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

Master Plan: Complete! Congratulations Abir!

Congratulations to our graduate student, Abir Hamdaoui, on successfully defending her master’s thesis, “Constitutive Modeling of Uterine Wound Healing: Applications to Postpartum Involution and Surgical Scarring.” Dr. Christine M. O’Brien, Dr. Sara Roccabianca, Abir Hamdaoui, and Dr. Matthew Bersi.

WashU Center for Women’s Health Engineering Mini-Research Symposium 2025

We had the opportunity to present our ongoing research at the Center for Women’s Health Engineering Mini-Research Symposium last week. This symposium brought together researchers across disciplines to share innovative work aimed at advancing women’s health. We were grateful to share our work on many projects, including exploring murine uterine wall’s mechanical properties during the […]

Bersi named a 2025 Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering by the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).

Matthew Bersi has been named a 2025 Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering by the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). This prestigious honor recognizes junior faculty who have made significant contributions to the field of bioengineering. Bersi’s research explores how biomechanics and inflammation interact in soft tissues, particularly in the context of cardiovascular disease. He […]