Janet Zoldan, Ph.D

Principal Investigator

 

Dr. Zoldan received her BSc degree in chemistry from the Hebrew University, and then pursued her master’s degree and a doctorate in the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Engineering, specializing in polymer science. For her postdoctoral training, she joined Dr. Shulamit Levenberg’s Lab at the Technion and delved into stem cell biology. Receiving both the Aly Kauffman Fellowship and the Technion’s Outstanding Woman Scientist in Engineering Award allowed her to join Dr. Robert Langer’s lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the Langer lab, she focused on nucleic acid delivery to human embryonic stem cells and protein microfluidic delivery. In 2013, Dr. Zoldan joined The University of Texas at Austin as an assistant professor. Research in the Zoldan lab focuses on human induced pluripotent stem cells as a model system to explore key principles underlying cardiovascular tissue formation processes and regenerating ischemic tissue.

Dr. Zoldan has recently received the prestigious Scientist Development Grant from the American Heart Association,  the Alliance of Regenerative Rehabilitation Research and Training award and was named a 2017 Emerging Investigator by the Journal of Biomaterials Science. Additionally, she is currently serving on the scientific advisory board for the next Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society World Congress.

We are always looking for motivated students!

Undergraduate: If you are an undergraduate and thinking of joining the Zoldan Lab, please email zjanet@utexas.edu with your resume attached and a brief summary of your interest.

Graduate (PhD only): If you are considering applying to the Zoldan Lab as a graduate researcher, please check out this to see how to apply to the PhD program at the University of Texas at Austin. Feel free to email Dr. Zoldan or any of her graduate students with questions about our current projects, lab environment, or simply living in Austin, the live music capital of the United States.

Postdoctoral: Those interested in a postdoctoral fellowship are welcome to contact us with your interest (and attached CV).

Engineering Biomaterials

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A central problem in molecular cell biology and tissue engineering is the understanding of tissue formation processes. Understanding this process and controlling it is critical for treating a broad spectrum of pathological conditions (e.g. diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, hepatic failure and heart failure) as well as alleviating the current shortage of donor tissue necessary for tissue repair and transplant.  Generally, formation of tissue is carried out on at least two levels: 1) cell differentiation and 2) interactions between cells and their matrix. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have unique characteristics that render them a powerful tool for studying this question. First, they are capable of renewing themselves for long time periods through cell division and second they can be induced to differentiate into all of the cell types that constitute the body, suggesting that patient-specific stem cell population may become a reality. However, the current challenge is devising efficient protocols for controlling differentiation to produce large numbers of specialized cell populations in high purity.

To unlock the full therapeutic potential of these cells, we utilize concepts in materials science and stem cell bioengineering synergistically to analyze and control the complex process of hESCs/iPSCs differentiation into mesoderm.  We develop inter- and intra-cellular microenvironments favorable for tissue differentiation. These engineered environments will serve as a platform for fundamental research in tissue development, disease mechanisms, drug testing and hold potential for in situ tissue regeneration applications.

Current research in our lab is focused on addressing the challenges of cardiac tissue engineering in in vitro environments. Our three primary research areas are

1. Using protein delivery to direct iPSCs differentiation into the cardiovascular lineages
2. Mimicking the cardiac niche
3. Developing iPSC-derived tissue constructs for cardiac tissue repair and replacement

55. Stern B, Han J, Halwachs K, Larsen B, Cheng K, Tran D, Parker P, Momtahan N, Baker A, Peppas N, Rosales A, Zoldan J. “Dynamic stiffening to improve vasculogenesis of hiPSC-Derived endothelial progenitors”. Biomaterials (2026)

54. Cheng K, Lim E, Stern B, Zoldan J, Peppas N. “Degradable multi-arm PEG hydrogels with tunable stiffness and diffusivity”. Biomaterials Science (2026)

53. Momtahan N, McClain A, Trementozzi A, Sohn S, Qiao L, Zhao C, Rangamani P, Stachowiak, Zoldan J . “Connexin 43-Enriched Vesicles Improve Synchronization in hiPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes.” Advanced Science (2026)

52. Sohn S, Morgan D, Callahan C, Dockery K, Brock A, Zoldan J, “Cell barcoding reveals lineage-dependent outcomes in hiPSC cardiac differentiation”. Stem Cells (2026)

51. Kalkunte N, Sohn S, Callahan C, Delambre T, Momtahan N, Meng S, Brock A, Zoldan J. “Development of low-cost electrical stimulation device to promote hiPSC-CM differentiation and functionality”. APL Bioengineering (2026)

50. A, Moshksayan K, Momtahan N, Ben-Yakar A, Zoldan J. “Evaluating Seeding Density Effects on Cardiac Organoid Health and Functionality for Toxicity Studies”. Tissue Engineering Part A (2026)

49. S. Sohn, N. Momtahan, L. M. Stevens, , “Modulating Hydrogel Stiffness Through Light-Based 3D Printing to Mimic Cardiac Fibrosis and Cardiomyocyte Dysfunction Using hiPSC-Derived Cells.” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (2025)

48. Stern B, Meng S, Larsen B, Brock A, Zoldan J. “Differentiation Protocol-Dependent Variability in hiPSC-Derived Endothelial Progenitor Functionality”. Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine (2025)

47. Nazemidashtarjandi S, Larsen B, Cheng K, Faulkner S, Peppas NA, Parekh SH, Zoldan J. “Near-infrared light-responsive hydrogels for on-demand dual delivery of proangiogenic growth factors”. Acta Biomaterialia (2024)

46. Mcclain AK, Monteleone PP, Zoldan J. “Sex in cardiovascular disease: Why this biological variable should be considered in in vitro models”. Science Advances (2024)

45. Kalkunte N, Cisneros J, Castillo E, Zoldan J. A review on machine learning approaches in cardiac tissue engineering. Frontiers in Biomaterials Science (2024)

44. Stern B, Monteleone P, Zoldan J. “SARS–CoV-2 spike protein induces endothelial dysfunction in 3D engineered vascular networks”. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research (2024)

43. N.F. Huang, B. Stern, B.P. Oropeza, T.S. Zaitseva, M.V. Paukshto, J. Zoldan. “Bioengineering Cell Therapy for Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease”. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (2024)

42. K. Moshksayan, A. Harihara, S. Mondal, E. Hegarty, T. Atherly, D.K. Sahoo, A.E. Jergens, J.P. Mochel, K. Allenspach, J. Zoldan, A. Ben-Yakar. “OrganoidChip facilitates hydrogel-free immobilization for fast and blur-free imaging of organoids”. Scientific Reports (2023)

41. N.G. Kalkunte, T.E. Delambre, S. Sohn, M. Pickett, S. Parekh, J. Zoldan. “Engineering Alignment Has Mixed Effects on Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiated Cardiomyocyte Maturation”. Tissue Engineering Part A (2023)

40. K. Moshksayan, A. Harihara, S. Mondal, E. Hegarty, J. Zoldan, A. Ben-Yakar. “A microfluidic chip with immobilization chambers for cardiac organoid imaging”. Microfluidics, BioMEMS, and Medical Microsystems (2023)

39. B. Stern, P. Monteleone, J. Zoldan. “SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein induces endothelial dysfunction in 3D engineered vascular networks”. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (2022)

38. A. Paul, S. Kumar, T.S. Kaoud, M.R. Pickett, A.L. Bohanon, J. Zoldan, K.N.Dalby, S.H. Parekh. “Biomechanical dependence of SARS-CoV-2 infections”. ACS Applied Bio Materials (2022)

37. C.O. Crosby, B. Stern, N. Kalkunte, S. Pedahzur, S. Ramesh, J. Zoldan. “Interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels as bioactive scaffolds for tissue engineering”. Reviews in chemical engineering (2022)

36. C.O. Crosby, A. Hillsley, S. Kumar, B. Stern, S.H. Parekh, A. Rosales, J. Zoldan. “Phototunable interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels to stimulate the vasculogenesis of stem cell-derived endothelial progenitors”. Acta biomaterialia (2021)

35. V. Barnhouse, N. Petrikas, C. Crosby, J. Zoldan, B Harley. “Perivascular secretome influences hematopoietic stem cell maintenance in a gelatin hydrogel” Annals of biomedical engineering (2021)

34. Nima Momtahan, Crosby C., & Zoldan, J. “The role of reactive oxygen species in in vitro cardiac maturation”. Trends in Molecular Medicine (2019)

33. W. Goth, S. Potter, A. Allen, J. Zoldan, M. S. Sacks, and J. W. Tunnell, “Non-destructive reflectance mapping of collagen fiber alignment in multi-layered tissues”, Annals of Biomedical Engineering (2019).

32. Cody Crosby & Zoldan, J. “An in vitro 3D model and computational pipeline to quantify the vasculogenic potential of iPSC-derived endothelial progenitors”. JoVE (2019)

31. Cody Crosby & Zoldan, J. “Mimicking the physical cues of the ECM in angiogenic biomaterials”. Regenerative Biomaterials (2019)

30. Alicia Allen, Barone, E., Momtahan, N., Crosby, C., Tu, C., Deng, W., Polansky, K., & Zoldan, J. “.Temporal Impact of Substrate Anisotropy on Differentiating Cardiomyocyte Alignment and Functionality.” Tissue Engineering, Part A (2019)

29. Cody Crosby, Valliappan, D., Shu, D., Kumar, S., Tu, C., Deng, W., Parekh, S.H., & Zoldan, J. “Quantifying the vasculogenic potential of iPSC-derived endothelial progenitors in collagen hydrogels.” Tissue Engineering, Part A (2019)

28. Chengyi Tu and J. Zoldan*, “Moving iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes forward to treat myocardial infarction”, Cell Stem Cells (2018).

27. Chengyi Tu, Allen, A., Deng, W., Conroy, O., Nambiar, M., & Zoldan, J. “Commonly used thiol-containing antioxidants reduce cardiac differentiation and alter gene expression ratios of sarcomeric isoforms.” Experimental Cell Research (2018)

26. A.K. Gadok, C. Zhao, A. Meriwether, S. Ferrati, T. Rowley, J. Zoldan, H.D.C. Smyth, and J.C. Stachowiak, “Display of single-domain antibodies on the surfaces of connectosomes enables gap junction-mediated drug delivery to specific cell populations”, Biochemistry (2017).

25. S. Aday, J. Zoldan, M. Besnier, L. Carreto, J. Saif, R. Fernandes, T. Santos, L. Bernardino, R. Langer, C. Emanueli and L. Ferreira, “Synthetic microparticles conjugated with VEGF165 improve the survival of endothelial progenitor cells via microRNA-17 inhibition.” Nature Communications (2017).

24. Chengyi Tu,  Xu, R., Koleti M., & Zoldan, J. “Glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibition sensitizes human induced pluripotent stem cells to thiol-containing antioxidants induced apoptosis.” Stem Cell Research (2017)

23. Alicia Allen,  Barone, E., Crosby, C., Suggs, L. J., & Zoldan, J. “Electrospun poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide)/poly (caprolactone) fibers for the generation of anisotropic cell sheets.” Biomaterials Science (2017)

22. Y. Cha, M-J. Han, H-J Cha, J. Zoldan, A. Burkart, J.H. Jung, Y. Jang, C-H Kim, H-C Jeong, B.G. Kim, R. Langer, C.R. Kahn, L. Guarente, and K-S Kim. “Metabolic control of primed human pluripotent stem cell fate and function by the miR-200c-SIRT2 axis.” Nature Cell Biology (2017).

21. Y. Liu, A. Nguyen, A. Allen, J. Zoldan, Y. Huang, and J.Y. Chen. “Regenerated cellulose micro-nano fiber matrices for transdermal drug release.” Materials Science and Engineering, C. (2017).

20. N. Katta,  Rector, J.A., Gardner, M.R., McElroy, A.B., Choy, K.C., Crosby, C., Zoldan, J. and Milner. “Image-guided smart laser system for precision implantation of cells in cartilage.” SPIE Medical Imaging (2017).

19. N. Dana, Fowler, R.A., Allen, A., Zoldan, J., Suggs, L., & Emelianov, S. “In Vitro Photoacoustic Sensing of Calcium Dynamics with Arsenazo III”. Laser Physics Letters (2016).

18. Chengyi Tu, Santo, L., Mishima, Y., Raje, N., Smilansky, Z., & Zoldan, J.. “Monitoring protein synthesis in single live cancer cells.” Integrative Biology (2016).

17. K. Baek, Tu, C., Zoldan, J., & Suggs, L. J. “Gene Transfection for Stem Cell Therapy” Current Stem Cell Reports, (2016).

16. Chengyi Tu, Das, S., Baker, A. B., Zoldan, J., & Suggs, L. J. “Nanoscale strategies: treatment for peripheral vascular disease and critical limb ischemia.” ACS Nano (2015).

Before UT Austin

15. A. Sharei, N. Cho, S. Mao, E. Jackson, R. Poceviciute, A. Adamo, J. Zoldan, R. Langer, K.F. Jensen, “Cell squeezing as a robust, microfluidic intracellular delivery platform.” Journal of Visual Experiments (2013).