Dr. Brian Aguado
Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering
University of California, San Diego
Seminar Information
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in both males and females, yet our mechanistic knowledge of the sex-specific molecular and cellular mechanisms that guide cardiovascular disease progression, particularly in females, remain poorly characterized. Studies evaluating disease mechanisms rarely state the sex of cells used for in vitro studies or are performed primarily in male animal models, causing our gap in knowledge. My laboratory uses precision biomaterials as in vitro and in vivo tools to dissect sex chromosome linked mechanisms that contribute to sex differences in cardiovascular diseases, specifically aortic valve stenosis and cardiac fibrosis. In my talk, I will discuss how we have used hydrogel biomaterials as engineered valve matrix mimics to explore sex dimorphisms in myofibroblast phenotypes in vitro and describe sex-specific molecular mechanisms that may drive dimorphisms in aortic valve stenosis and cardiac fibrosis. Our work seeks to leverage biomaterial technologies to understand sex differences in health and disease, with the long-term goal of achieving sex and gender equity in cardiovascular disease treatments and outcomes.
Dr. Brian Aguado is currently an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at UC San Diego, where his laboratory research is focused on studying sex differences in cardiovascular disease using biomaterial technologies. Dr. Aguado completed his BS degree in Biomechanical Engineering from Stanford University and his MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. He also obtained his certificate in Management for Scientists and Engineers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Aguado has received numerous grants to support his research, including the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, the American Heart Association Career Development Award, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Science Diversity Leadership Award, and the NIH DP2 New Innovator Award. Dr. Aguado is also the recipient of the Society for Biomaterials Young Investigator Award, the American Society of Matrix Biology Young Investigator Award, and the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Rising Star Award. Dr. Aguado also co-founded the non-profit organization LatinXinBME, a grassroots virtual mentoring group of over 600 Latinx biomedical engineers dedicated to building a community that supports each other personally and professionally through their careers. For his mentoring and teaching efforts, he was named one of the 100 Most Inspiring Latinx Scientists in America by Cell Press and received the Society for Biomaterials Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award, the BMES Diversity Award, the Biomaterials Young Investigator Award from the Biomaterials journal, the Teacher of the Year Award from the Jacobs School of Engineering, and the GEMINI Faculty Mentor Award from the UCSD Institute for Engineering in Medicine.