About
Naren Vyavahare is a Hunter Endowed Chair and Professor of Bioengineering at Clemson University. Naren’s research and teaching interests are in heart valve biomaterials, site-specific therapies, and extracellular matrix remodeling in tissue regeneration. Vyavahare is a Director of NIH-funded South Carolina Bioengineering Center of Regeneration and Formation of Tissues (SC BioCRAFT). Naren’s research is published in over 150 journal publications and conference proceedings and is in 6 book chapters. Additionally, Vyavahare holds 15 international and US patents. Some of the patents are now licensed to companies to develop products. He has graduated 14 Ph.D. students and 22 MS students as a major advisor. Vyavahare is the recipient of many awards, including: the McQueen Quattlebaum Faculty Excellence Award and the Clemson University and Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research. He is a Fellow of American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Vyavahare is an active participant in several scientific societies and conference series. He chaired the Cardiovascular Biomaterials special interest group in the Society for Biomaterials and he was the chair of the North American Vascular Biology workshop in 2013. Prior to joining Clemson as a Professor, Vyavahare served as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the University of Michigan. His current research includes targeted treatments to restore extracellular matrix and tissue function in heart valves, aortic aneurysms, vascular calcification, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and skin disorders. His work is funded by the National Institutes of Health for the last 20 years.
For more information, see his college profile.
How their research is transforming health care
Vyavahare has a broad background in cardiovascular disease pathology, biomaterials, and animal models for cardiovascular applications, with specific training and expertise in cardiovascular implants and targeted therapies. He has made major contributions to heart valve implants and one of the treatments that he researched to prevent calcification of heart valves is now clinically used. He also contributed to understanding vascular calcification and aneurysm mechanisms. His current research includes finding site-specific therapies to stabilize vascular structures to prevent or reverse calcification and aortic aneurysms. Vyavahare has developed novel nanoparticles targeting drugs to disease sites in cardiovascular and pulmonary tissues. His technologies have resulted in four start-up companies that have licensed the technologies from Clemson University. He is actively involved as a Chief Scientific Officer for three of those four companies.
Health Research Expertise Keywords
Faculty Scholar, Cardiovascular Diseases, Aortic Aneurysms, Atherosclerosis, Lung Diseases, COPD, Targeted Therapies, Heart Valve Implants
