Prasanna Padmanaban

Bioengineer | Computational Scientist | Science communicator

Phone:

+34 671980906

Email:

mailprasanna03@gmail.com

Google scholar:

https://bit.ly/3rcNpdz

"Open for Collaborations"

(Tissue mechanics, Microfluidics, Soft matter & AI based microscopy)

Prasanna is a EIPOD4 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Haase Lab of Dr. Kristina Haase, EMBL Barcelona. He also works in the Petridou Lab of Dr. Nicoletta Petridou, EMBL Heidelberg and Multiscale Porous Media Lab of Dr. Amir Raoof, Utrecht University.

Prasanna develops novel 3D vascularised anastomosable tissues for disease modelling and tissue engineering applications. He enjoy working at the interfaces of biofluid mechanics, microfluidics, engineering design and multiphysics based computational modeling for tissue vascularization.

Apart from research, he appreciate and participate in public speaking and science communication events (like Fame Lab, Science Cafe) to promote science to the general audience and being creative when it comes to cooking, drawing and making crafts from recycled items. As a outgoing person, he always enjoy organizing social events and very active in Twitter.

RESEARCH

Research

Hierarchically Engineered Anastomosable Tissues (HEAT)

In this project HEAT, Prasanna and team explores the influence of fluid flow dynamics on vascular development in native and engineered tissues. Understanding of flow dynamics in developing vascularized tissues helps bioengineers to utilize flows to control and fabricate functional multiscale tissues on chip. Prasanna and team employs a variety of fabrication, microscopy and biological techniques to ultimately increase the understanding of complex vascularized tissues. The project HEAT is cofunded by EMBL and Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (Grant agreement number 847543).

Previous and current research

Engineered tissues will often need to contain a organized vascular network (micro and macro vessels), to accommodate a functional connection with patient / animal (clinical testing) and / or to ensure a physiological response (drug testing). Prasanna and team has expertise in developing methodologies to spatially control the organization of vascular cells and their microenvironment within tissue analogues. Particularly, Prasanna has developed engineering platforms to investigate the effect of mechanical perturbations on native and engineered vascularised tissues. These platforms provide us with valuable information that can be translated to an in vitro tissue engineering setting.

Future projects and goals

Prasanna is interested in developing strategies to vascularize controllable micro and macro tissues

Specific projects

Computational modelling main aim is to model multiscale blood vessels and compute heterogenous velocities and shear stress patterns within these blood vessels. Prasanna is developing various computational strategies to model different biological processes such as vasculature and bone development & remodeling within multiple model systems. Currently he is intend to combine computational fluid dynamics model with machine learning tools to optimize his microfluidic tissue chips platform.

Cellular Potts model showing

angiogenesis simulation

Voronoi based biomimetic

cancellous bone scaffold

Computational Fluid Dynamics COMSOL simulation showing heterogenous flow profile within

in vitro blood vessels

Pore flow model showing pressure distribution within 3D hierarchical blood vessels

Bioengineering one aim is to vascularize scalable micro tissues to develop physiological drug screening platforms. By applying pressure-induced flows across the microfluidic chips, he intend to create micro and macro vessels. Fusing these micro and macro vessels, he will be able to engineer an anastomosable tissue, that can be further use for preclinical applications.

Microfluidics integration within developing chick embryo

3D printing of sacrificial blood

vessel like structures

Perfusable in vitro micro vessels-on-chip

Vascular imaging one focus will be to capture developing vasculature (micro and macro vessels) within various model systems such as chick embryos, zebrafish and microfluidic tissue chips. Morphology (structure) and blood flow perfusion (function) during different developmental stages will be assessed using multiple imaging techniques. Prasanna is developing both ex ovo and in vitro platforms to monitor and improve the understanding of vascular changes in health and disease conditions.

Laser speckle contrast imaging of developing chick embryo showing perfusion within blood vessels

Side stream dark field imaging of developing chick blood vessels showing erythrocytes movements

EXPERIENCE

2022-Present

Postdoctoral Fellow|EIPOD Marie-Curie

EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORY, BARCELONA - HEIDELBERG

Secured funding for a self-designed multidisciplinary project titled Hierarchically Engineered Anastomosable Tissues (HEAT). This initiative harnesses state-of-the-art microphysiological systems to investigate the impact of fluid dynamics on both in vivo and in vitro vascularized tissue anastomosis. The project is conducted in the lab of Dr. Kristina Haase, partnering with Dr. Nicoletta Petridou and Dr. Amir Raoof. In a nutshell, the project HEAT aims to develop high-throughput platforms for engineering, tissue-specific vascularized anastomosable microtissues designed for clinical testing.

2019-2019

Visiting Researcher

LEIDEN UNIVERSITY, LEIDEN,

THE NETHERLANDS

As a part of PhD mobility, I visited Professor Roeland Merk's group and trained with the cellular Potts model. This experience has enabled me to develop a framework for integrating Multiphysics models that involve chemical gradients (growth factors), matrix degradation, and fluid flow with the cellular Potts model. Also, I took the initiative to establish a new collaboration between Leiden University and Twente University.

2017-2017

Master Thesis

MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY AND GENETICS, DRESDEN, GERMANY

Under the supervision of Dr. Moritz Kreysing in Dresden, my research involved modeling and simulating microscale thermophoresis and designing microfluidics gradient generators for biological applications. Building upon this research, I expanded and utilized it as the foundation for my master’s thesis assignment, where I successfully developed a functional prototype with long range temperature-controllable capabilities at microscale.

2016-2017

Research Internship

Erasmus Trainee Scholarship

UCB PHARMA, Braine-l'Alleud, BELGIUM

During my Master's mobility, I engaged in a project at UCB focused on optimizing cell culture and bioreactor systems for monoclonal antibody production. My research specifically involved in evaluating the efficiency and functionality of CHO cells over long-term passages. Additionally, I conducted a comparative analysis of the cell functionality across various culture systems of different scales, including T-flasks, mini-bioreactors, and reactor tanks of 1L, 10L and 200L. In recognition of my contribution to enabling data-driven decisions in the cell line assessment study, I was honored with the “Focused Recognition Award”.

2016-2016

Research Internship

MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY AND GENETICS, DRESDEN, GERMANY

Under the supervision of Dr. Moritz Kreysing, I worked on modeling and simulation of microscale thermophoresis and microfluidics gradient generators for biological applications. Later I extended this work, to my Master's thesis assignment.

2015-2016

Scientific Research Assistant

Part Time

MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT, ERLANGEN

Under the guidance of Professor Philip Russell in Erlangen, I focused on the fabrication of nanoelectrodes, developed a novel technique that involved selectively filling gold and aluminum metals inside the hollow-core photonic crystal fibers. Subsequently, as a part of my mini-thesis, I expanded this research by integrating microfluidics and photonic crystal fibers for biosensing and particle guidance applications. The outcomes of this work were presented at an international symposium, earning me the "Best Scientific Poster Award".

2013-2014

Design Engineer R&D

SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED RESEARCH (SITAR), BENGALURU

While at SITAR, I specialized in the development of micro mixers for Lab-on-chip devices tailored for medical applications. Additionally, I underwent comprehensive training in the use of COMSOL Multiphysics software, gaining expertise in simulation and modeling for various applications.

2012-2013

Sales Engineer Trainee

THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, BENGALURU

I am responsible for overseeing pre-sales activities related to liquid handling consumables, primarily focusing on single-channel and multichannel pipettes, encompassing both manual and electronic variants.

2011-2011

Bachelor Thesis Internship

CLINIGENE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, BENGALURU

During my bachelor’s thesis assignment, I conducted research on quantifying Ibuprofen in human plasma samples using HPLC method. Additionally, I actively participated in “mock audits” simulating FDA assessment.

EDUCATION

2018-2022

Doctorate Degree

Ph.D

UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE, ENSCHEDE,

THE NETHERLANDS

Topic: "Engineering tools to study and tune the vascular organization".

Mechanical signals have a strong effect on vascular development and organization. However, there exists no proper tool to study their influence on vascular organization. Under the supervision of Dr. Jeroen Rouwkema, I am working towards creating efficient engineering tools to probe, perturb and predict the evolution of vascular networks in invivo, invitro and insilico models.

2014-2018

Master's Degree

MSc.Hons

FRIEDRICH ALEXANDER UNIERSITY

ERLANGEN-NUREMBERG, GERMANY

I studied Elite Master's Program "Advanced Materials and Processes" focusing on biomaterials and advanced processes as specialization. This study program allows me to gain fundamental knowledge about biophysics and materials design for biological applications. Moreover, coolest thing during this study program, I had a good chance to talk with students from multidisciplinary and multicultural backgrounds which pay out in many collaborative projects.

2007-2011

Bachelor's Degree

B.Tech

ANNA UNIVERSITY, INDIA

I studied Biotechnology in "Adhiyamaan College of Engineering" focusing on molecular cell biology and bioprocesses as specialization. This study program allows me to gain basic knowledge about cell biology and bioreactor operations. Moreover, this study program provide me a chance to work in various research institutions and biopharmaceutical industry.

2009-2010

Post Graduate Diploma

PGDNBT

LIFE SCIENCE FOUNDATION, INDIA

I studied a PGDBT course via online focuses on nanotechnology. This study program allows me to gain basic knowledge about nanobiotechnology concepts and their applications.

PUBLICATIONS

P Padmanaban, A Chizari, T Knop, J Zhang, VD Trikalitis, B Koopman, W Steenbergen,* and J Rouwkema* Assessment of flow within developing chicken vasculature and biofabricated vascularized tissues using multimodal imaging techniques, 2021, Scientific Reports

M Kaya, F Stein, P Padmanaban, Z Zhang, J Rouwkema, Khalil I S M, and S Misra* Visualization of micro-agents and surroundings by real-time multicolor fluorescence microscopy,2022, Scientific Reports

D Rana, P Padmanaban, M Becker, F Stein, J Leijten, B Koopman, and J Rouwkema* Spatial control of self-organizing vascular networks with programmable aptamer-tethered growth factor photopatterning, 2023, Materials Today Bio

C Moccia, M Cherubini, M Fortea, A Akinbote, P Padmanaban, Violeta Beltran Sastre and Kristina Haase* Mammary microvessels are sensitive to menstrual cycle sex hormones, 2023, Advanced Science