Portrait of Gianna Imeidopf

Gianna Imeidopf

Biomechanical Engineering, Hofstra University

I am a senior undergraduate researcher in Dr. Nick Merna's Cell and Tissue Engineering Lab. My work focuses on creating small-diameter vascular grafts from decellularized leaves: we remove the plant's cell contents to leave a natural scaffold, grow human vascular cells on it, and test how these grafts hold up in the lab and in animal models. I am currently applying to PhD programs in biomedical engineering, with interests in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Publications

  1. Design, Validation, and Early In Vivo Testing of an Electric Bioreactor for Conditioning of Plant-Based Vascular Grafts

    A. Ramsamooj, T. Yin, T. Osumanu, G. Lucas, G. Imeidopf, S. Akbar, D. Ahmed, S. Nainan, S. Vajinapelly, F. Krishna, J. C. Vaccaro, S. Ghorayeb, E. Currie, N. Merna

    International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2026

  2. Implantation of Bioreactor-Conditioned Plant-Based Vascular Grafts

    T. Yin, N. Gorbenko, C. Karras, S. E. Nainan, G. Imeidopf, A. Ramsamooj, S. Ghorayeb, N. Merna

    Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 17(1):43, 2026

    PDF DOI

  3. Optimization and Standardization of Plant-Derived Vascular Scaffolds

    G. Imeidopf, D. Khaimov, S. John, N. Merna

    International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(6):2752, 2025

    PDF DOI

Posters

  1. Optimization of Bioreactor-Conditioned, Heat-Treated Plant-Based Vascular Grafts

    Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, 2026

  2. Electrical and Mechanical Preconditioning of Plant-Based Vascular Grafts

    Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, 2026

  3. Ultrasonic Assessment and Patency Quantification of Bioreactor-Conditioned Plant-Based Vascular Grafts

    Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, 2026

  4. PulsePatch: A Wearable Mechanotransduction Bandage for Chronic Wound Healing

    Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, 2026

  5. BMES 2025 Annual Meeting Poster

    Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, 2025

  6. Optimization of Plant-Derived Extracellular Matrix Structure and Mechanics for Vascular Repair

    Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, 2024