Vitae

Education:

Vanderbilt University (2017-2023) - 3.85 GPA

Ph.D. Student - Biomedical Engineering

University of Iowa (2013-2017) - 3.65 GPA

Bachelor of Science in Engineering - Biomedical Engineering

Cellular Engineering Focus, University Honors, Chemistry Minor

Thammasat University: Bangkok, Thailand (2015)

International Student Exchange Program

Research Experience:

Graduate Research Assistant (2017-Present)

Biomedical Engineering Department, Vanderbilt University

Advisor: Cynthia A. Reinhart-King, Ph.D.

Research Consultant (2020)

OmniLife - Integrated communication and clinical workflow management

Undergraduate Research Assistant (2013-2017)

Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa

Advisor: E. Dale Abel M.D., Ph.D.

Teaching and Leadership Experience

SyBBURE Searle Graduate Fellow (2020-present)

SyBBURE Searl Undergraduate REsearch Program, Vanderbilt University

Graduate Teaching Assistant (2018)

Biomedical Engineering Department, Vanderbilt University

BME 2200: Biomedical Materials

Co-founder - IOWA Internationally Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Team (2017)

University of Iowa

Advisors: Jan Fassler Ph.D., Edward Sander Ph.D., Craig Ellermier Ph.D.

Teaching Assistant (2017)

Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Iowa

BME 5421 - Cell Material Interactions

Engineering Tutor (2016-2017)

Engineering Tutorial Center, University of Iowa

Courses: Engineering Problem Sovling I & II, Chemistry, Physics, Statics, Circuits

Scholar - Iowa Biosciences Academy

Iowa Biosciences Academy, University of Iowa

Technical Skills

Experimental Techniques: Mousework, PCR, qPCR, Western blot, mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, immunostainingm tumor dissociation, spheroid culture, mechanical testing, polyacrylamdie gel synthesis, angiogenesis assays, 3D cell culture, histology, mouse dissection, lentiviral transduction, lentiviral particle generation
Imaging: Confocal microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, polarized light microscopy
Bioinformatics: Bulk/Single cell RNA sequencing (NGS & Indrops/10X)
Programming Language/Software: R, Python, Matlab, ImageJ, Graphpad Prism, ImageStudio
Transferable Skills: Project management & organization, resource management, commercial acumen, analysis & problem solving, self-management, research & information management, written & oral communication

Publications:

Rowe MM, Wang W, Taufalele PV, Reinhart-King CA. AGE-Breaker ALT711 reverses glycation-mediated cancer cell migration. Soft Matter. 2022 (In Press)

Wang W, Hapach LA, Griggs L, Smark KE, Wu Y, Taufalele PV, et al. Diabetic hyperglycemia promotes primary tumor progression through glycation induced tumor extracellular matrix stiffening. Science Advances. 2022 (In Press)

Schwager SC, Mosier JA, Padmanabhan RS, White A, Xing Q, Hapach LA, Taufalele PV, et al. Link between glucose metabolism and EMT drives triple negative breast cancer migratory heterogeneity. iScience. 2022. Link

Taufalele PV, Wang W, Simmons AJ, Southard-Smith AN, Chen B, Greenlee JD, et al. Matrix stiffness enhances cancer=macrophage interactions and M2-like macrophage accumulation in the breast tumor microenvironment. Acta Biomaterialia. 2022. Link

Taufalele PV, Reinhart-King CA. Matrix stiffness primes cells for future oxidative stress. Trends in Cancer. 2021. Link

Hapach LA, Carey SP, Schwager SC, Taufalele PV, et al. Phenotypic heterogeneity and metastasis of breast cancer cells. Cancer Research. 2021. Link

Zhang Y, Taufalele PV, Cochran JD, et al. Mitochondrial pyruvate carriers are required for myocardial stress adaptation. Nature Metabolism. 2020. Link

Zanotelli MR, Rahman-Zaman A, VanderBurgh JA, Taufalele PV, Jain A, Erickson D, et al. Energetic costs regulated by cell mechanics and confinement are predictive of migration path during decision-making. Nature Communications. 2019. Link

Taufalele PV, VanderBurgh JA, Munoz A, Zanotelli MR, Reinhart-King CA. Fiber alignment drives changes in architectural and mechanical features in collagen matrices. Plos One. 2019. Link

Zhang J, Goliwas KF, Wang W, Taufalele PV, Bordeleau F, and Reinhart-King CA. Energetic regulation of coordinated leader–follower dynamics during collective invasion of breast cancer cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2019. Link

Schwager SC*, Taufalele PV*, Reinhart-King CA. Cell-cell mechanical communication in cancer. Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. 2018. * co-first author Link

VanderBurgh JA, Hotchkiss H, Potharazu A, Taufalele PV, Reinhart-King CA. Substrate stiffness heterogeneities disrupt endothelial barrier integrity in a micropillar model of heterogeneous vascular stiffening. Integrative Biology. 2018. Link

Selected Honors

2020 - NIH F31 Fellowship Recipient

2020 - Honorable Mention - Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship

2019 - BMES Student Design and Research Award

2019 - Honorable Mention - Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship

2018 - NIH R01 Diversity Supplement

2017 - Most Technically Interesting by Equifax - ArchHacks

2016 - Best Smart Application for a Smart Device - HackISU