Jeffrey W. Ruberti

Professor,  Bioengineering
Affiliated Faculty,  Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Contact

Office

  • 617.373.3984

Research Focus

Tissue engineering of load-bearing matrix (bone, cornea); bioreactor design; multi-scale mechanobiochemistry; statistical mechanics; energetics microscopy; high-resolution imaging; biopolymer self-assembly

Education

  • PhD (1998), Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University

Honors & Awards

  • Distinguished Faculty Award (2024), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
  • AIMBE Fellow (2022)
  • Constantinos Mavroidis Translational Research Award (2021), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
  • Soren Buus Outstanding Research Award (2008), College of Engineering, Northeastern University
  • Dean’s Service Award (2011), College of Engineering, Northeastern University

Teaching Interests

  • Capstone Design
  • Biomechanics
  • Principles of Bioengineering

Professional Affiliations

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers International
  • Biomedical Engineering Society

Research Overview

Tissue engineering of load-bearing matrix (bone, cornea); bioreactor design; multi-scale mechanobiochemistry; statistical mechanics; energetics microscopy; high-resolution imaging; biopolymer self-assembly

My lab focuses on the role matrix molecules play in the transition of animals from a  loosely-connected grouping of cells to a fully-connected, mechanically robust structure. The relevant  disciplines are: Mechanochemistry, Mechanobiology, Mechanobioreactor Development, Cell Culture,  Single Molecule Light Microscopy, High Resolution Electron Microscopy.

Selected Research Projects

Selected Publications

  • Siadat SM, Susilo ME, Paten JA, Silverman AA, DiMarzio CA and JW Ruberti (2021). Development and validation of fluorescently labeled, functional type I collagen molecules. bioRxiv: doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.26.437209
  • Siadat SM, Silverman AA, DiMarzio CA and JW Ruberti (2021) Measuring collagen fibril diameter with differential interference contrast microscopy. Journal of Structural Biology Mar; 213(1): 107697
  • Jamieson RR, Stasiak SE, Polio SR, Ruberti JW and Parameswaran H. (2021). Stiffening of the extracellular matrix is a sufficient condition for airway hyperreactivity. Journal of Applied Physiology. J Appl Physiol (Chosen as “APS Select”) 
  • H. Hosseini, A. Rangchian, M.L. Prins, C.L. Giza, J.W. Ruberti, H.P. Kavehpour, Probing Flow-Induced Biomolecular Interactions with Micro-Extensional Rheology: Tau Protein Aggregation, J. Biomech Eng., 142(3), 2020
  • M. Chaudhary, E.N. Ismail, P. Yao, F. Tayyari, R.A. Radu, S. Nusinowitz, M.E. Boulton, R.S. Apte, J.W. Ruberti, J.T. Handa, P. Tontonoz, G. Malek, LXRs Regulate Features of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and May be a Potential Therapeutic Target, JCI Insight, 5(1), 2020
  • J.A. Paten, C.L. Martin, J.T. Wanis, S.M. Siadat, A.M. Figueroa-Navado, J.W. Ruberti, L.F. Deravi Molecular Interactions Between Collagen and Fibronectin: A Reciprocal Relationship that Regulates De Novo Fibrillogenesis, Chem, 5, 2019, 2126-2145
  • B. Wingender, P. Bradley, N. Saxena, J.W. Ruberti, L. Gower, Biomimetic Organization of Collagen Matrices to Template Bone-Like Microstructures, Matrix Biology, 52-54, 2016, 384-396
  • M. Susilo, J. Paten, E. Sander, T.D. Nguyen, J.W. Ruberti Collagen Network Strengthening Following Cyclic Tensile Loading, Interface Focus, 6(1), 2016
  • J.A. Paten, S. Siadat, M.E. Susilo, I.N. Ebraheim, J.L. Stoner, J.P. Rothstein, J.W. Ruberti, Flow-Induced Crystallization of Collagen: A Potentially Critical Mechanism in Early Tissue Formation, ACS Nano, 10(5), 2016, 5027-5040

Faculty

Feb 16, 2024

New Research Questions How Connective Tissues Are Formed

BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti’s new research, published in the journal Matter, suggests that connective tissues in the human body are more likely formed by cells pulling apart than coming together. Ruberti conducted the research with BioE Associate Research Scientist Seyed Mohammad Siadat; Alexandra Silverman, MS’21, bioengineering; and Jason Olszewski, E’24, bioengineering.

Faculty

Feb 01, 2024

Faculty and Staff Awards 2024

The College of Engineering recognized faculty and staff at the annual faculty and staff awards event and thanked everyone for their hard work and dedication in support of our students, college, and university during the 2023-2024 academic year. View award recipients and photo gallery.

Faculty

Feb 01, 2024

Celebrating Bioengineering at Northeastern: Visions for the Future

The Department of Bioengineering hosted a 10 year anniversary celebration to commemorate what the department has accomplished and showcase its plans for the future.

Faculty

May 22, 2023

How Collagen Could Help Heal Your Torn Rotator Cuff, Achilles Tendon, Meniscus and More

The spinoff company BrilliantStrings Therapeutics of BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti and mechanical engineering alum Jeff Paten, PhD’14, made it to the “final four” of the “ARPA-H Dash” competition to accelerate health outcomes.

Spotlight Story

Apr 18, 2023

Alumni Spotlight: Alex Silverman, MS’21

Like many, Alexandra Silverman was first introduced to science in middle school in the form of a frog dissection. However, instead of the impending nausea many experience at the sight of internal organs, Silverman became enraptured by the beauty and intricacy of science.

Undergraduate

Oct 18, 2022

BioE Students Nominated for Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program

Bioengineering students Amanda Dee, E’23, and Conor Messor, E’19, were nominated for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program that prepares graduate students at Stanford University to tackle critical global challenges of the 21st century.

Faculty

Oct 07, 2022

Announcing Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees

Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards. This extraordinary group of students is taking on a range of exciting projects, from exploring axolotl limb regeneration to building a snake-inspired robot to understanding accessibility on Broadway. ASCENT AWARDS Justin Almendral COE’24, “Wearable Art” Mentor: […]

Faculty

Sep 20, 2022

Northeastern in Top 100 Universities with U.S. Utility Patents

For the seventh consecutive year, Northeastern University has appeared in the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) list of Top 100 Universities that were granted U.S. utility patents in 2021, cementing it as a world leader in academia and research.

Faculty

Jul 28, 2022

Revolutionizing the Tissue Repair Process

BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti and mechanical engineering alum Jeff Paten, PhD’14, created the spinoff company BrilliantStrings Therapeutics to develop a new process to repair soft tissue.

Research being done in EMERL

Faculty

Apr 14, 2022

Using Spark Fund Award for Active Human Collagen to Promote Rapid Healing

BioE Professor Jeffrey Ruberti was able to use the Spark Funds he received earlier this year to help commercialize his methods to produce active human collagen.

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