Contact
Office
(434) 924-6460
Location
MR4 1124
Lab
​MR4 1115
P.O. Box 800759
Charlottesville, VA 22908

Brian P. Helmke, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Contact
Office
(434) 924-6460
Location
MR4 1124
Lab
​MR4 1115
P.O. Box 800759
Charlottesville, VA 22908

About

Brian Helmke researches the relationship between cell mechanics and cell function using new tools in materials science and molecular biology, with a focus on cardiovascular disease.

Living cells and tissues adapt to their environment by altering structure, gene and protein expression, and biochemical functions. For example, endothelial cells lining the artery wall at the blood tissue interface experience fluid mechanical forces that vary with time and location along the artery. However, the mechanisms by which cells transduce mechanical stimuli into biochemical signals are not well understood. Our laboratory employs a multidisciplinary biomedical engineering approach to understand the relationship between intracellular mechanics and cell function.

Education

B.S.E., Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1992

B.S.Econ., The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 1992

Ph.D., Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, 1996

"Our lab employs a multidisciplinary biomedical engineering approach to understand the relationship between intracellular mechanics and cell function."

Brian P. Helmke

Selected Publications

Polarized actin structural dynamics in response to cyclic uniaxial stretch., 2015; Cellular and molecular bioengineering. 8(1) 160-177. Huang L, Helmke BP
Abs
Integration of acoustic radiation force and optical imaging for blood plasma clot stiffness measurement., 2015; PloS one. 10(6) e0128799. Wang CW, Perez MJ, Helmke BP, Viola F, Lawrence MB
Abs
Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering: A Tipping Point., 2012; Cellular and molecular bioengineering. 5(3) 239-253 Brown G, Butler PJ, Chang DW, Chien S, Clegg RM, Dewey CF, Dong C, Guo XE, Helmke BP, Hess H, Jacobs CR, Kaunas RR, Kumar S, Lu HH, Mathur AB, Mow VC, Schmid-Schönbein GW, Skoracki R, Wang N, Wang Y, Zhu C
Abs
A Semi-Automatic Method for Image Analysis of Edge Dynamics in Living Cells., 2011; Cellular and molecular bioengineering. 4(2) 205-219. Huang L, Helmke BP,
Abs
Short-Term Shear Stress Induces Rapid Actin Dynamics in Living Endothelial Cells., 2010; Molecular & cellular biomechanics : MCB. 5(4) 247-258. Choi CK, Helmke BP
Abs
A stretching device for high-resolution live-cell imaging., 2010; Annals of biomedical engineering. 38(5) 1728-40. Huang L, Mathieu PS, Helmke BP
Abs
Micropatterned structural control suppresses mechanotaxis of endothelial cells., 2008; Biophysical journal. 95(6) 3066-78. Lin X, Helmke BP
Abs
Mapping the dynamics of shear stress-induced structural changes in endothelial cells., 2007; American journal of physiology. Cell physiology. 293(5) C1616-26. Mott Re, Helmke BP
Abs
Peroxynitrite inhibits myofibrillar protein function in an in vitro assay of motility., 2007; Free radical biology & medicine. 44(1) 14-23. Snook Jh, LI J, Helmke BP, Guilford WH
Abs
Designing a nano-interface in a microfluidic chip to probe living cells: challenges and perspectives., 2006; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 103(17) 6419-24. Helmke BP, Minerick AR
Abs

Courses Taught

BME 3240 Biotransport
BME 4641 Bioelectricity
BME 4550 Mechanobiology

Awards

UVA Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award 2024
College of Fellows, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) 2024
Fellow, Biomedical Engineering Society 2023
Harold S. Morton Jr. Undergraduate Teaching Prize 2020

Featured Grants & Projects

Current Lab Projects Several tools are used for investigating cellular mechanotransduction. Expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to cytoskeletal or other proteins makes it possible to visualize endogenous intracellular structures, and fluorescence probes enable detection of intracellular signaling molecules such as nitric oxide. High-resolution optical sectioning microscopy, deconvolution, and 3-D image restoration provide quantitative spatial and temporal information. Quantitative image analysis tools analyze intracellular movement, molecular interactions, and biochemical response. Nanotechnology-based structures control mechanical stimuli at the length scale of individual protein structures near the cell surface. Engineering nanoscale spatial cues into the cell’s local environment will enable rational design of cell phenotype for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Thus, projects in our laboratory bring together a joint biomedical engineering, materials science, and molecular biology approach to understanding cellular physiology.

In the News

  • Faculty Spotlight: The Award-Winning Professor With Dad Jokes, Candy Demos and an Umpiring Legacy

    Distinguished professor is just one of the many sides of biomedical engineering’s Brian Helmke.

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  • The Class of the Classroom: Biomedical Engineering Professor Wins Accolades for Teaching and Service

    Brian P. Helmke won the 2024 UVA Alumni Association's Distinguished Professor Award.

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  • Biomedical, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Members Win Annual Teaching Award

    Brian Helmke and Natasha Smith were recognized as outstanding and inspiring educators with The Jefferson Scholars Foundation’s Hartfield Excellence in Teaching Award.

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  • UVA Engineering Shines With Top University Awards

    Three faculty, Brian Helmke, Natasha Smith and Garrick Louis, and graduate student Zackary Landsman were named among UVA’s best for teaching and public service.

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  • Three UVA Biomedical Engineering Professors Inducted to Acclaimed Medical and Biological Engineering Organization

    Brian Helmke, Timothy Allen and Mete Civelek join 20 other BME faculty as AIMBE Fellows.

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