B.S.E., Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1992
B.S.Econ., The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 1992
Ph.D., Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, 1996

Department of Biomedical Engineering
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 800759
Charlottesville, VA 22908

helmke@virginia.edu

Research Interests

Living cells and tissues adapt to their environment by altering structure, gene and protein expression, and biochemical functions. For example, endothelial cells lining the artery wall at the blood tissue interface experience fluid mechanical forces that vary with time and location along the artery. However, the mechanisms by which cells transduce mechanical stimuli into biochemical signals are not well understood. Our laboratory employs a multidisciplinary biomedical engineering approach to understand the relationship between intracellular mechanics and cell function.

Several tools are used for investigating cellular mechanotransduction. Expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to cytoskeletal or other proteins makes it possible to visualize endogenous intracellular structures, and fluorescence probes enable detection of intracellular signaling molecules such as nitric oxide. High-resolution optical sectioning microscopy, deconvolution, and 3-D image restoration provide quantitative spatial and temporal information. Quantitative image analysis tools analyze intracellular movement, molecular interactions, and biochemical response. Nanotechnology-based structures control mechanical stimuli at the length scale of individual protein structures near the cell surface. Engineering nanoscale spatial cues into the cell’s local environment will enable rational design of cell phenotype for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Thus, projects in our laboratory bring together a joint biomedical engineering, materials science, and molecular biology approach to understanding cellular physiology.

Recent Publications

Yang W, Read PW, Mi J, Baisden JM, Reardon KA, Larner JM, Helmke BP, Sheng K
Semiconductor nanoparticles as energy mediators for photosensitizer-enhanced radiotherapy.

Helmke BP
Choosing sides in polarized endothelial adaptation to shear stress.

Lin X, Helmke BP
Micropatterned structural control suppresses mechanotaxis of endothelial cells.

Snook JH, Li J, Helmke BP, Guilford WH
Peroxynitrite inhibits myofibrillar protein function in an in vitro assay of motility.

Mott RE, Helmke BP
Mapping the dynamics of shear stress-induced structural changes in endothelial cells.

More Publications