Vahid Hamzeinejad

Class of 2018

Education: Blended BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly

 

Biography

Vahid believes that we should look at nature for inspiration since through evolution, natural systems have adopted the optimum method for therapy.  Using stem cells as a natural mean to treat diseases, will minimize harm to patients and accelerate the development of cures. He would like to focus on tissue engineering as it applies to regenerative medicine, to use a refined model of the body’s ability to repair itself for the cure of cardiovascular diseases. As a career, he would like to work with companies with cutting edge technologies to research and develop regenerative therapies to make immediate improvement in the lives of patients in need.

ViaCyte seeks to cure diabetes by utilizing macro-encapsulation technology to house pancreatic endoderm cells (PECs) derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs). This universal implant will eliminate the need for glucose monitoring and continuous injections of insulin for Type 1 Diabetic (T1D) patients. The encapsulation will protect the cells from the host immune system while interacting with the microvasculature to regulate blood glucose by releasing insulin. Vahid Hamzeinejad interns at ViaCyte, Inc. in the combination product division of R&D engineering. His mentor is Janahan Arulmoli and is working under the supervision of Chris Folk, Director of R&D engineering. Vahid is involved in device design improvements, redefining ViaCyte creep testing, next-generation cell loading platform, manufacturing of PEC for cryopreservation process improvement, and in vitro testing of new material for improved implant viability and device host integration.