Neuromuscular Bioengineering Laboratory

Our Research Focus

Our lab studies the function, dysfunction and plasticity of the nervous and muscular systems. We utilize a cross-disciplinary approach at molecular, cellular and tissue scales to address the following research priorities:

To enhance surgical decision-making and the development of physical therapy protocols by understanding relationships between the ultrastructure of peripheral nerves and their mechanical and physiological function.
To develop tissue engineering and biomedical device-based strategies for peripheral nerve regeneration.
To reveal mechanisms guiding the remodeling of neuromuscular junctions.
To elucidate mechanisms underlying the transport and remodeling of the axonal cytoskeleton.
To understand mechanical influences on the morphology and function of neurons in the central nervous system.

Publications

Chaves RS, Tran M, Holder AR, Balcer AM, Dickey AM, Roberts EA, Bober BG, Gutierrez E, Head BP, Groisman A, Goldstein LSB, Almenar-Queralt A, Shah SB. Amyloidogenic Processing of Amyloid Precursor Protein Drives Stretch-Induced Disruption of Axonal Transport in hiPSC-Derived Neurons. J Neurosci. 2021 Dec 8;41(49):10034-10053. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2553-20.2021. Epub 2021 Oct 18. PMID: 34663629; PMCID: PMC8660048.

Gupta RS, Berrellez D, Chhugani N, Luna Lopez C, Maldonado A, Shah SB. Effects of paclitaxel on the viscoelastic properties of mouse sensory nerves. J Biomech. 2021 Jan 22;115:110125. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2020.110125. Epub 2020 Nov 12. PMID: 33257008.

Byra M, Hentzen E, Du J, Andre M, Chang EY, Shah S. Assessing the Performance of Morphologic and Echogenic Features in Median Nerve Ultrasound for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Diagnosis. J Ultrasound Med. 2020 Jun;39(6):1165-1174. doi: 10.1002/jum.15201. Epub 2019 Dec 23. PMID: 31868248.

Howarth HM, Kadoor A, Salem R, Nicolds B, Adachi S, Kanaris A, Lovering RM, Brown JM, Shah SB. Nerve lengthening and subsequent end-to-end repair yield more favourable outcomes compared with autograft repair of rat sciatic nerve defects. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2019 Dec;13(12):2266-2278. doi: 10.1002/term.2980. Epub 2019 Nov 26. PMID: 31670904.

Foran I, Vaz K, Sikora-Klak J, Ward SR, Hentzen ER, Shah SB. Regional Ulnar Nerve Strain Following Decompression and Anterior Subcutaneous Transposition in Patients With Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. J Hand Surg Am. 2016 Oct;41(10):e343-e350. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2016.07.095. Epub 2016 Aug 12. PMID: 27527251.

View all publications

Contact

Sameer B. Shah, PhD
Professor
Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery & Bioengineering
9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0863
La Jolla, CA 92093-0863

Office: (858) 822-0720
Fax: (858) 822-3807
Email: sbshah@ucsd.edu
Web: UCSD Research Profile