Alex Avendano, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant
SERVICES GROUP
LOCATION
Get to know the expert
Background
Dr. Alex Avendano holds a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering along with a B.S. and M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. His experience has been based at the intersection of biomedical and mechanical engineering applications across various sectors. These sectors have included academic research and engineering/scientific consulting regarding medical devices, quality systems management, and product liability litigation. As a forensic consultant at Rimkus, Dr. Avendano supports the company’s biomechanical practice through cases involving vehicle accidents, occupational injuries, slip/trip and fall incidents, and medical equipment evaluation. He also holds bilingual communication skills in both English and his native Spanish language.
Prior to joining Rimkus, Dr. Avendano was a Senior Consultant at Exponent, Inc., where he supported various consulting projects related to orthopedic, cardiovascular, and diagnostic medical devices; quality systems management; and business/consumer product liability litigation. These projects included static and mechanical testing of medical devices using ISO/ASTM standards, academic publications, mechanical testing and analysis to support product liability matters, regulatory submissions, and additional assignments in support of a variety of litigated matters. He also served as the equipment operations manager at Exponent’s Philadelphia Laboratory, where he was responsible for managing the calibration program, coordination of preventive/routine maintenance of lab equipment, and equipment quality management system compliance to ISO 17025.
Prior to consulting, his academic research career was focused on analysis of interstitial tissue transport and mechanical properties using in vitro testing and analysis methods to quantify relevant transport and mechanical properties of tissue-mimicking hydrogel-based materials and quantify how these properties change as a function of both material as well as cellular constituents, primarily for cancer research applications. His publication record reflects collaborative efforts between engineers and cancer researchers, and the use of in vitro testing with analysis methods to provide meaningful measurements relating genetic alterations to quantifiable physical changes in tissue-mimicking systems.
Education and Certifications
- Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D.: The Ohio State University (2020)
- Mechanical Engineering, M.S.: The Ohio State University (2017)
- Mechanical Engineering, B.S.: Iowa State University (2014)
Publications
- Shashwat S. Agarwal, Marcos Cortes-Medina, Jacob C. Holter, Alex Avendano, Joseph W. Tinapple, Joseph M. Barlarge, Miles M. Menyhert, Lotanna M. Onua, and Jonathan Song, Rapid low-cost assembly of modular microvessel-on-a-chip with benchtop xurography. Lab Chip, 2024, 24, 5065-5076, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00565A.
- Marcos Cortes-Medina, Andrew R. Bushman, Peter E. Beshay, Jonathan J. Adorno, Miles M. Menyhert, Riley M. Hildebrand, Shashwat S. Agarwal, Alex Avendano, Alicia K. Friedman, and Jonathan W. Song, Chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid differentially modify the biophysical properties of collagen-based hydrogels, Acta Biomaterialia, Volume 174, 2024, Pages 116-126, ISSN 1742-7061, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2023.12.018.
- Chia-Wen Chang, Hsiu-Chen Shih, Marcos G. Cortes-Medina, Peter E. Beshay, Alex Avendano, Alex J. Seibel, Wei-Hao Liao, Yi-Chung Tung, and Jonathan W. Song. Extracellular matrix-derived biophysical cues mediate interstitial flow-induced sprouting angiogenesis. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2023 15 (12), 15047-15058 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c15180. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.2c15180.
- Melika Shahhosseini, Peter E. Beshay, Ehsan Akbari, Niksa Roki, Christopher R. Lucas, Alex Avendano, Jonathan W. Song, and Carlos E. Castro (2022). Multiplexed Detection of Molecular Interactions with DNA Origami Engineered Cells in 3D Collagen Matrices. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2022 14 (50), 55307-55319. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c07971. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.2c07971.
- Holter JC, Chang C-W, Avendano A, Garg AA, Verma AK, Charan M, Ahirwar DK, Ganju RK and Song JW (2022). Fibroblast-derived CXCL12 increases vascular permeability in a 3-D microfluidic model independent of extracellular matrix contractility. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 10:888431. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.888431. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=Hj-r8csAAAAJ&sortby=pubdate&citation_for_view=Hj-r8csAAAAJ:kWvqk_afx_IC.
- Wormsbaecher, C., Hindman, A. R., Avendano, A., Cortes-Medina, M., Jones, C. E., Bushman, A., Onua, L., Kovalchin, C. E., Murphy, A. R., Helber, H. L., Shapiro, A., Voytovitch, K., Kuang, X., Aguilar-Valenzuela, R., Leight, J. L., Song, J. W., and Burd, C. J. (2020). In utero estrogenic endocrine disruption alters the stroma to increase extracellular matrix density and mammary gland stiffness. Breast cancer research: BCR, 22(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-020-01275-w.
- Avendano, A.; Chang, J. J.; Cortes-Medina, M. G.; Seibel, A. J.; Admasu, B. R.; Boutelle, C. M.; Bushman, A. R.; Garg, A. A.; DeShetler, C. M.; Cole, S. L.; and Song, J. W., Integrated Biophysical Characterization of Fibrillar Collagen-Based Hydrogels. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 2020. DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01873.
- Chang, C.‐, Seibel, A. J., Avendano, A., Cortes‐Medina, M. G., and Song, J. W., Distinguishing Specific CXCL12 Isoforms on Their Angiogenesis and Vascular Permeability Promoting Properties. Adv. Healthcare Mater. 2020, 9, 1901399. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201901399.
- Avendano A, Cortes-Medina M and Song JW (2019). Application of 3-D Microfluidic Models for Studying Mass Transport Properties of the Tumor Interstitial Matrix Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 7:6. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00006.
- Pitarresi, J. R., Liu, X., Avendano, A., Thies, K. A., Sizemore, G.M., Hammer, A. M., et al. (2018). Disruption of stromal hedgehog signaling initiates RNF5-mediated proteasomal degradation of PTEN and accelerates pancreatic tumor growth. Life Sci. Alliance 1:e201800190. doi: 10.26508/lsa.201800190.
- Hammer, A.M.; Sizemore, G.M.; Shukla, V.C.; Avendano, A.; Sizemore; S.T.; Kladney, R.D.; Verfurth, Q.; Cuitiño, M.C.; Thies, K.A.; Chakravarti, A.; Leone, G.; Yee, L.D.; Song, J.W.; Ghadiali, S.N.; and Ostrowski, M.C.; “Stromal PDGFR-α Activation Enhances Matrix Stiffness, Impedes Mammary Ductal Development, and Accelerates Tumor Growth” Neoplasia 19(6), p. 496-508 (2017) doi: 10.1016/j.neo.2017.04.004.
- Xu, J.; Bigelow, T.A.; Davis, G.; Avendano, A.; Shrotriya, P.; Bergler, K.; and Hu, Z.; “Dependence of ablative ability of high- intensity focused ultrasound cavitation-based histotripsy on mechanical properties of agar.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136, 3018 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4898426.