Mahdi Hasani
Biography
Dr. Mahdi Hasani joined the Cornell MAE faculty in July 2024. Prior to his appointment at Cornell, he was a Project Scientist and Faculty Innovation Fellow at UCLA, where his research focused on developing polymeric biomaterials for immunoengineering and regenerative medicine. His work at UCLA resulted in over 12 U.S. patents, several of which are licensed. Dr. Hasani is a co-founder and board member of three biotech and biopharma startups and has served as a guest lecturer at UCLA. Dr. Hasani moved to UCLA from Georgia Tech, where he received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering-Bioengineering. During his Ph.D., he developed new microfluidics techniques for the precise fabrication of cancer therapeutic nanoparticles. He holds two B.Sc., two M.Sc., and two doctorate degrees, one in polymer engineering and the other in bioengineering, where he gained expertise in areas ranging from designing next-generation polymer electrolyte fuel cells to dental biomaterials and cancer vaccines.
Research Interests
Dr. Hasani’s research focuses on the design and development of biologically inspired immunomodulatory biomaterials. His work concentrates on engineering advanced drug delivery systems for cancer therapy, infectious diseases, autoimmune conditions, and tissue regeneration. Additionally, his group explores innovative engineering platforms aimed at rejuvenating the immune system.
- Bioengineering
- Bioengineering and Healthcare
- Biomechanics and Mechanobiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine
- Polymers and Soft Matter
- Mechanics of Biological Materials
- Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials
- Materials Design
- Microfluidics and Microsystems
- Nanobio Applications
- Nanotechnology
- Microfluidics
- Energy and the Environment
Selected Publications
- Hasani-Sadrabadi M.M., Majedi F., Zarubova J., Thauland T., Arumugaswami V., Hsiai T., Bouchard L.S., Butte M., Li S. “Harnessing Biomaterials to Amplify Immunity in Aged Mice through T Memory Stem Cells”. ACS Nano. 18 (2024) 6908–6926. [Cover Article]
- Majedi F.S., Hasani-Sadrabadi M.M., Thauland T.J., Keswani S.G., Li S., Bouchard L.S., Butte M.J. “Engineered, localized depletion of regulatory T cells produces global anti-tumor immunity”. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 7 (2023) 56-71. [Cover Article]
- Hasani-Sadrabadi M.M., Sarrion P., Pouraghaei S., Chau Y., Ansari S., Li S., Aghaloo T., Moshaverinia A. “An Engineered Cell-Laden Adhesive Hydrogel Promotes Craniofacial Bone Tissue Regeneration in Rats”. Science Translational Medicine. 12 (2020) eaay6853.
- Hasani-Sadrabadi M.M., Majedi F.S., Bensinger S.J., Wu B., Bouchard L.S., Weiss P.S., Moshaverinia A., “Mechanobiological Mimicry of Helper T Lymphocytes to Evaluate Cell-Biomaterial Cross-Talk”. Advanced Materials. 30 (2018) 1706780. [Cover Article]
- Hasani-Sadrabadi M.M., Taranejoo S., Dashtimoghadam E., Bahlakeh G., VanDersarl J.J., Janmaleki M., Majedi F.S., Sharifi F., Bertsch A., Hourigan K., Tayebi L., Renaud, P., Jacob K.I. “Microfluidic Manipulation of Core/Shell Nanoparticles for Oral Delivery of Chemotherapeutics: A New Treatment Approach for Colorectal Cancer”. Advanced Materials. 28 (2016) 4134-4141.
Selected Awards and Honors
- Technology in Space Prize (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space) 2024
- Faculty Innovation Fellow (UCLA Technology Development) 2021
- Healthcare Innovation Challenge Award (Easton Technology Management Center) 2021
- Big Ideas Competition Award (UC Systemwide- Berkeley) 2021
- LABEST Pearl Cohen Competition Award (LA Bioscience Ecosystem Summit) 2021
- Early Career Board (ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering) 2018
- Sigma Xi Best Ph.D. Thesis Award (Georgia Institute of Technology) 2018
- Outstanding Bioengineering PhD Thesis Award (Georgia Institute of Technology) 2018
- Image of the Year Award (Southern California Society for Microscopy and Microanalysis) 2017
- Joseph W. Richards Summer Fellowship Award (Electrochemical Society) 2015
- ACS CELL Division Graduate Student Award (American Chemical Society) 2015
- Electrochemical Society Student Achievement Award (Electrochemical Society) Industrial Electrochemistry & Electrochemical Engineering Division 2015
- Young Khwarizmi Award (Ministry of Sci Res Tech) Fundamental Research 2013
- Young Khwarizmi Award (Ministry of Sci Res Tech) Applied Research 2012
- Grand Prize Winner of Dr. Baker Award for Fuel Cell Research (Fuel Cell Seminar & Energy Exposition) 2011
- Swiss Micronanotechnology Award (CSEM) 2011
- Excellence Scholarship Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 2010, 2011
- Eni Award Finalist (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei) Renewable and Non-Conventional Energy International Award 2010
- Presidential Award as Student of the Year in Engineering (Office of the President) 2008
- National Scientific Prize (National Elites Foundation) 2007
- Gold Medal in Invention (Seoul International Invention Fair) 2006
- Invention Diploma (International Trade Fair Ideas, Inventions and New Products) 2006
- Young Khwarizmi Award (Ministry of Sci Res Tech) Innovation 2005
Education
- B.Sc. (Polymer Engineering), Amirkabir University of Technology, 2007
- B.Sc. (Biomedical Engineering), Amirkabir University of Technology, 2009
- M.Sc. (Polymer Engineering), Amirkabir University of Technology, 2009
- M.Sc. (Bioengineering), The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 2011
- Ph.D. (Polymer Engineering), Amirkabir University of Technology, 2013
- Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering- Bioengineering), Georgia Institute of Technology, 2017