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Sarah Jimenez

Sarah Jimenez

Graduate Student (Faculty: Drs. Camila Hochman-Mendez and Jane Grande-Allen)

Bioengineering

CONTACT

sj86@rice.edu

WEBSITE(S)| LinkedIn | The Texas Heart Institute

SURF Mentoring

Potential projects/topics: My lab focuses on the development of bioartficial hearts ex vivo with patient-derived stem cells. However, my project here is the automation of the manual recellularization process. As potential topics would be programming a controller and a system with Arduino IDE, soldering and assembling electronics 101, very basic mammalian cell culture to test our device.

Potential skills gained: Engineering skills: programming in C++ and Arduino IDE, electronic soldering, potential for CAD/3D modelling for 3D printing and laser cutting (at the moody center). Biology: mammalian cell culture, probable exposure to heart cannulations and decellularizations, Soft skills: probably, if data and research results are achieved, I would like my mentee to present at an undergraduate conference. I can help with abstract writing, poster development, travel award applications, undergrad conference apps,etc.

Required qualifications: I would like an engineering student: bioengineering, mechanical engineering or electrical engineering.

Direct mentor: Graduate Student

Research Areas

The Organ Repair, Regeneration & Research Laboratory is home of the famed ghost heart, which leverages decelluarization and recellularization technologies. The team continues to further refine tissue-engineering techniques to develop new biotechnologies and molecular tools – like building tissues and whole organs for transplant – with a number of translational studies currently underway. This research also includes novel treatments for pediatric heart disease, which build upon the team’s discoveries that simpler solutions are helping to pave the way to bio-engineered whole organs for in-human transplant.