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Research profile
Nicholas Kurniawan is an Assistant Professor in the Soft Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology group. His research focuses on understanding why and how cells behave the way they do in different physical environments. To answer this question, he creates biomimetic cellular environments at multiple scales—from 2D micropatterns to 3D extracellular matrices and bioreactors—where every physical and mechanical cues to the cells can be precisely controlled. These in vitro platforms enable him to systematically break down the origins of basic cellular behavior, such as orientation, migration, and differentiation. The overarching goal is to use the obtained insights to direct cell response in vivo, for example to promote tissue regeneration or to slow down disease progression. Nicholas’s research is highly interdisciplinary, encompassing biophysics, cell biology, protein polymers, biomechanics, and soft matter.
Academic background
Nicholas Kurniawan received his PhD in 2012 from the National University of Singapore (Singapore), studying the role of matrix viscoelasticity in cancer metastasis. He then carried out postdoctoral research as a Marie Curie Fellow at AMOLF (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), investigating the hierarchical structure-property relation in the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrices. In 2015, he joined Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, as an Assistant Professor in the research group Soft Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology (department of Biomedical Engineering). He is also a member of the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS).
Quote
The cell is a physical entity that interacts with its surrounding objects. By smartly designing the cellular environment, we essentially can have a remote control for steering cell behavior.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Projects
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Advaessel: Ad vanced materials processing and design for regenerating blodd vessels
Kurniawan, N. A., Kurniawan, N. A. & Castilho, M.
1/11/20 → 30/11/21
Project: Research direct
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Correction to "Protein Micropatterning in 2.5D: An Approach to Investigate Cellular Responses in Multi-Cue Environments"
van der Putten, C., Buskermolen, A. B. C., Werner, M., Brouwer, H. F. M., Bartels, P. A. A., Dankers, P. Y. W., Bouten, C. V. C. & Kurniawan, N. A., 6 Apr 2022, In: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 14, 13, p. 15859 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
In-vitro engineered human cerebral tissues mimic pathological circuit disturbances in 3D
Saberi, A., Aldenkamp, A. P., Kurniawan, N. A. & Bouten, C. V. C., 23 Mar 2022, In: Communications biology. 5, 1, 9 p., 254.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open AccessFile16 Downloads (Pure) -
Stimuli-responsive materials: A smart way to study dynamic cell responses
Bril, M., Fredrich, S. & Kurniawan, N. A., Feb 2022, In: Smart Materials in Medicine. 3, p. 257-273 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open AccessFile14 Downloads (Pure) -
A photoresponsive hydrogel to subject cells on demand to dynamically changing topographies
Bril, M. & Kurniawan, N. A., 8 Nov 2021, (Submitted).Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › Academic
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Cardiac fibroblast mechanoresponse guides anisotropic organization of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes in vitro
Mostert, D., Klouda, E. L., van Turnhout, M. C., Kurniawan, N. A. & Bouten, C. V. C., 17 Feb 2021, In: bioRxiv.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic
Datasets
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Data underlying the publication: Computationally guided in-vitro vascular growth model reveals causal link between flow oscillations and disorganized neotissue
van Haaften, E. E. (Contributor), Kurniawan, N. A. (Contributor), Bouten, C. V. C. (Contributor), Quicken, J. A. C. (Contributor) & Huberts, W. (Contributor), 4TU.Centre for Research Data, 29 Mar 2021
DOI: 10.4121/14292383
Dataset
Prizes
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Control cell communication and tissue regeneration
Kurniawan, Nicholas A. (Recipient), 2019
Prize: ERC › Starting › Scientific
Courses
Press / Media
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Eindhoven University of Technology: New Insight on Tissue Growth in Synthetic Vessels Used for Kidney Dialysis
Carlijn V.C. Bouten, Wouter Huberts, J.A.C. (Sjeng) Quicken, Nicholas A. Kurniawan & B. Fitzgerald
11/05/21 → 12/05/21
4 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment