Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

  1. N. G. Alexander, K. A. Buchanan, A. E. Meyer, L.M. Mitterway, C.O. Vanderburgh, S. S. Rao, B.J. Kim (2025). Using a Brain-like Endothelial Cell Differentiation to Characterize the CS79iBRCA-n2 BRCA1 Mutated Patient Derived Stem Cell Line. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. In Press
  2. K. Goodarzi, P. Sarker, S. S. Rao (2025). Regulation of brain metastatic breast cancer cell dormancy versus proliferation on hyaluronic acid hydrogels via laminin and laminin-derived peptides. ACS Applied Bio Materials. In Press.
  3. X. Ma, Y. Cai, S. K. Gurung, S. S. Rao, C. Zhao (2025). Glucose-facilitated nanomicelles cross peripheral nerve barriers to achieve drug delivery to nerves. Advanced Functional Materials. In Press.
  4. N.A. Lenart, S. S. Rao (2025). Cell-cell interactions mediating primary and metastatic breast cancer dormancy. Cancer and Metastasis Reviews. 44:6
  5. K. Goodarzi, S. S. Rao (2024). Structurally decoupled hyaluronic acid hydrogels for studying matrix metalloproteinase-mediated invasion of metastatic breast cancer cells. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 277(4):134493.
  6. V. Yakati, L.A. Shevde, S. S. Rao (2024). Matrix stiffness influences response to chemo and targeted therapy in brain metastatic breast cancer cells. Biomaterials Science. 12(15):3882-3895.
  7. S. K. Gurung, L.A. Shevde, S. S. Rao (2024). Laminin I mediates resistance to Lapatinib in HER2-positive brain metastatic breast cancer cells in vitro. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 720:150142.
  8. R. Kondapaneni, S. K. Gurung, K. Goodarzi, P.S. Nakod, V. Yakati, N.A. Lenart, S. S. Rao (2024). Glioblastoma mechanobiology at multiple length scales. Biomaterials Advances. 160:213860. (Invited Article in the Special Issue titled “Convergence of Biomaterials Science and Cancer Research”).
  9. R. Kondapaneni$, S.K. Gurung$, L.A. Shevde, S.S. Rao (2024) Protocol for generating dormant human brain metastatic breast cancer spheroids in vitro. STAR Protocols. 5(2):102962. ($ denotes equal contribution).
  10. K. Goodarzi, R. Lane, S. S. Rao (2024). Varying RGD concentration on a biomimetic hyaluronic acid hydrogel influences dormancy versus proliferation in brain metastatic breast cancer cells. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A. 112(5):710-720.
  11. ​R. Kondapaneni, L.A. Shevde, S. S. Rao (2023). A biomimetic hyaluronic acid hydrogel models mass dormancy in brain metastatic breast cancer spheroids. Advanced Biology. 7(1):e2200114. 
  12. R. Kondapaneni, R. Warren, S. S. Rao (2022). Low dose chemotherapy induces a dormant state in brain metastatic breast cancer spheroids. AIChE Journal. 68(12):e17858. (Invited article, Futures Issue 2022). 
  13. P.S. Nakod, R. Kondapaneni, B. Edney, Y. Kim, S. S. Rao (2022). The impact of temozolomide and lonafarnib on the stemness marker expression of glioblastoma cells in multicellular spheroids. Biotechnology Progress. 38(5):e3284.
  14. P.S. Nakod, Y. Kim, S. S. Rao (2021). The impact of astrocytes and endothelial cells on glioblastoma stemness marker expression in multicellular spheroids. Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. 14(6): 639–651.
  15. ​K. Goodarzi, S. S. Rao (2021). Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels to study cancer cell behaviors. Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 9(31):6103-6115. (Invited review, selected by the Editors to be included in the themed collection “Journal of Materials Chemistry B HOT Papers”).
  16. R. Kondapaneni, S. S. Rao (2020). Matrix stiffness and cluster size collectively regulate dormancy versus proliferation in brain metastatic breast cancer cell clusters. Biomaterials Science. 8(23): 6637-6646.
  17. K.R. Coogan$, P.T. Stone$, N. D. Sempertegui, S. S. Rao (2020). Fabrication of micro-porous hyaluronic acid hydrogels through salt leaching. European Polymer Journal. 135:109870 ($denotes equal contribution).
  18. M.F. Fisher, S. S. Rao (2020). Three dimensional culture models to study drug resistance in breast cancer. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 117(7):2262-2278. (Invited article).
  19.  A. A. Narkhede$, J. H. Crenshaw$, D.K. Crossman, L.A. Shevde, S. S. Rao (2020). An in vitro hyaluronic acid hydrogel based platform to model dormancy in brain metastatic breast cancer cells. Acta Biomaterialia. 107:65-77. ($denotes equal contribution) 
  20. P.S. Nakod, Y. Kim, S. S. Rao (2020). Three-dimensional biomimetic hyaluronic acid hydrogels to investigate glioblastoma stem cell behaviors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 117(2):511-522.  
  21. G.G. Bushnell$, X. Hong$, R.M. Hartfield, Y. Zhang, R.S. Oakes, S.S. Rao, J.S. Jeruss, J.P. Stegemann, C. X. Deng, L.D. Shea (2020). High frequency spectral ultrasound imaging to detect metastasis in implanted biomaterial scaffolds. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 48(1):477-489 ($denotes equal contribution). 
  22. G.G. Bushnell, S.S. Rao, R.M. Hartfield, Y. Zhang, R.S. Oakes, J.S. Jeruss, L.D. Shea (2020). Microporous scaffolds loaded with immunomodulatory lentivirus to study the contribution of immune cell populations to tumor cell recruitment in vivo. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 117(1):210-222.4. 
  23. A. A. Narkhede$, J.A. Sherwood$, A. Antone, K. R. Coogan, M.S. Bolding, S. Deb, Y. Bao, S. S. Rao (2019). Role of surface chemistry in mediating the uptake of ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles by cancer cells. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 11(19):17157-17166. ($denotes equal contribution).
  24. ​ J.S. Hartheimer, S. Park, S.S. Rao, Y. Kim (2019). Targeting hyaluronan interactions for glioblastoma stem cell therapy. Cancer Microenvironment. 12(1):47-56.
  25. S. S. Rao, R. Kondapaneni, A. A. Narkhede (2019). Bioengineered models to study tumor dormancy. Journal of Biological Engineering. 13:3.          
  26.  N. D. Sempertegui, A. A. Narkhede, V. Thomas, S. S. Rao (2018). A combined compression molding, heating, and leaching process for fabrication of micro-porous poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds. Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition. 29(16):1978-1993.
  27.  P. S. Nakod, Y. Kim, S. S. Rao (2018). Biomimetic models to examine microenvironmental regulation of glioblastoma stem cells. Cancer Letters. 429:41-53.
  28.  B.A. Aguado, R.M. Hartfield, G.G. Bushnell, J.T. Decker, S.M. Azarin, D. Nanavati, M.J. Schipma, S.S. Rao, R.S. Oakes, Y. Zhang, J.S. Jeruss, L.D. Shea (2018). Biomaterial scaffolds as pre-metastatic niche mimics systemically alter the primary tumor and tumor microenvironment. Advanced Healthcare Materials. 7(10):e1700903. (Article featured on the inside front cover).
  29. A. A. Narkhede, J. H. Crenshaw, R. Manning, S.S. Rao (2018). The influence of matrix stiffness on the behavior of brain metastatic breast cancer cells in a biomimetic hyaluronic acid hydrogel platform. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A. 106(7):1832-1841.​
  30.  S. S. Rao, J. Stoehr†, D. Dokic, L. Wan, J.T. Decker, K. Konopka, A.L. Thomas, J. Wu, V. G. Kaklamani, L. D. Shea, J. S. Jeruss (2017). Synergistic effect of eribulin and CDK inhibition for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer. Oncotarget. 8(48):83925-83939. (This work was highlighted in Science Daily, University of Michigan Health System Blog, EurekAlert! (American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), and various other websites)
  31. B.A. Aguado, G.G. Bushnell, S.S. Rao, J.S. Jeruss, L.D. Shea (2017). Engineering the pre-metastatic niche. Nature Biomedical Engineering.1:0077. (Article featured on the journal cover)
  32. A. A. Narkhede, L.A. Shevde, S.S. Rao (2017). Biomimetic strategies to recapitulate organ specific microenvironments for studying breast cancer metastasis. International Journal of Cancer. 141(6):1091-1109.
  33. S. S. Rao, G.G. Bushnell, S. M. Azarin, G. Spicer, B. A. Aguado, J. Stoehr, E.J. Jiang, V. Backman, L. D. Shea, J. S. Jeruss (2016). Enhanced survival with implantable scaffolds that capture metastatic breast cancer cells in vivo. Cancer Research. 76(18):5209-5218. (This work was highlighted in Science Daily, NewsMax Health, Med Device Online, University of Michigan (UM) Comprehensive Cancer Center News, UM College of Engineering news, The Times of India, Newswise, Cancer Research UK News Report, and various other websites)
  34. B.A. Aguado, J.R. Caffe, D. Nanavati, S.S. Rao, G.G. Bushnell, S.M. Azarin, L.D. Shea (2016). Extracellular matrix mediators of metastatic cell colonization characterized using scaffold mimics of the pre-metastatic niche. Acta Biomaterialia. 33:13-24. (This work was highlighted in Materials Today news)
  35. B.A. Aguado, J.J. Wu, S.M. Azarin, D. Nanavati, S.S. Rao, G.G. Bushnell, C.B. Medicherla, L.D. Shea (2015). Secretome identification of immune cell factors mediating metastatic cell homing. Scientific Reports. 5:17566.
  36. S.M. Azarin, J. Yi, R.M. Gower, B.A. Aguado, M.E. Sullivan, A.G. Goodman, E.J. Jiang, S.S. Rao, Y. Ren, S.L. Tucker, V. Backman, J.S. Jeruss, L.D. Shea (2015). In vivo capture and label-free detection of early metastatic cells. Nature Communications. 6:8094. (This work was highlighted in Nature, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Journal of the National Cancer Institute, BBC news, New Scientist, NIH Director’s Blog, Popular Science, University of Michigan (UM) news, UM College of Engineering news, Spectator, Discovery news, and various other websites)
  37. J. Grodecki, S.S. Rao, A.R. Short, J.J. Otero, J.J. Lannutti, A. Sarkar, J.O. Winter (2015). Glioma-astrocyte interactions on white matter tract-mimetic aligned electrospun nanofibers. Biotechnology Progress. 31(5):1406-1415.
  38. S.S. Rao, J.J. Lannutti, M.S. Viapiano, A. Sarkar, J.O. Winter (2014). Toward 3D biomimetic models to understand the behavior of glioblastoma multiforme cells. Tissue Engineering, Part B: Reviews. 20(4):314-327.
  39. S.S. Rao, J. DeJesus, A. R. Short, J.J. Otero, A. Sarkar, J.O. Winter (2013). Glioblastoma behaviors in three-dimensional collagen-hyaluronan composite hydrogels. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 5(19): 9276-9284. (Invited Article) Special Issue: New Frontiers and Challenges in Biomaterials.
  40. S.S. Rao, M.T. Nelson, R. Xue, J.K. DeJesus, M.S. Viapiano, J.J. Lannutti, A. Sarkar, J.O. Winter (2013). Mimicking white matter tract topography using core-shell electrospun nanofibers to examine migration of malignant brain tumors. Biomaterials. 34(21): 5181-5190.
  41. K.S. Parikh, S.S. Rao, H. Ansari, L.B. Zimmerman, L.J. Lee, S.A. Akbar, J.O. Winter (2012). Ceramic nanopatterned surfaces to explore the effects of nanotopography on cell attachment. Materials Science and Engineering C: Materials for Biological Applications. 32(8): 2469–2475.
  42. S.S. Rao, S. Bentil, J. DeJesus, J. Larison, A. Hissong, R. Dupaix, A. Sarkar, J.O. Winter (2012). Inherent interfacial mechanical gradients in 3D hydrogels influence tumor cell behaviors. PLoS ONE. 7(4):e35852.
  43. N. Han, S.S. Rao, J. Johnson, K.S. Parikh, P.A. Bradley, J.J. Lannutti, J.O. Winter (2011).  Hydrogel-electrospun fiber mat composite coatings for neural prostheses. Frontiers in Neuroengineering. 4(2):1-8.
  44. S.S. Rao, N. Han, J.O. Winter (2011). Polylysine-modified PEG-based hydrogels to enhance the neuro-electrode interface. Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition. 22(4): 611–625.
  45. S.S. Rao, J.O. Winter (2009). Adhesion molecule-modified biomaterials for neural tissue engineering. Frontiers in Neuroengineering. 2(6):1-14. (Invited Article) [Among the highest performing articles in this journal according to editor.]
  46. G.M. Madhu, M.A.L. Antony Raj, K.V.K. Pai, S. Rao (2007). Photodegradation of methylene blue dye using UV/BaTiO3, UV/H2O2, and UV/BaTiO3/H2O2 oxidation processes. Indian Journal of Chemical Technology. 14:139-144.
  47.  G.M. Madhu, M.A.L. Antony Raj, K.V.K. Pai, S. Rao (2006). Photo catalytic degradation of Orange-III, Chemical Products Finder, The Journal of Materials and Equipment for the Process Industries. 25(2):19

Editorials

G. Ruan, P. Huang, L. Mei, S. S. Rao (2022). Editorial: Biological Delivery: Bridging Fundamental Research with the Clinic and Industry, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10:948064.

Book Chapters

1. J. O. Winter, S. S. Rao (2022). Tissue Engineering Models for Cancer Pathology, In Biomaterial-Based Approaches to Study the Tumour Microenvironment, (Biomaterials Science Series), J. O. Winter, S. S. Rao (Eds.), The Royal Society of Chemistry, London, UK. ISBN: 978-1-83916-284-8.

2. A. A. Narkhede, S. S. Rao (2017). Electrospun Biomaterials for Cancer Research, In Electrospun Biomaterials and Related Technologies, J. Almodovar (Ed.), Springer Press, 169-205.

Edited Book

J. O. Winter, S. S. Rao (2022). Biomaterial-Based Approaches to Study the Tumour Microenvironment (Biomaterials Science Series), The Royal Society of Chemistry, London, UK. ISBN: 978-1-83916-284-8.

Conference Proceedings and Other Publications

1.     M. A. Calhoun, S.S. Rao, S. Bentil, A. Short, T. Nelson, A. Sarkar, J.J. Lannutti, R. Dupaix, J.O. Winter (2014). Beyond elastic modulus: the role of interfacial mechanics in cell behavior. Transactions of the 38th Annual Meeting of Society for Biomaterials, Volume XXXVI, 2014 Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.

2.     S.S. Rao, T. Nelson, R. Xue, J. DeJesus, M. Viapiano, J.J. Lannutti, A. Sarkar, J.O. Winter (2012). Assessing the role of microenvironment on glioblastoma multiforme behaviors using white matter tract-mimetic aligned electrospun nanofibers. Transactions of the 36th Annual Meeting (Fall Symposium) of Society for Biomaterials, Volume XXXIV, 40, 2012 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

3.     S.S. Rao, J. DeJesus, A. Sarkar, J.O. Winter (2011). Brain mimetic hydrogels for investigating migration of glioblastoma multiformes in 3D. Transactions of the 35th Annual Meeting of Society for Biomaterials, Volume XXXIII, 671, 2011 Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL.

4.     A. Hissong, J. Larison, S. Rao, J. Johnson, A. Sarkar, J.J. Lannutti, J.O. Winter (2011). Electrospun fiber-glia white matter mimetics. Transactions of the 35th Annual Meeting of Society for Biomaterials, Volume XXXIII, 670, 2011 Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL.

5.     S.S. Rao, J. DeJesus, J. Larison, A. Sarkar, J.O. Winter (2010). Contrasting effects of 2D vs. 3D hydrogel microenvironments on the behavior of glioblastoma multiformes. Transactions of the 34th Annual Meeting of Society for Biomaterials, Volume XXXII, 540, 2010 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.