droplet microfluidic platform for the determination of single-cell lactate release, Analytical Chemistry, 88, 3257-3263 (2016).
• Three-dimensional matrix stiffness and adhesive ligands affect cancer cell response to toxins, Biotechnology, and Bioengineering, 113, 443-452 (2016).
• Experimental Investigation of mechanical and thermal properties of silica nanoparticle-reinforced poly(acrylamide) nanocomposite hydrogels, PLoS One, 10, e0136293 (2015).
• A novel 2.5D culture platform to investigate the role of stiffness gradients on adhesion-independent cell migration, PLoS One, 9, e110453 (2014).
• Role of three-dimensional matrix stiffness in regulating the response of human neural cells to toxins, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, 7, 278-284 (2014).
• Function, structure, and stability of enzymes confined in agarose gels, PLoS One, 9, e86785 (2014).
• Soft microenvironments promote the early neurogenic differentiation but not self-renewal of human pluripotent stem cells, Integrative Biology, 4, 1049-1058 (2012).
• Directed evolution of adeno-associated virus for enhanced gene delivery and gene targeting in human pluripotent stem cells, Molecular Therapy, 20, 329-338 (2012).
• Polymer-nanotube-enzyme composites as active antifouling films, Small, 3, 50-53 (2007).
• Protein directed the formation of silver nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes, Advanced Materials, 19, 3167-3170 (2007).
• Directed assembly of carbon nanotubes at liquid-liquid interfaces, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 128, 1046-1047 (2006).
• Increasing protein stability through control of the nanoscale environment, Langmuir, 22, 5833-5836 (2006).