Jeffrey G. Jacot

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering
Rice University and Texas Children’s Hospital

Postdoctoral Fellow, Cardiac Myocyte Mechanics, University of California, San Diego (2005-2008) 
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Boston University (2005)
B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado (1994)

Bio Sketch

Jeffrey Jacot joined the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University and the Division of Congenital Heart Surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital in August 2008.

Jacot has established his laboratory on fourth floor of the Feigin Center to engineer tissues and devices that will ultimately make surgery on the hearts of young patients less invasive and more effective. The state-of-the-art center is dedicated entirely to cardiac research and has core equipment and common meeting space shared with top cardiology laboratories from both Texas Children's Hospital and the Baylor College of Medicine. Jacot's lab actively collaborates with surgeons and radiologists from Texas Children's and cardiovascular research laboratories at Baylor. Such joint research efforts have recently led to a Medical Innovations Award by the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering (IBB) at Rice.

Jacot has eight years of research experience in regenerative cardiovascular therapies. This work is also supported by seven years of engineering design experience and familiarity with cardiac therapies working with Cobe Cardiovascular, Inc. in Arvada, CO.

Jacot conducted research and as a postdoctoral fellow in the Cardiac Mechanics Research Group at the University of California, San Diego. Working in the laboratories of Professor Jeffrey H. Omens and Professor Andrew D. McCulloch, he investigated the role of mechanical forces on the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells, and the maturation of these cells.

Research Statement

Jacot's laboratory focuses on the influences of biophysical cues, such as stress, strain, shear, substrate stiffness and electrical stimulation, on the development and maturation of heart cells and tissues. His research spans the following areas:

• An understanding of the mechanical and electrical influences on the development of human congenital heart defects through imaging, computational modeling and the evaluation of primary tissue samples and cells.
  
  
• Investigation into mechanotransductive and biophysical cues that direct the differentiation, development and maturation of cardiac tissue from cardiac precursors and stem cells in cell culture and animal models.
  
  
• The design and evaluation of tissue engineered ventricular tissue for use in repair of congenital heart defects.