Guy Genin

Focus

Mechanobiology, biomechanics, quantitative image analysis, interfaces and adhesion

Research

Guy Genin advances understanding of how mechanical forces regulate cell and tissue function, translating these insights into biomedical devices and engineered systems that improve patient health. His work spans three main areas: (1) integrated experimental and theoretical mechanobiology, studying how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, particularly in fibrosis and kidney disease; (2) the mechanics of interfaces, especially the tendon-to-bone attachment and cell-matrix interactions; and (3) translational mechanobiology, developing nature-inspired medical therapies devices like specialized catheters and surgical adhesives. Through intentional collaboration across disciplines and with industry, his group combines theoretical and computational modeling, novel experimental tools, and clinical partnerships to move discoveries from basic science into improved patient care.

Biography

Guy Genin advances understanding of how mechanical forces regulate cell and tissue function, translating these insights into biomedical devices and engineered systems that improve patient health. His research combines experimental and computational approaches to understand mechanobiology across scales, from cell-level responses to tissue-level applications. Through these efforts, Genin and his group develop innovative medical technologies, including novel intravascular catheters, improved surgical repair techniques, and therapies for fibrosis and kidney disease.

Genin is the Harold and Kathleen Faught Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, with appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery at the School of Medicine. He is Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University. Genin co-directs the NSF Science and Technology Center for Engineering MechanoBiology, a major research center advancing the field of mechanobiology. He also co-directs CVISE, the NIH-funded center for cardiovascular innovation across surgery and engineering. He serves as Chief Technology Officer for Vascorra, LLC, and has helped launch several other successful biomedical startups.

A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineers (IAMBE), Genin serves on numerous editorial boards including as associate editor of Biophysical Journal. He serves on the Society of Engineering Science Board of directors, and is secretary of the ASME Bioengineering Division. He has received multiple prestigious awards including the ASME Savio L-Y. Woo Medal for Translational Biomechanics (2024), fellowship in the National Academy of Inventors (2022), the Changjiang Scholar Award from the Chinese Ministry of Education (2015), and the ASME Richard Skalak Award (2013).

Genin joined Washington University in 1999. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Case Western Reserve University and master's and doctoral degrees in applied mechanics from Harvard, followed by postdoctoral training at Cambridge and Brown.

Affiliations

• Center for Engineering Mechanobiology
• Center for Innovation in Neuroscience and Technology
• CVISE, the center for Cardiovascular Innovation in Surgery and Engineering
• Division of Neurotechnology
• The Institute of Materials Science & Engineering
• Synthetic biology Manufacturing of Advanced materials Research Center (SMARC)

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