Roger D. Kamm

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Roger D. Kamm
Born
Roger Dale Kamm
Alma mater Northwestern University (BS); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (SM, PhD)
Known forMechanotransduction; Microfluidic organ-on-chip disease models
Scientific career
FieldsMechanobiology; Bioengineering; Microfluidics
Institutions Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doctoral advisor Ascher H. Shapiro [1]
Website meche.mit.edu/people/faculty/rdkamm@mit.edu

Roger D. Kamm is an American biological and mechanical engineer recognized for pioneering contributions to mechanobiology, physiological fluid mechanics, and microfluidic models for disease and drug testing. He is the Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Kamm earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1972, followed by an S.M. (1973) and Ph.D. (1977) in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. [3] He completed his doctoral research under Ascher H. Shapiro. [1]

Academic career

After completing his doctorate, Kamm joined the MIT faculty and advanced through the ranks in Mechanical Engineering; he was a founding member of MIT's Department of Biological Engineering in 1998.< [3] He served as Associate Head of the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering from 2005 to 2008. [1]

Kamm directed the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center on Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems (EBICS) beginning in 2010; [4] the center concluded in 2021.

Research

Vascular physiology and neurovascular models

Beginning in the mid-2000s, Kamm's lab developed microfluidic platforms capable of 3D, multi-cellular co-cultures to study vascular function. Early work addressed angiogenesis and vasculogenesis, leading to perfusable vascular networks now used to model the blood–brain barrier and neurological disease. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Models of metastatic cancer

Kamm's group created microfluidic and 3D organotypic systems replicating steps of the metastatic cascade—epithelial–mesenchymal transition, migration, intravasation, and extravasation. These models have illuminated how biochemical and biophysical factors regulate tumor dissemination and drug response. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Mechanobiology

Kamm's pioneering mechanobiology research demonstrated how physical forces affect cellular behavior, from airway epithelial compression in asthma to force-induced conformational changes in cytoskeletal proteins. His studies revealed growth-factor shedding as a mechanotransduction mechanism and characterized talin–vinculin binding dynamics under load. [13] [14] [15]

Computational models of cell mechanics

Kamm developed computational and Brownian-dynamics models to explore the mechanical behavior of the cytoskeleton, integrating dynamic cross-links, myosin motor activity, and non-linear viscoelasticity. These models reproduced experimental observations of rigidity sensing, stress response, and migration. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Arterial plaque rupture

In collaboration with Richard T. Lee, Kamm performed computational and histological analyses showing that rupture of thin fibrous caps over lipid pools is a primary cause of myocardial infarction. Their studies identified stress concentrations in plaque shoulders as failure sites and quantified the effects of calcification on cap stability. [20] [21] [22]

Honors and recognition

Kamm was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2010 [23] and to the National Academy of Engineering in 2023. [24] Major awards include the ASME H.R. Lissner Medal (2010), [25] the Huiskes Medal (2015), [26] and the BMES CMBE Shu Chien Scientific Achievement Award (2020). [27] He was the inaugural recipient of the ASME Robert M. Nerem Education and Mentorship Medal in 2018. [28] [29] [30] He is a fellow of AIMBE, ASME, BMES, AAAS, and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering. [31]

Professional service

Kamm has held numerous leadership roles, including Associate Head of MIT Mechanical Engineering (2005–2008), [1] Chair of the U.S. National Committee on Biomechanics (2006–2009), [1] [32] Chair of the World Council on Biomechanics (2006–2010), [1] and Chair of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (2011–2014). [1]

Entrepreneurship

Kamm co-founded AIM Biotech to commercialize microfluidic 3D tissue culture and assay platforms. [33]

Personal life

Kamm is married to Judith (Judy) Kamm (née Brown) and has a son, Peter Kamm. [34]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "ROGER D. KAMM — Curriculum Vitae (2024)" (PDF). MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering. p. 2. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Roger D. Kamm — Faculty Profile". MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Roger D. Kamm, PhD". MIT Department of Biological Engineering. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  4. ↑ "With $25 million grant, NSF funds center to investigate emergent behaviors of cells". MIT News. February 23, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ Hajal, C.; Offeddu, G. S.; Shin, Y.; Zhang, S.; Morozova, O.; Hickman, D.; Knutson, C. G.; Kamm, R. D. (2022). "Engineered human blood–brain barrier microfluidic model for vascular permeability analyses". Nature Protocols. 17 (1): 1–34. doi: 10.1038/s41596-021-00635-w . PMID   34997242.
  6. ↑ Offeddu, G. S.; Haase, K.; Gillrie, M. R.; Li, R.; Morozova, O.; Hickman, D.; Knutson, C. G.; Kamm, R. D. (2019). "An on-chip model of protein paracellular and transcellular permeability in the microcirculation". Biomaterials. 212: 115–125. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.05.022. PMID   31112823.
  7. ↑ Offeddu, G. S.; Cambria, E.; Shelton, S. E.; Haase, K.; Wan, Z.; Nguyen, H. T.; Knutson, C. G.; Kamm, R. D. (2024). "Personalized vascularized models of breast cancer desmoplasia reveal biomechanical determinants of drug delivery to the tumor". Advanced Science. 11 (38) 2402757. Bibcode:2024AdvSc..1102757O. doi:10.1002/advs.202402757. PMC   11481247 . PMID   39041892.
  8. ↑ Pavlou, G.; Spitz, S.; Pramotton, F. M.; Tsai, A.; Li, B. M.; Wang, X.; Ko, E. C.; Kamm, R. D. (2025). "Engineered 3D human neurovascular model of Alzheimer's disease to study vascular dysfunction". Biomaterials. 314 122864. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122864. PMC  12012383. PMID   39357152.
  9. ↑ Hajal, C.; Shin, Y.; Li, L.; Serrano, J. C.; Jacks, T.; Kamm, R. D. (2021). "The CCL2–CCR2 astrocyte–cancer cell axis in tumor extravasation at the brain". Science Advances. 7 (26) eabg8139. Bibcode:2021SciA....7.8139H. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abg8139. PMC   8221620 . PMID   34162553.
  10. ↑ Jeon, J. S.; Bersini, S.; Gilardi, M.; Dubini, G.; Charest, J. L.; Kamm, R. D. (2015). "Human 3D vascularized organotypic microfluidic assays to study breast cancer cell extravasation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 112 (1): 214–219. Bibcode:2015PNAS..112..214J. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1417115112 . PMC   4291625 . PMID   25535392.
  11. ↑ Offeddu, G. S.; Hajal, C.; Foley, C. R.; Wan, Z.; Ibrahim, L.; Coughlin, M. F.; Kamm, R. D. (2021). "The cancer glycocalyx mediates intravascular adhesion and extravasation during metastatic dissemination". Communications Biology. 4: 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110330. PMC   8314430 . PMID   33631662.
  12. ↑ Li, R.; Hebert, J. D.; Lee, T. A.; Xing, H.; Boussommier-Calleja, A.; Hynes, R. O.; Kamm, R. D. (2017). "Macrophage-secreted TNFα and TGFβ1 influence migration speed and persistence of cancer cells in 3D tissue culture via independent pathways". Cancer Research. 77 (2): 279–290. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-0442. PMC   5243269 . PMID   27872091.
  13. ↑ Tschumperlin, D. J.; Dai, G.; Maly, I.; Kamm, R. D.; Drazen, J. M. (2004). "Mechanotransduction via growth-factor shedding into the extracellular space". Nature. 429 (6987): 83–86. doi:10.1038/nature02543. PMC   5539413 . PMID   15103386.
  14. ↑ Lee, S. E.; Chunsrivirot, S.; Kamm, R. D.; Mofrad, M. R. K. (2008). "Molecular dynamics study of talin–vinculin binding". Biophysical Journal. 95 (4): 1523–1533. Bibcode:2008BpJ....95.2027L. doi:10.1529/biophysj.107.124487. PMC   2483755 . PMID   18408041.
  15. ↑ Polacheck, W. J.; German, A. E.; Mammoto, A.; Ingber, D. E.; Kamm, R. D. (2014). "Mechanotransduction of fluid stresses governs 3D rheotaxis". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 111 (7): 2447–2452. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1316848111 . PMC   3932905 . PMID   24550267.
  16. ↑ Kim, T.; Hwang, W.; Kamm, R. D. (2011). "Dynamic role of cross-linking proteins in actin rheology". Biophysical Journal. 101 (7): 1597–1603. doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2011.08.040. PMC   3183755 . PMID   21961585.
  17. ↑ Borau, C.; Kim, T. Y.; Bidone, T.; García-Aznar, J. M.; Kamm, R. D. (2012). "Dynamic mechanisms of cell rigidity sensing: insights from a computational model of actomyosin networks". PLOS ONE. 7 (11) e49174. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...749174B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049174 . PMC   3489786 . PMID   23139838.
  18. ↑ Kim, M. C.; Neal, D. M.; Kamm, R. D.; Asada, H. H. (2013). "Dynamic modeling of cell migration and spreading on fibronectin-coated planar substrates and micropatterned geometries". PLOS Computational Biology. 9 (2) e1002926. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002926 . PMC   3585413 . PMID   23468612.
  19. ↑ Mak, M.; Zaman, M. H.; Kamm, R. D.; Kim, T. (2016). "Interplay of active processes modulates tension and drives phase transition in self-renewing, motor-driven cytoskeletal networks". Nature Communications. 7 10323. Bibcode:2016NatCo...710323M. doi:10.1038/ncomms10323. PMC   4714927 . PMID   26744226.
  20. ↑ Loree, H. M.; Kamm, R. D.; Stringfellow, R. G.; Lee, R. T. (1992). "Effects of fibrous cap thickness on peak circumferential stress in model atherosclerotic vessels". Circulation Research. 71 (4): 850–858. doi:10.1161/01.RES.71.4.850. PMID   1516158.
  21. ↑ Cheng, G. C.; Loree, H. M.; Kamm, R. D.; Fishbein, M. C.; Lee, R. T. (1993). "Distribution of circumferential stress in ruptured and stable atherosclerotic lesions: a structural analysis with histopathological correlation". Circulation. 87 (4): 1179–1187. doi:10.1161/01.cir.87.4.1179. PMID   8462145.
  22. ↑ Huang, H.; Virmani, R.; Younis, H.; Burke, A. P.; Kamm, R. D.; Lee, R. T. (2001). "Impact of calcification on the biomechanical stability of atherosclerotic plaques". Circulation. 103 (8): 1051–1056. doi:10.1161/01.cir.103.8.1051. PMID   11222465.
  23. ↑ "Roger Kamm elected to the Institute of Medicine". MIT News. October 13, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  24. ↑ "National Academy of Engineering Elects 106 Members and 18 International Members". National Academy of Engineering. February 7, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  25. ↑ "H.R. Lissner Medal". ASME. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  26. ↑ "ESB Award Announcements (April 2015)". European Society of Biomechanics. April 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Shu Chien Scientific Achievement Award — Recipients". Biomedical Engineering Society. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Robert M. Nerem Education and Mentorship Medal". ASME. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  29. ↑ Kamm, R. D. (2019). "Mentoring and Education: A Lifetime of Experience and Reward" . Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. 141 (12): 120301. doi:10.1115/1.4044176.
  30. ↑ "Speaker Spotlight: Prof. Roger Kamm". SofTMech (EPSRC Centre for Mathematics in Healthcare). Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Roger D. Kamm — Fellow Profile". International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering. February 21, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  32. ↑ Mow, V. C.; Butler, D. L.; Nerem, R. M. (2014). "A Brief History of USNCB: Motivation and Formation". Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. 136 (6): 060301. doi:10.1115/1.4027123. PMID   24687029.
  33. ↑ "Roger D. Kamm — AIM Biotech". AIM Biotech. March 9, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Betty Jane Kamm". Superior Telegram. October 26, 2006. Retrieved October 19, 2025. Betty is survived by three sons, Keith Kamm of Las Vegas, Nev., Roger (Judy) Kamm of Weston, Mass., and Richard Kamm of Superior and a grandson, Peter Kamm of Weston, Mass.
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