Welcome to the Bersi Lab

We are located in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Washington University in St. Louis. Our research is focused on soft tissue biomechanics and mechanobiology.

Using techniques that range from ex vivo tissue testing and mechanical characterization to in vitro cell culture and molecular biology, the ongoing research in the Bersi Lab is generally focused on understanding how alterations in a tissue’s mechanical environment can lead to changes in cellular and molecular activity that promote immune activation, tissue remodeling, and fibrosis. While focused primarily on cardiovascular disease, this multiscale approach has applicability to understanding injury and disease processes in multiple tissues and organ systems.

We aim to better define the intersection between soft tissue biomechanics, molecular biology, and immunology with the ultimate goal of evaluating tissue-specific immunotherapeutic treatment strategies.


Recent News

BMES 2024, Here we come!

Bersi Lab will be at BMES 2024 in Baltimore, MD. As we gear up for the conference, We are excited about the opportunity to meet and connect with all of you! Poster Sessions Poster Session A (Thu. 10.24.2024, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM) • Characterizing the Influence of Adipose Tissue on Fibroblast Biophysical Properties Using […]

MEMS Graduate Student Brendan Otani Passes his Qualifying Exam!

We are thrilled to announce that our newest PhD student, Brendan Otani, successfully passed his qualifying exam earlier this week! His research focuses on the “Improvements on a Panoramic-Digital Image Correlation System for Full-field Imaging and Local Mechanical Testing”. Congratulations Brendan!

Farewell and Thank You: Celebrating Our Summer Undergraduate Students

As summer programs come to an end, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible undergraduate students who have been a part of our lab this season. Your dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm have made a significant impact on our research and the lab environment. Ryan Catlett, University of Missouri-Columbia, Biochemistry ’26, […]