Faculty Directory

Clyne, Alisa Morss

Clyne, Alisa Morss

Professor
Fischell Fellow
ADVANCE Professor
Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Brain and Behavior Institute
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
4224 A. James Clark Hall

Ph.D., Medical and Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Cincinnati

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University 
 
Dr. Clyne is director of the Vascular Kinetics Laboratory, which unravels the complexity of vascular diseases ranging from the very common (atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease) to the very rare (Niemann Pick). She is particularly interested in how altered blood flow (e.g., during exercise or at an arterial bifurcation) and altered blood metabolites (e.g., high glucose in diabetes) contribute to disease in people from diverse backgrounds. The laboratory uses 3D in vitro systems, computational models, and animal and human studies to discover fundamental biological mechanisms, which then enable innovative vascular disease therapies.
 
Dr. Clyne is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering  (ASME), Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), American Heart Association (AHA), and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She received the NSF CAREER award in 2008, an AHA National Scientist Development Grant in 2010, and the BMES-CMBE Rising Star award in 2011. Her research and educational innovations are funded by NSF, NIH, AHA, and the Department of Education. She is proud of receiving the Elizabeth Bingham mentoring award from the Association for Women in Science in recognition of her life-long efforts to promote diversity in science and engineering.

Dr. Clyne's Vascular Kinetics Laboratory conducts research at the interface of engineering, biochemistry, and vascular biology. In their prior work, the group largely focused on how an altered glucose environment (e.g., in diabetes) impaired endothelial cell response to shear stress and cyclic strain. Dr. Clyne and her lab have demonstrated that endothelial cells in high glucose do not respond appropriately to mechanical stimuli. Today, the group focuses primarily on the opposite question: how the mechanical environment affects endothelial cell glucose metabolism. They are integrating mechanobiology and metabolism, with the hope of using metabolic engineering to decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease and cancer. With new collaboration opportunities at the University of Maryland, Dr. Clyne and her lab group plan to extend their cell and animal work into human studies.


  • Laminar and disturbed flow effects on endothelial glucose metabolism
  • Computational models of endothelial glucose metabolism
  • Impaired endothelial mechanosensing in pulmonary arterial hypertension
  • Arterial stiffness in spinal cord injury
  • Perfusion effects on cancer metabolism
  • Vascular glucose transport in traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease
  • Pressure myography-on-a-chip
  • Energy Fields to Control Mitochondrial Metabolism

BIOE Announces Spring 2024 Instructional Impact Awards

Three members of BIOE receive department recognition for their impactful contributions to teaching.

Katharina Maisel Promoted to Associate Professor

BIOE faculty member Dr. Katharina Maisel will be promoted to Associate Professor on July 1.

MARC Program Now Accepting Applications

The Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program is now accepting applications from rising sophmore engineering students.

Two BIOE Students Win Outstanding Graduate Assistant Awards

BIOE's Ann Ramirez and Callie Weber received the 2023–24 Outstanding Graduate Assistant Awards.

Maisel & Mueller Win Provost's Do Good Innovator Awards

Assistant Professors Kathrina Maisel and Jenna Mueller are selected for the Do Good Innovator Awards.

Fischell Institute, BIOE Train Researchers To Be Better Mentors Through CIMER

CIMER’s training utilizes the Entering Mentoring curricula, an evidence-based, interactive approach designed to help mentors develop skills for engaging in productive, culturally responsive, research mentoring relationships—relationships that optimize the success of both mentors and mentees.

MARC Students Visit the Fischell Institute

The Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program students toured the institute’s laboratory space.

Fischell Institute Attends 2023 BMES Annual Meeting

The conference was held in Seattle, Washington

UMD Researchers to Lead NIH-funded Program Supporting Underrepresented Students

The MARC award will support an educational program for traditionally underrepresented students in STEM.

Fischell Fellow Spotlight: Alisa Clyne

Clyne's area of expertise is cardiovascular mechanobiology and metabolism.

Weber, Stewart Named Fischell Fellows

BIOE names two recipients of prestigious department award

$7.9 Million in NIH Awards Propel UMD Aging Research

New multidisciplinary collaborations take on challenges like Alzheimer’s disease prevention.

Clyne, Ma, Stroka Promoted

The three BIOE faculty are promoted to Professor, Senior Lecturer, and Associate Professor, respectively.

One Size Does Not Fit All

To advance inclusive medical therapies and diversity in fundamental science, one Maryland engineer leads by example.

BBI Awards Seed Grants to Six Interdisciplinary Projects

Funded teams feature UMD faculty from 15 academic departments and six centers and institutes

Clyne, Maisel to Join BIOE Faculty in 2019

Associate, assistant professors bring expertise in endothelial cell biology, mucosal drug delivery.

  • American Heart Association
  • American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers