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Manos Agrafiotis

Postdoctoral Fellow
Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan

agrafiot (at) umich (dot) edu

manos.jpg

Hometown: Kozani, Western Macedonia, Greece

Education: 

BS Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Greece

MS Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, University of Applied Sciences, Vienna, Austria

PhD Biomedical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Austria

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Research interests: During my PhD, I investigated biomechanical aspects of elastic arteries by perfusing them within a custom-made cardiovascular simulator in a dynamic fashion; recreating physiological pressure-flow conditions. Amazed by the heterogeneity of the arterial wall, I joined Baker Lab to study the mechanobiological interplay of the arterial constituents.  The focus of my Postdoc will be on growing capillary-scale structures and reaching an arteriole-like phenotype marrying endothelial and smooth muscle cells in a novel microphysiological approach. The bi-layered engineered arteriole will serve as a platform for studying cell crosstalk during homeostasis and under perturbations modeling intimal hyperplasia.  Moreover, by tuning matrix stiffness in synthetic hydrogels embedded with lung fibroblasts the aim is to create 3D pro-fibrotic environment in vitro. The goal is to explore how lung fibroblasts, under which biomechanical and biochemical cues, differentiate into contractile myofibroblasts and what clinical implications are in store relevant to IPF.

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Outside of lab interests: Spending my leisure time biking Ann Arbor and its forest trails, running, cooking while listening to the radio, reading books, watching anthropocentric films and wc3 nostalgically.

Publications:

  1. E. Agrafiotis, C. Mayer, M. Grabenwöger, D. Zimpfer, P. Regitnig, H. Mächler, G.A. Holzapfel. Global and local stiffening of ex vivo-perfused stented human thoracic aortas: a mock circulation study. Acta Biomaterialia, 161: 170-184, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.02.028.

  2. E. Agrafiotis, M.A. Geith, M.A. Golkani, G. Sommer, V. Hergesell, S. Spiliopoulos, G.A. Holzapfel. An active approach of arterial compliance for stress-based testing of arteries. Artificial Organs, 45(12):1562–1575, 2021, doi: 10.1111/aor.14064.

  3. E. Agrafiotis, M.A. Geith, M. Gruber, S. Spiliopoulos, V. Hergesell, G. Sommer, O.E. Dapunt, G.A. Holzapfel. Cardiac Simulation Device, European Patent 19 17 90220, WO 2020/245776 A1, 2020.

  4. M.A. Geith, L. Nothdurfter, M. Heiml, E. Agrafiotis, M. Gruber, G. Sommer, T.G. Schratzenstaller and G.A. Holzapfel. Quantifying vascular damage by investigating stent-triggered mechanical and morphological alterations in coronary arteries. Acta Biomaterialia, 116:285-301, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.08.016.

  5. M.A. Geith, J.D. Eckmann, D.Ch. Haspinger, E. Agrafiotis, D. Maier, P. Szabo, G. Sommer, T.G. Schratzenstaller and G.A. Holzapfel. Experimental and mathematical characterization of coronary polyamide-12 balloon catheter membranes. PLoS ONE, 15:e0234340, 2020, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234340.

  6. A. Batsali, C. Pontikoglou, E. Agrafiotis, E. Kouvidi, I. Mavroudi, A. Damianaki, M.C. Kastrinaki, and H. Papadaki. Emerging roles of WISP-1 and SFRP4 in proliferation and differentiation potential of Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem/stromal cells. Blood, 124:4375, 2014, doi: 10.1182/blood.V124.21.4375.4375.

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Grants and Awards:

  • 2023: Karlheinz TSCHELIESSNIGG-Promotion Research Grant, Research in the Field of Transplantations and Heart Surgery

  • 2022: Karlheinz TSCHELIESSNIGG-Promotion Research Grant, Research in the Field of Transplantations and Heart Surgery

  • 2019: "From Research to Innovation" Award from Universities of Graz for inventing the "Cardiac Simulation Device"

  • 2017: Mechanical Circulatory Support Award: Development of a Mock Circulatory Loop for In Vitro Testing of Ventricular Assist       Devices, ASAIO 63rd Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, USA   

  • 2016: Master Tissue Engineering-Poster Award” Fibrin-Fibroin Hydrogels New Biomaterial Composition for the Generation of            Ligamentous Tissue from University of Applied Sciences, Vienna, Austria

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Oral Presentations:

  • E. Agrafiotis, C. Mayer, G. Sommer, M. Grabenwöger, P. Regitnig, H. Portugaller, G.A. Holzapfel, H. Mächler: Early Stiffening of Human Thoracic Aortas after Endovascular Repair Perfused in a Mock Circulation Loop: An in vitro Study.       11th ESMC Congress, Galway, Ireland, July 4-8, 2022.

  • E. Agrafiotis, C. Mayer, G. Sommer, M. Grabenwöger, P. Regitnig, H. Portugaller, G.A. Holzapfel, H. Mächler: Global and Local Stiffening of Human Thoracic Aortas Undergoing TEVAR In Vitro: A Mock-Loop Study. 27th ESB Congress, Porto, Portugal, June 26-29, 2022.

  • E. Agrafiotis, M.A. Geith, S. Spiliopoulos, G.A. Holzapfel: A Novel Mock Circulatory Loop for Realistic Long-term Testing of Circulatory Assist Devices and Cardiovascular Implants. 47th ESAO Congress Brunel University, London, UK, Septempber 7-11, 2021.

  • E. Agrafiotis, M.A. Geith, I. Anders, G.A. Holzapfel, V. Hergesell, O.E. Dapunt, S. Spiliopoulos: CFD Analysis of Segmented MicroCT Data of Ventricular Assist Devices: A Comparative Study. ASAIO 65th Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, USA, June 26-29, 2019.

  • E. Agrafiotis, S. Spiliopoulos, G. Sommer, M.A. Geith, G.A. Holzapfel, V. Hergesell, O.E. Dapunt: Development of a Mock Circulatory Loop for In Vitro Testing of Ventricular Assist Devices. ASAIO 63rd Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, USA, June 21-24, 2017.

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