Cassandra Juran

Title
Assistant Professor
Email
Department
Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology
College
College of Arts & Sciences

Areas of Expertise

stem cell engineering, tissue-chips, microphysiologic systems, bioinformatics, spaceflight research, animal research, regenerative medicine

Dr. Cassandra Juran is stem cell and regenerative biologist with specific interests in mechanotransduction. She is a co-director of the Space Physiology Antibody and Cellular Engineering Laboratory (SPACELab) and a member of the Omics Lab for Health and Human Performance. Dr. Juran also holds an appointment as a Research Scientist with Blue Marble Space Institute of Science at NASA  Ames Research Center in the Bone and Cell Signaling Lab.

Dr. Juran received her doctoral degree from the University of Florida in Biomedical Engineering focusing on Tissue Engineering of the Temporomandibular Joint. She also has degrees in Biomechanics, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering uniquely enabling her research efforts that span engineering and fundamental bioscience.

Dr. Juran was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship by NASA to study the impact of spaceflight on osteogenesis and bone marrow stem cells, specifically focusing on the role of cell cycle regulator molecule Cdkn1a/P21. Her research culminated in the Rodent Research 10 mission which used a genetic knockout mouse model to investigate the role of Cdkn1a/P21 in osteogenic regeneration and how spaceflight impacts that regenerative role. Also, during her tenure at NASA, Dr. Juran participated in several other Rodent Research missions, design of molecular biology payloads, and engineering of life detection hardware.

Much of Dr. Juran’s current research focuses on single cell and spatial transcriptomics data analysis, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning training for big data analysis and development of organoid/tissue-chip technology for application in astronaut-on-a-chip space biomedical research.

  • Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida
  • M.Eng. - Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida
  • B.S. - Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida
  • B.S. - Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida
  • BIO 120: Foundations of Biology I
  • BIOL 120: Foundations of Biology I
  • BIO 121: Foundations of Biology II
Bioinformatics, Biomanufacturing in Aerospace, Biostatistics

1. Casey TJ, Kubik AJ, Allen NG, Zilberman AH, Whitman BM, Hunt JC, Juran CM, French J, Blaber EA. Targeting Serotonin Pathways for Astronaut Safety and Performance. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. 2025 Nov 1;96(11):969-75.

2. Corti, Giada, et al. "To boldly go where no microRNAs have gone before: spaceflight impact on risk for small-for-gestational-age infants." Communications Biology 7.1 (2024): 1268.

3. Juran CM, Zvirblyte J, Cheng-Campbell M, Blaber EA, Almeida EA. Cdkn1a deletion or suppression by cyclic stretch enhance the osteogenic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived cultures. Stem cell research. 2021 Oct 1;56:102513.

4. Cahill R, Blaber EA, Juran CM, Cheng-Campbell M, Alwood JS, Shirazi-Fard Y, Almeida EA. 37-Day microgravity exposure in 16-Week female C57BL/6J mice is associated with bone loss specific to weight-bearing skeletal sites. PloS one. 2025 Mar 26;20(3):e0317307.

5. Verma SD, Passerat de la Chapelle E, Malkani S, Juran CM, Boyko V, Costes SV, Cekanaviciute E. Astrocytes regulate vascular endothelial responses to simulated deep space radiation in a human organ-on-a-chip model. Frontiers in Immunology. 2022 Aug 30;13:864923.

6. Burke M, Wong K, Talyansky Y, Mhatre SD, Mitchell C, Juran CM, Olson M, Iyer J, Puukila S, Tahimic CG, Christenson LK. Sexual dimorphism during integrative endocrine and immune responses to ionizing radiation in mice. Scientific Reports. 2024 Feb 26;14(1):7334.

7. Juran, Cassandra M., Justina Zvirblyte, and Eduardo AC Almeida. "Differential Single Cell Responses of Embryonic Stem Cells Versus Embryoid Bodies to Gravity Mechanostimulation." Stem Cells and Development 31.13-14 (2022): 346-356.

8. Juran CM, Dolwick MF, McFetridge PS. Engineered microporosity: enhancing the early regenerative potential of decellularized temporomandibular joint discs. Tissue Engineering Part A. 2015 Feb 1;21(3-4):829-39.

9. Moore, M. C., Van De Walle, A., Chang, J., Juran, C., & McFetridge, P. S. (2017). Human perinatal‐derived biomaterials. Advanced healthcare materials, 6(18), 1700345.

10. Rodriguez, Maritza, et al. "Development of a mechanically tuneable 3D scaffold for vascular reconstruction." Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A 100.12 (2012): 3480-3489.

11. Juran, Cassandra M., M. Franklin Dolwick, and Peter S. McFetridge. "Mechanobiological assessment of TMJ disc surfaces: Nanoindentation and transmission electron microscopy." Journal of oral & maxillofacial research 6.4 (2015): e3.

12. Juran, Cassandra M., M. Franklin Dolwick, and Peter S. McFetridge. "Mechanobiological assessment of TMJ disc surfaces: Nanoindentation and transmission electron microscopy." Journal of oral & maxillofacial research 6.4 (2015): e3.

For full list see: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=qhNfRGQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao