Stanford University · EngineeringHeilshorn Biomaterials Lab
Sarah C Heilshorn · Stanford, California
Research Focus
Dr. Sarah Heilshorn's lab at Stanford University focuses on innovative biomaterials and bioprinting technologies for healthcare applications. The research aims to improve drug delivery systems for heart diseases and create advanced models for studying brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders. By developing new materials that can sustain the release of therapeutic proteins and enhance organoid integration, the lab seeks to tackle significant challenges in regenerative medicine and neuroscience.
biomaterialsdrug delivery3D bioprintingcardiac healthneurodevelopmental disordersbrain organoidshydrogelstissue engineeringneuregulin-1assembloids
Research Aims
4AIM 01Develop biodegradable hydrogels for sustained delivery of neuregulin-1 to improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction.
AIM 02Create modular brain assembloids using 3D bioprinting technology to study neural migration.
AIM 03Evaluate mechanical properties and injection techniques of new hydrogels for effective myocardial therapeutic delivery.
AIM 04Enhance the reproducibility and complexity of neural organoid cultures for better modeling of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Skills the Lab Values
hydrogel formulation3D bioprintingcell cultureanimal modelingprotein encapsulationviscoelastic testingbiochemical assaysimmunohistochemistrydrug release kineticstissue engineering techniques
Output against the department
Publications279top 32% of dept.87th of 278
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations18ktop 22% of dept.62nd of 278
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.