Ariella Shikanov

Ariella Shikanov is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan and Associate Director of the Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB) program. Her research focuses on engineering supportive environments for ovarian follicles to address fertility and endocrine dysfunction in at-risk populations, particularly cancer patients and transgender youth.

• Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan
• CMB Associate Director

Research Interests: Tissue engineering, reproduction, and biomaterials are central to her work on ovarian follicle development, fertility preservation, and the impacts of gender-affirming hormone therapy. Her lab designs synthetic matrices and immunoisolation devices to restore ovarian function and study hormone reversibility.

Publication Trends: Recent articles emphasize

• single-cell RNA sequencing in ovarian follicles
• testosterone's effects on reproduction
• bioengineered hydrogels for tissue culture
• angiogenesis and matrix dynamics
• immunoisolation devices for xenografts

Trainings: Implicit Bias Training, Bystander Training, and Gender Bias or Discrimination Training.

Labs/Teams: The Shikanov Lab investigates YAP-TAZ signaling, ovarian stroma composition, and biomaterials for endocrine function restoration.