Hunter and Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair of Bioengineering
Professor, UW Bioengineering
pii@uw.edu
Princess Imoukhuede
Our lab pioneers both quantitative biological measurements and computational biological models to delineate signal transduction. This bottom-up systems biology paradigm offers mechanistic insight primarily towards directing vascular signaling and analyzing oxytocin receptor variants with translational implications to cancers and cardiovascular diseases and women’s health.
Vascular health: Endothelial phenotyping and vascular pathology measurement via VEGFR quantification
Systems analysis and prediction of endothelial cross-family signaling
Women’s health: Improving the efficacy and safety for oxytocin use in labor and delivery
Blood vessels supply the nutrients necessary for organ & tissue function—every action is dependent upon a healthy, intact vasculature. Indeed, over 70 diseases are angiogenesis-related. Cancers represent a well-known angiogenesis-related disease. Here, abnormal blood vessels sustain tumor growth, development, and metastasis. However, anti-angiogenic therapies only moderately affect patient survival, ultimately leading to patient resistance.
We believe that unraveling vascular signaling complexities can occur by engineering quantitative experimental tools and computational models. Our research directly addresses this need, applying a “bottom-up,” systems biology paradigm to measure, integrate, and simulate mechanisms regulating angiogenesis.
SB, Chemical Engineering, MIT
PhD, Bioengineering, Caltech
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
University of Pittsburgh Graduate Women in Engineering Network, High Impact Innovation and Inspiration (HI3) Speaker Award , 2020
AIChE Journal Futures Series, 2019
Bionanotechnology, Young Innovator, 2018
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), Distinguished Leadership Award, 2018
NSF CAREER Award, 2017
Rose Award for Teaching Excellence, 2017
Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator, 2015
NIH-NIDDK, Basic Research Award, 2015
American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, Basic Research Grant, 2013-2015
Gordon Conference in Angiogenesis Poster Award, 2011
NIH Loan Repayment Awardee for Clinical Research, 2009
UNCF/Merck Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, 2008
Commitment to Diversity Award, Caltech, 2008
- Fang Y, Malik M, England SK, Imoukhuede PI (accepted) Absolute quantification of plasma membrane receptors via quantitative flow cytometry; Methods in Molecular Biology.
- Malik M, Ward MD, Fang Y, Porter JR, Zimmerman MI, Koelblen T, Roh M, Frolova AI, Burris TP, Bowman GR, Imoukhuede PI, England SK. (2021) Naturally Occurring Genetic Variants in the Oxytocin Receptor Alter Receptor Signaling Profiles ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. doi:10.1021/acsptsci.1c00095.
- Desai T, Eniola-Adefeso O, Stevens KR, Vazquez M, Imoukhuede P (2021) Perspectives on disparities in scientific visibility; Nature Reviews Materials, 6,556-559; doi: 10.1038/s41578-021-00329-5
- Stevens KR, Masters KS, Imoukhuede P, Haynes KA, Setton LA, Cosgriff-Hernandez E, Lediju Bell MA, Rangamani P, El-Samad H, Sakiyama-Elbert S, Finley S, Willits RK, Koppes AN, Chesler N, Christman K, Allen J, Wong JY Desai T, Eniola-Adefeso O (2021) Fund Black Scientists; Cell. Feb 4;184(3):561-565. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2021.01.011. Epub 2021 Jan 26. PMID: 33503447.
- Cross, KJ, Mendenhall, R, Clancy, KB, Imoukhuede, P, & Amos, J (2021) The pieces of me: The double bind of race and gender in engineering; Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 27(3);doi:10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2021034902
- Mamer S, Wittenkeller A, Imoukhuede P (2020) VEGF-A splice variants bind VEGFRs with differential affinities; Scientific Reports. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71484-y
- Fang Y, Kaszuba T, Imoukhuede PI (2020) Systems Biology Will Direct Vascular-Targeted Therapy for Obesity; Frontiers in Physiology; doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00831.
- Mamer SB, Page P, Murphy M, Wang J, Gallerne P, Ansari A, Imoukhuede PI (2020) The Convergence of Cell-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance and Biomaterials: The Future of Quantifying Bio-molecular Interactions-A Review; Annals of Biomedical Engineering; 48(7):2078-2089; doi.org/10.1007/s10439-019-02429-4.
- Rubin JB, Lagas JS, Broestl L, Sponagel J, Rockwell N, Rhee G, Rosen SF, Chen S, Klein RS, Imoukhuede P, Luo J (2020) Sex Differences in Cancer Mechanisms; Biol Sex Differ; 11(1):17; PMID: 32295632.
- Chen S and Imoukhuede PI (2019) Multiplexing angiogenic receptor quantification via quantum dots; Analytical Chemistry; doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.9b00238.
- Chen S and Imoukhuede PI (2019) Single-Cell Receptor Quantification of an In Vitro Coculture Angiogenesis Model Reveals VEGFR, NRP1, Tie2, and PDGFR Regulation and Endothelial Heterogeneity; Processes; 7(6) 356; doi.org/10.3390/pr7060356.
- Mamer SB, Palasz AA, Imoukhuede PI (2019) Mapping Tyrosine Kinase Receptor Dimerization to Receptor Expression and Ligand Affinities; Processes; 7(5), 288; doi.org/10.3390/pr7050288.
- Ansari A, Schultheis K, Patel R, Al-Qadi KI, Chen S, Jensen CR, Schad SR, Weddell JC, Vanka SP, Imoukhuede PI (2019) Cell isolation via spiral microfluidics and the secondary anchor targeted cell release system; AIChE Journal; 65:e16844; doi.org/10.1002/aic.16844.
- Ansari A, Imoukhuede PI (2018) Plenty more room on the glass bottom: Surface functionalization and nanobiotechnology for cell isolation; Nano Research; 11(10): 5107-5129; doi: 10.1007/s12274-018-2177-7.
- Chen S, Le T, Harley BAC, Imoukhuede PI (2018) Characterizing glioblastoma heterogeneity via single-cell receptor quantification; Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology; 6 (92):2-12; doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2018.00092; PMID: 30050899.
- Mendenhall R, Cross K, Amos J, Clancy KBH, Imoukhuede PI, Cromely JG (2018) The Intersecting Identities of Women in Engineering; Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Weddell J, Imoukhuede PI (2018) Computational systems biology for the VEGF family in angiogenesis; Encyclopedia of Cardiovascular Research and Medicine; Sawyer, D. B., Ed. Elsevier: Oxford; pp 659-676; doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809657-4.99548-6.
- Weddell JC, Chen S, Imoukhuede PI (2018) VEGFR1 promotes cell migration and proliferation through PLC? and PI3K pathways; npj Systems Biology and Applications; 4:1; doi:10.1038/s41540-017-0037-9.
- Mamer SB, Chen S, Weddell J, Palasz A, Wittenkeller A, Kumar M, Imoukhuede PI (2017) Discovery of High-Affinity PDGF-VEGFR Interactions: Redefining RTK Dynamics; Scientific Reports; 7: 16439; doi:10.1038/s41598-017-16610-z; PMID: 29180757.
- Hedhli J, Czerwinski A, Schuelke M, Ploska A, Sowinski P, LaHood L, Mamer SB, Czaplewska P, Dobrucki IT, Kalinowski L, Imoukhuede PI, Dobrucki LW (2017) Synthesis, Chemical Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Novel Dimeric-cRGD Peptide for Targeted Imaging of Integrin Activity; Scientific Reports. Jun 9;7(1):3185. PubMed PMID: 28600529; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5466598.
- Weddell JC & Imoukhuede PI (2017) Integrative meta-modeling identifies endocytic vesicles, late endosome and the nucleus as the cellular compartments primarily directing RTK signaling; Integrative Biology; Apr 24. doi: 10.1039/c7ib00011a; PMID: 28436498.
- Chen S, Weddell J, Gupta P, Conard G, Parkin J, Imoukhuede PI (2017) qFlow cytometry-based receptoromic screening: a high-throughput quantification approach informing biomarker selection and nanosensor development; Springer Protocols: Methods in Molecular Biology; 1570:117-138.
- Cross K, Clancy KBH, Mendenhall R, Imoukhuede PI, Amos J (2017) The Double Bind of Race and Gender: A Look into the Experiences of Women of Color in Engineering; American Society for Engineering Education Conference Proceedings.
- Ansari A, Patel R, Schultheis K, Naumovski V, Imoukhuede PI (2016) A method of targeted cell isolation via glass surface functionalization; Journal of Visual Experiments; (115), e54315, doi: 10.3791/54315; PMID: 27684992.
- Rosch DM & Imoukhuede PI (2016) Improving Bioengineering Student Leadership Identity via Training and Practice within the Core-Course; Annals of Biomedical Engineering; 44(12):36063618 PMID: 27364627.
- Lee Montiel FT, Li P, Imoukhuede PI (2015) Quantum dot multiplexing for the profiling of angiogenic receptors; Nanoscale; 7:18504-18514.
- Chen S, Guo X, Imarenezor O, Imoukhuede, PI (2015) Quantification of VEGFRs, NRP1, and PDGFRs on endothelial cells and fibroblasts reveals serum, intra-family ligand, and cross-family ligand regulation; Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering; 8(3):383-403.
- Ansari A, Lee Montiel FT, Amos J, Imoukhuede PI (2015) Secondary Anchor Targeted Cell Release; Biotechnology and Bioengineering; 112(11):2214-2227.
- Wang H, Yang X-F, Cannella AL, Imoukhuede PI, Qin X, Choi E, Xi H, Cueto R, Zhou Nelson J, Sha X, Li X, Lopez-Pastrana J, Ferrer L, Li YF, Xiong X (2015) Inhibition of caspase-1 activation in endothelial cells improves angiogenesis: A novel therapeutic potential for ischemia; Journal of Biological Chemistry; 290:17485-17494.
- Amos, J., Vogel T., Imoukhuede Pl. (2015) Assessing teaming skills and major identity through collaborative sophomore design projects across disciplines; American Society for Engineering Education Conference Proceedings; DOI:10.18260/p.23584
- Weddell J, Kwack J, Imoukhuede PI, Masud A (2015) Hemodynamic Analysis in an Idealized Artery Tree: Differences in Wall Shear Stress between Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Blood Models; PLoS One, 10(4): e0124575.
- Chen S., Ansari A., Sterrett W., Hurley K., Kemball J., Weddell J.C., Imoukhuede P. (2014) Current State-of-the-Art and Future Directions in Systems Biology. Progress and Communication in Sciences, 1(1):12-26.
- Weddell J., Imoukhuede, P.I. (2014) Quantitative Characterization of cellular membrane-receptor heterogeneity through statistical and computational modeling. PLoS One, 9(5): e97271.
- Roxworthy, B., Johnston, M.T., Lee Montiel, F., Ewoldt, R.H., Imoukhuede, P.I., Toussaint,K.C. (2014) Plasmonic Optical Trapping in Biologically Relevant Media. PLoS One, 9(4):e93929.
- Imoukhuede, P.I., Popel, A.S. (2014) Quantitative fluorescent profiling of VEGFRs reveals tumor cell and endothelial cell heterogeneity in breast cancer xenografts. Cancer Medicine, 3(2): 225-244.
- Lee Montiel, F., Imoukhuede, P.I. (2013) Engineering quantum dot calibration standards for quantitative fluorescent profiling. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 1:6434-6441.
- Imoukhuede, P.I., Dokun, A.O., Annex, B.H., Popel, A.S. (2013) Endothelial cell-by-cell profiling reveals temporal dynamics of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 membrane-localization following murine hindlimb ischemia. AJP-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 304: H1085-H1093.
- Imoukhuede, P.I., Popel, A.S. (2012) Expression of VEGF receptors on endothelial cells in mouse skeletal muscle. PLoS ONE, 7(9): e44791.
- Imoukhuede, P.I., Popel, A.S. (2011) Quantification and Cell-To-Cell Variation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptors. Experimental Cell Research, 317, 955-965.
- Finley, S.D., Engel-Stefanini, M.O., Imoukhuede, P.I., Popel, A.S. (2011) Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of VEGF-neutralizing antibodies. BMC Systems Biology, 5:193.
- Imoukhuede, P.I., Moss, F.J., Michael, D.J., Chow, R.H, Lester, H.A. (2009) Ezrin mediates tethering of the gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter GAT1 to actin filaments via a C-terminal PDZ-interacting domain. Biophysical Journal, 96, 2949-2960.
- Moss, F.J., Imoukhuede, P.I., Jankowski, J.J., Lester, H.A. (2009) GABA transporter function, oligomerization state, and anchoring: correlates with subcellularly resolved FRET. Journal of General Physiology, 134,489-521.
- Moss, F.J., Imoukhuede, P.I., Just, H., Lester, H.A. (2009) GABA Transporters: Structure, oligomerization, trafficking and pharmacology determine neuronal excitability. Encyclopedia of Basic Epilepsy Research, 3, 1389-1397.
- Drenan, R.M., Nashmi, R., Imoukhuede, P.I., Just, H., McKinney, S., Lester, H.A. (2008). Subcellular trafficking, pentameric assembly and subunit stoichiometry of neuronal nicotinic ACh receptors containing fluorescently-labeled ?6 and ?3 subunits. Molecular Pharmacology, 73, 27-41.
- Crumpler, E., Imoukhuede, P., Keawphalouk, M., Landa, J., Langer, R. (1999). Controlled release of 9-chloro-2-methylellipticinium acetate from a biodegradable polymer: Release kinetics, in vitro and in vivo effects on cellular growth. Polymer Preprints, 40, 605-606.
In the News
2024-05-01T11:27:28-07:00
Patrick Boyle and Princess Imoukhuede receive 2024 ITHS Awards
2024-05-01T11:27:28-07:00January 9th, 2024|
2024-03-21T06:34:03-07:00
Princess Imoukhuede honored with the Professional Impact Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
2024-03-21T06:34:03-07:00March 25th, 2024|
2022-02-10T15:20:28-08:00
Princess Imoukhuede named new chair of UW Bioengineering
2022-02-10T15:20:28-08:00November 2nd, 2021|