Garcia Laboratory


Education

  • Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1996
  • M.S.E., University of Pennsylvania, 1992
  • B.S., Cornell University, 1991

Teaching Interests

Professor Garcia's teaching interests focus on core bioengineering and mechanical engineering subjects at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He emphasizes the integration of fundamental principles and case studies to enhance student understanding. His instructional approach encourages student engagement through problem-solving and application of fundamental engineering principles, fostering skills essential for advanced study and professional practice.

Research Interests

Professor Garcia's research program integrates innovative engineering, materials science, and cell biology concepts and technologies to create cell-instructive biomaterials for regenerative medicine and generate new knowledge in mechanobiology. This cross-disciplinary effort has resulted in innovative biomaterial platforms that elicit targeted cellular responses and tissue repair, human stem cell technologies, and mechanistic insights into the interplay of mechanics and cell biology.

Recent Publications

  • Synthetic hydrogel substrate for human induced pluripotent stem cell definitive endoderm differentiation. Mulero-Russe A, Mora-Boza A, Marquez EN, Ziegelski M, Helmrath M, García AJ. Biomaterials. 2025 Apr;315:122920. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122920. 
  • Human immune organoids to decode B cell response in healthy donors and patients with lymphoma. Zhong Z, Quiñones-Pérez M, Dai Z, Juarez VM, Bhatia E, Carlson CR, Shah SB, Patel A, Fang Z, Hu T, Allam M, Hicks SL, Gupta M, Gupta SL, Weeks E, Vagelos SD, Molina A, Mulero-Russe A, Mora-Boza A, Joshi DJ, Sekaly RP, Sulchek T, Goudy SL, Wrammert J, Roy K, Boss JM, Coskun AF, Scharer CD, García AJ, Koff JL, Singh A. Nat Mater. 2025 Feb;24(2):297-311. doi: 10.1038/s41563-024-02037-1. 
  • On-chip 3D potency assay for prediction of clinical outcomes for cell therapy candidates for osteoarthritis. Schneider RS, Nieves EB, Aggarwal B, Bowles-Welch AC, Stevens HY, Kippner LE, Boden SD, Mautner K, Drissi H, Roy K, Lam WA, Sinha S, García AJ. Nat Commun. 2025 May 27;16(1):4915. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60158-w. 
  • Mechanochemical waves in focal adhesions during cell migration.
  • Fernández-Yagüe MA, Marquez EN, Poojari CS, Fu J, Wang Y, Del Campo A, García AJ. Sci Adv. 2025 Oct 3;11(40):eadw6425. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adw6425. 
  • FAK modulates immune response and fibroblast activation in biomaterial-induced fibrosis. Fernández-Yagüe MA, Barber GF, Del Campo A, García AJ. Biomaterials. 2026 Jan 19;330:124010. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2026.124010.