Skip to main content

Nenad Bursac

Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Duke Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708-0281
CIEMAS 1141, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Bursac's research interests include: Stem cell, tissue engineering, and gene based therapies for heart and muscle regeneration; Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias; Organ-on-chip and tissue engineering technologies for disease modeling and therapeutic screening; Small and large animal models of heart and muscle injury, disease, and regeneration.

The focus of my research is on application of pluripotent stem cells, tissue engineering, and gene therapy technologies for: 1) basic studies of striated muscle biology and disease in vitro and 2) regenerative therapies in small and large animal models in vivo. For in vitro studies, micropatterning of extracellular matrix proteins or protein hydrogels and 3D cell culture are used to engineer rodent and human striated muscle tissues that replicate the structure-function relationships present in healthy and diseased muscles. We use these models to separate and systematically study the roles of structural and genetic factors that contribute cardiac and skeletal muscle function and disease at multiple organizational levels, from single cells to tissues. Combining cardiac and skeletal muscle cells with primary or iPSC-derived non-muscle cells (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, immune system cells, neurons) allows us to generate more realistic models of healthy and diseased human tissues and utilize them to mechanistically study molecular and cellular processes of tissue injury, vascularization, innervation, electromechanical integration, fibrosis, and functional repair. Currently, in vitro models of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Pompe disease, dyspherlinopathies, and various cardiomyopathies are studied in the lab. For in vivo studies, we employ rodent models of volumetric skeletal muscle loss, cardiotoxin and BaCl2 injury as well as myocardial infarction and transverse aortic constriction to study how cell, tissue engineering, and gene (viral) therapies can lead to safe and efficient tissue repair and regeneration. In large animal (porcine) models of myocardial injury and arrhythmias, we are exploring how human iPSC derived heart tissue patches and application of engineered ion channels can improve cardiac function and prevent heart failure or sudden cardiac death.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Biomedical Engineering · 2016 - Present Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Associate Professor in Medicine · 2011 - Present Medicine, Cardiology, Medicine
Professor in Cell Biology · 2016 - Present Cell Biology, Basic Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2015 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers
Co-Director of the Duke Regeneration Center · 2021 - Present Duke Regeneration Center, Basic Science Departments

In the News


Published March 1, 2024
Using Skin Cancer Genes to Heal Hearts
Published December 13, 2022
Gene Therapy for Heart Attacks in Mice Just Got More Precise
Published February 11, 2022
Mending a Broken Heart

View All News

Recent Publications


Fibroblast growth factor 23 and fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 promote cardiac metabolic remodeling in chronic kidney disease.

Journal Article Kidney Int · May 2025 Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health epidemic that greatly increases mortality due to cardiovascular disease. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an important mechanism of cardiac injury in CKD. High serum levels of fibroblast growth factor (F ... Full text Link to item Cite

Human Myobundle Platform for Studying the Role of Notch Signaling in Satellite Cell Phenotype and Function.

Journal Article Advanced healthcare materials · March 2025 Notch signaling plays a pivotal role in regulating satellite cell (SC) behavior during skeletal muscle development, homeostasis, and repair. While well-characterized in mouse models, the impact of Notch signaling in human muscle tissues remains largely und ... Full text Cite

Engineered Cardiac Tissues as a Platform for CRISPR-Based Mitogen Discovery.

Journal Article Advanced healthcare materials · January 2025 Improved understanding of cardiomyocyte (CM) cell cycle regulation may allow researchers to stimulate pro-regenerative effects in injured hearts or promote maturation of human stem cell-derived CMs. Gene therapies, in particular, hold promise to induce con ... Full text Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


Engineering Heterocellular Human Skeletal Muscle Tissues to Recreate and Study Native Stem Cell Niche Function

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Engineering a Human Skeletal Muscle Tissue Model of LGMD2B

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2023 - 2028

The role of the sodium potassium ATPase type alpha-3 subunit in sudden cardiac arrest

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


Boston University · 2000 Ph.D.
University of Belgrade (Serbia) · 1994 B.S.E.