Nenad Bursac

Nenad Bursac, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, with affiliations in Cell Biology and Medicine. He serves as Co-Director of the Duke Regeneration Center and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute. His research focuses on regenerative therapies for heart and muscle diseases, leveraging stem cells, tissue engineering, and gene editing. Bursac earned his B.S.E. from the University of Belgrade (1994) and Ph.D. from Boston University (2000).

Key research interests include cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue engineering, embryonic/adult stem cell therapies, and the application of organ-on-chip technologies for disease modeling. His lab develops in vitro models of diseases like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and cardiomyopathies, using human iPSC-derived tissues. Preclinical studies in large animal models explore cell-based therapies for heart failure and arrhythmias.

Publications highlight advancements in engineered cardiac tissues, viral vector delivery for gene therapy, and CRISPR-based approaches. Bursac teaches courses such as Bioelectricity, Quantitative Cell and Tissue Engineering, and Cardiovascular System Engineering. His work bridges engineering and biology, aiming to translate lab discoveries into clinical applications.