معرفی
Dr. Juan S. Gnecco serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University School of Engineering, holding concurrent appointments as Graduate Biomedical Sciences Member in Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology and Associate Principal Investigator at Tufts Medical Center's Mother Infant Research Institute. His laboratory bridges tissue engineering and reproductive biology to address women's health inequities through innovative engineering approaches.
Dr. Gnecco's research focuses on three interconnected domains:
- Tissue engineering and organoid systems for modeling the human endometrium using synthetic hydrogels that replace Matrigel, enabling fully defined studies of hormone-mediated processes
- Tissue clearing and 3D pathology techniques to visualize endometriotic lesion architecture in unprecedented detail
- Disease modeling of endometriosis as an estrogen-dependent, progesterone-resistant condition affecting over 10% of women, characterized by debilitating pelvic pain and infertility
Dr. Gnecco's publication record demonstrates consistent advancement in modeling the female reproductive tract, with recent work emphasizing biophysical microenvironment effects on endometrial cell behavior, synthetic matrix development for organoid culture, and molecular characterization of endometriosis. His research trajectory shows deepening focus on translational applications of engineering approaches to endometriosis pathology.
Recognition includes:
- Multiple Gates Foundation funding rounds (2018-present) for phenotypic screening models of the female reproductive tract
- Rising Star in Engineering and Health by Columbia University (2020)
- Invited presentations at Society for Reproductive Investigation and Gates Foundation Consortium
- Editorial board membership for Frontiers in Reproductive Health
As Principal Investigator of the Laboratory of Reproductive Engineering, Dr. Gnecco leads interdisciplinary efforts to identify novel therapeutic targets for endometriotic diseases through physiomimetic model systems. His educational background includes a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Pathology from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (2018) and BS in Biotechnology from Rutgers University.
