David A Vorp, PhD

Associate Dean for Research at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
Professor of Bioengineering

Dr. David Vorp received his BS and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. The research in Dr. Vorp's lab focuses on the biomechanics, "mechanopathobiology," regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering of tubular tissues and organs, predominantly the vasculature. He is currently studying the biomechanical progression of aortic aneurysms by modeling the mechanical forces that act on the degenerating vessel wall. He is developing a treatment strategy for abdominal aortic aneurysms by delivering mesenchymal stem cells or their secreted products to the periadventitial side of the aneurysm to inhibit the matrix degradation commonly seen in the disease progression and promote its regeneration. He is also designing a small diameter tissue engineered vascular graft to treat cardiovascular diseases. Here he also utilizes mesenchymal stem cells or their products incorporated in a biodegradable scaffold that undergoes substantial in vivo remodeling to develop a native-like blood vessel. Dr. Vorp has published more than 130 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and has been awarded over $10 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, Whitaker Foundation, Pittsburgh Foundation, and other sources. He has several patents in the field of vascular bioengineering.

Representative Publications

Chung K, T, Vorp DA “Stress Prediction Based on Neural Network”, Provisional Patent (Worldwide assignment), Serial No. 62/915,565, Filed 10/15/2019.
Pichamuthu JE, Feroze RA, Chung TK, Jankowitz BT, Vorp DA. Cerebral Aneurysm Wall Stress After Coiling Depends on Morphology and Coil Packing Density. JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICAL ENGINEERING-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME. 2019;141(9). doi: 10.1115/1.4044214.K
Martufi, G., Satriano, A., Moore, R. D., Vorp, DA. & Di Martino, E. S. Local Quantification of Wall Thickness and Intraluminal Thrombus Offer Insight into the Mechanical Properties of the Aneurysmal Aorta. Ann Biomed Eng 43, 1759-1771, doi:10.1007/s10439-014-1222-2 (2015).
Doyle, B. J., Callanan, A., Burke, P. E., Grace, P. A., Walsh, M. T., Vorp, DA & McGloughlin, T. M. Vessel asymmetry as an additional diagnostic tool in the assessment of abdominal aortic aneurysms. J Vasc Surg 49,443-454, doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2008.08.064 (2009).
Vande Geest, J. P., Schmidt, D. E., Sacks, M. S. & Vorp, DA. The effects of anisotropy on the stress analyses of patient-specific abdominal aortic aneurysms. Ann Biomed Eng 36, 921-932, doi:10.1007/s10439-008-9490-3 (2008).

Research Interests

Mechanopathobiological assessment of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysm, including rigorous mechanical and architectural characterization of aneurysmal tissue, assessment of the role of intraluminal thrombus (ILT) in the pathophysiology of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), isolation and phenotypic characterization of cells from the wall and ILT of AAA tissue and understanding their mechanobiology in two- and three- dimensional models, and the development of a patient-specific, biomechanics-based rupture potential index for AAA.
Mechanical characterization of cerebral aneurysms and treatments associated with this condition using computational and experimental techniques.
Development of a human stem cell-based tissue engineered vascular graft (TEVG) using novel in-vivo and in-vitro methodologies and approaches.
Experimental investigation of the role of biomechanical milieu in the development of vascular diseases - such as vein graft intimal hyperplasia, atherosclerosis, etc. - using a novel ex-vivo perfusion system.
Experimental and computational investigation of diseases of the intestines, esophagus and urethra.

Research Grants

Funding track-records:

Grants and Awards Received as PI (current support):

Grant No.	Source	Grant Title	% effort	Years, inclusive	Total Amount
R21 AG061430	NIH/NIA	The Role of Fibrinolysis in Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts for Aged Individuals	10%	05/01/20-04/30/22	$275,000 (total directs)
R01 HL130077	NIH/NHLBI	Artificial Stem Cells for Vascular Tissue Engineering	16.7%	7/1/16-6/30/20	$1,000,000 (total directs)

Grants and Awards Received as PI OR CO-PI (prior support):

R21 HL130784-01 1R21 HL129066-01	NIH/NHLBI NIH (NHLBI)	An Autologous, Culture-Free, Adipose Cell-Based Tissue Engineering Vascular Graft Outside-In Regenerative Therapy for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm	12.5% 8.3%	4/15/16-3/31/18 7/15/15 – 4/30/17	$275,000 (total directs) $329,034 (total directs)
T32 - HL098036	NIH (NHLBI)	Vascular Surgery Research Training (Co-PI: Tzeng)	N/A	7/1/10 – 6/30/15	N/A
T32 - HL094295	NIH (NHLBI)	Angiopathy Training Grant (Co-PI: Mars)	N/A	7/1/10 – 6/30/15	N/A

N/A	AHA, PA Affiliate	Hemodynamic Induced Mediations of Platelet Deposition to Coronary Artery Vein Graft: An In Vitro Study	15% (0% salary)	7/1/96 – 6/30/98	$69,998
N/A	The Whitaker Foundation	Bioengineering Studies of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm	30%	12/1/96 – 11/30/99	$209,970
N/A	Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative	Use of Physiologic Biomechanical Forces to Optimize Development of a Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessel	15% (6% salary)	7/1/99 – 6/30/00	$49,990
N/A	The Whitaker Foundation	Biomechanical Studies of Intraluminal Thrombus within Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm	30%	12/1/99 – 11/30/00	$70,000
N/A	Competitive Medical Research Fund, UPMC	Development of a Bioengineering-based Clinical Tool for the Evaluation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm	20% (0% salary)	2/1/00 – 1/31/01	$30,000
M20000027	The Pittsburgh Foundation	Development of a Novel, Software-based Tool for the Improved Diagnoses of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm	7%	7/1/00 – 6/30/03	$148,157
1R01- HL-6574501	NIH (NHLBI)	Biomechanical Preconditioning of Human Vein Grafts	50%	8/1/00 – 7/31/04	$893,013
1R01- HL-60670	NIH (NHLBI)	Biomechanical Evaluation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm	33%	2/1/01 – 1/31/05 (no cost extension through 1/31/06)	$1,253,291
N/A	Ravitch/ Hirsch Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, UPMC	The Biological Effect of Hemodynamics in an End-to-Side Vascular Bypass Graft: Comparison between Conventional Sutures and Vascular Clips	0%	2/1/01 – 1/31/05	$10,000
ME 02223	MIRM / Commonwealth of PA	Development of a Tissue- Engineered Endovascular Graft Attachment Mechanism		7/1/02 – 6/30/03	$60,000
SAP 4100030667	MIRM / Commonwealth of PA	The Center for Vascular Remodeling and Regeneration		7/1/05 – 6/30/06 7/1/06 – 6/30/07	$100,000
SAP 400035341	MIRM / Commonwealth of PA	Bioengineered Attenuation of Vein Graft Hyperplasia		7/1/06 – 6/30/07	$59,998
DAMD 170210717	MIRM / National Tissue Engineering Center	Rapid Engineered Autologous Blood Vessels		7/1/06 – 6/30/07	$100,000
UPMC CMRF		Attenuation of Vein Graft Hyperplasia		7/1/06 – 6/30/08	$25,000
R21-EB-006318	NIH (NIBIB)	Bioengineered Urethral Augmentation	10%	12/1/06 – 11/30/08	$404,748
Stent Graft R01- HL-79313 R01- HL-60670 1 R13 EB013926 CBET-1126228 CBET-1109514 1R21EB016138-01	TriVascular2 NIH (NHLBI) NIH (NHLBI) NIBIB NSF NSF NIH/NIBIB	Aortic Stent Graft Fixation Strength Bioengineering and Biologic Studies of Aneurysm Weakening Biomechanical Evaluation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (competitive renewal) 2011 Summer Bioengineering Conference Workshop: Support for Enhanced Focus on Rehabilitation and Assistive Devices at the 2011 Summer Bioengineering Conference Conference: Student Support for 2011 Summer Bioengineering Conference Autologous Stem Cell-Based Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts	25% 30% 0% 0% 0% 8%	7/7/09 – 12/31/09 7/1/05 – 5/31/10 (no-cost extension to 5/31/11) 2/15/01 – 3/31/11 (no-cost extension to 3/31/12) 06/1/11-05/30/12 06/1/11-05/30/12 06/1/11-05/30/12 1/15/13 – 12/31/14	$17,848 $1,772,958 $1,718,652 $10,000 $25,000 $22,500 $420,500