SLU Biomedical Engineering

Congratulations to Avantika Jain, Pharmacology and Physiology Ph.D. candidate who successfully defended her dissertation with distinction titled, "Developing Cell-Derived and Biomaterial Assisted Regenerative and Immunomodulatory Therapies for Skeletal Muscle Trauma." Avantika worked under the supervision of BME Associate Professor Dr. Koyal Garg in the Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Lab. Avantika's friends, family, and colleagues gathered to celebrate this milestone. 👏

Congratulations to graduating BME seniors and graduate students! It has been a privilege teaching and mentoring you during your time at SLU. It was exciting to see you all walking on the stage to accept your degrees and your ‘wings’ during the School of Science and Engineering pre-commencement ceremony at the Chaifetz Arena on Friday, May 15th. Best of luck on your future endeavors and careers! 🎓👏🎓

Special shoutouts to:

🌟Avantika Jain, Pharmacology and Physiology Ph.D. graduate working under the supervision of BME Associate Professor Dr. Koyal Garg in the Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Lab

🌟Elise Passalacqua, Rising BME Junior, Singer of the National Anthem at the SSE Pre-Commencement Ceremony

Congratulations to Kristina Pinkham who successfully defended her master's thesis titled, " A Three-Dimensional Biomimetic In Vitro Model to Simulate Schwann Cell-Mediated Peripheral Nerve Repair." Kristina worked under the supervision of Dr. Koyal Garg in the Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Lab. 👏

BME graduate students and faculty enjoyed their annual outing to Top Golf on May 5th before heading into finals week. This event is part of the BME graduate event series that offers students and faculty a chance to gather outside of the labs and classrooms to have fun in the STL community. ⛳

Join us in celebrating BME senior Hannah Johnson! During her time at SLU Hannah was involved in the University Honors Program, Club Swimming, Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honors Society), Pi Delta Phi (French Honors Society), and previously served as the Social Media Manager and President of SLU's Biomedical Engineering Society.

We are so proud of you Hannah! 💙🤍

Congratulations to Dr. Koyal Garg on her appointment as Chair-Elect of the TERMIS-AM Community Access and Engagement Committee! She steps into this new role with a powerful vision for community!

Happy Graduation Week, BME! 🎓
Join us in celebrating some of our BME students from the Class of 2026. Today, we’re highlighting Gweneth Hogan!

During her time at Saint Louis University, Gweneth was involved with Project Sunshine, volunteering at Ronald McDonald House Charities over the past two years. She also worked as an assistant in the School of Science and Engineering Dean’s Office and was a member of the Tissue Engineering Scaffold Fabrication Laboratory.

We wish you the very best in your future endeavors, Gweneth! 💙🤍

Graduate students from the Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering lab were selected to give podium presentations at the Annual Graduate Student Association Symposium at SLU. Congratulations to those who presented oral talks on their projects: Avantika Jain, Jamshid Tadiwala, Rebecca Sheetz, Amelia Ridolfo, and Kristina Pinkham. Special shoutout to Avantika, Kristina, and Jamshid who helped the MTE Lab sweep the podium!

Dr. Zustiak’s lab published “Dual-Stiffness Hydrogel-Based Glioblastoma In Vitro Model to Observe Cell Behavior at Interfaces” in Tissue Engineering, Part C: Methods, the official journal for the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). The work was conducted by former BS/MS students Allison Faber (lead author), Shabnam Nejat, and James Baker, all of whom have continued their academic journey in a doctoral program at a major US university! Find a link to the paper here: https://loom.ly/qzZg0i4

The paper focused on developing a dual-stiffness three-dimensional cell culture model comprised of two hydrogels with independently tunable mechanical properties and a defined interface. The setup requires no specialized equipment to prepare and is compatible with a multiwell plate format. Such a format allows for easy handling, including automated high-throughput screening, and is compatible with most imaging equipment designed for cell culture. Although the focus was on glioblastoma tumor spheroids, the model is suitable for other cell types, spheroids, or dissociated cells and for cocultures.

Congratulations to Dr. Koyal Garg on her SLU Health Research Council award amounting to $10,000!🎉