Professor
ceci@uw.edu
Phone: (206) 543-0205
Office: Foege N330L

Cecilia GiachelliCeci with Penguins

Lab Website

How I am inventing the future of medicine

My lab is inventing the future of medicine by developing molecular and cellular bioengineering approaches to block ectopic calcification and promote healing, biocompatibility, tissue regeneration and biomineralization.

Ectopic Calcification in Biomaterials and Disease
Bioengineered Cell Therapy
Tissue Engineering
Biointerfacial Control of Cell Behavior
Foreign Body Response

My research includes:
Mechanistic studies aimed at developing novel therapeutic targets and innovative approaches for treating ectopic calcification in disease, traumatic injury, and medical devices
Identifying and applying biomimetic strategies to create biointerfaces for soft and hard tissue regeneration
Biomolecular control of the foreign body reaction, with particular emphasis on the macrophage-mediated inflammatory response to biomaterials

Ph.D., Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 1987
BS, Biochemistry, University of California at Davis, 1982

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pathology,University of Washington School of Medicine, 1989

2024 NIH NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award
2024 Excellence in Teaching Award, UW Bioengineering Dept.
2019 Society for Vascular Surgeons Alexander Clowes Memorial Lectureship
2019 UW Medicine Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty
2018 NIH NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award
2016 Elected member, Washington State Academy of Sciences
2017 President, North American Vascular Biology Organization
2103 University of Washington Postdoctoral Fellow Association Mentor of the Year Award
2011 Jack W. Coburn Lectureship, Amer. Soc. of Nephrology, Philadelphia, PA, November, 2011
2011 Elected Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
2006 Science in Medicine Lecture, UW SOM
2003 Advances in Mineral Metabolism Investigator Award
1996-2001 American Heart Association Established Investigator Award

Bioen 532: Professional Skills
Bioen 579: Response to Biomaterial Implantation
Bioen 502: Cellular Bioengineering

1. Blümke A, Simon J, Leber E, Scatena M, Giachelli CM. Differentiation and characterization of osteoclasts from human induced pluripotent stem cells. J Vis Exp. 2024 205:10.3791/66527. doi: 10.3791/66527.

2. Blümke A, Ijeoma E, Simon J, Wellington R, Purwaningrum M, Doulatov S, Leber E, Scatena M, Giachelli CM. Comparison of osteoclast differentiation protocols from human induced pluripotent stem cells of different tissue origins 2023 Stem Cell Research and Therapy Nov 7;14(1):319. doi: 10.1186/s13287-023-03547-6.

3. Rementer C, Yavirach A, Mai C, Buranaphatthana W, Ausk B, Speer M, Pierce K, Dharmarajan S, Scatena M, Leber E, Rasch A, Sangiorzan B, Bain S, Giachelli C. Engineered Myeloid Precursors Differentiate into Osteoclasts and Resorb Heterotopic Ossification in Mice, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21203/RS.3.RS-2156913/V1

4. *Buranaphatthana W, *Yavirach A, Leaf E, Scatena M, Zhang H, An JY, Giachelli CM. Engineered osteoclasts resorb necrotic alveolar bone in anti-RANKL antibody-treated mice. Bone 153:116144, 2021.

5. Dharmarajan S, Speer MY, Pierce K, Lally J, Leaf EM, Lin ME, Scatena M, Giachelli CM. Role of Runx2 in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease in Mouse Models. Front Cardiovasc Med. 8:687210, 2021.

6. Chavkin NW, Leaf EM, Brooks KE, Wallingford MC, Lund SM, Giachelli CM. Adaptor protein RapGEF1 is required for ERK1/2 signaling in response to elevated phosphate in vascular smooth muscle cells. J Vasc Res. 58(5):277-285, 2021.

7. Yamada S, Leaf EM, Chia JJ, Cox TC, Speer MY, Giachelli CM. PiT-2, a type III sodium-dependent phosphate transporter, protects against vascular calcification in mice with chronic kidney disease fed a high-phosphate diet. Kidney Int. 94(4):716-727, 2018.

8. Beckstead BL, Tung JC, Liang KJ, Tavakkol Z, Usui ML, Olerud JE, Giachelli CM. Methods to promote Notch signaling at the biomaterial interface and evaluation in a rafted organ culture model. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2009 Nov;91(2):436-46. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.32214.

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