About

Cathal J. Kearney is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the Riccio College of Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research aims to engineer tools to understand and mimic natural biological cue timing to enhance tissue repair and regeneration. He develops technologies to deliver therapeutics at specific time-points and uses them to probe the role of timing in repair processes. His work also considers the effects of aging on tissue, cells, and repair. Kearney's research has been recognized with the 2023 Armstrong Fund for Science Award. His educational background includes a BA from Trinity College Dublin in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, an SM from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, and a PhD from MIT and Harvard University in Medical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Biomedical engineering
• Anatomy
• Biology
• Nursing
• Surgery
• Materials science
• Food science
• Immunology
• Composite material
• Intensive care medicine
• Cell biology
• Pathology

Selected publications

• Characterization of adeno-associated virus binding to alginate and its controlled release

  Nanoscale Advances · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Gene therapy is an increasingly explored research field with many viral vectors under study. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is one of the more popular vectors, having already seen clinical success. While systemic or local injections are performed, more controlled means of delivery are being sought to localize treatment, reduce dosing and, minimize off-target effects. One commonly explored method is the use of hydrogels loaded with AAV placed at the site of interest. While investigating the use of alginate (a naturally occurring polysaccharide) we serendipitously discovered an interaction between the alginate itself and AAV. Through the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) we were able to show that AAV binds to alginate and we quantified the force and frequency of the interaction. Furthermore, we have also shown that this interaction is serotype dependent, as it is not equal across different AAV serotypes. Finally, we showed that these differences in AAV serotype-alginate interactions correspondingly impact sustained release of the various serotypes from alginate hydrogels. This research offers novel insights into methods of controlled release of AAV.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Scaffold-mediated miRNA-155 inhibition promotes regenerative macrophage polarisation leading to anti-inflammatory, angiogenic and neurogenic responses for wound healing

  Bioactive Materials · 2026-02-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Chronic wounds represent a significant clinical challenge due to persistent inflammation and impaired nerve regeneration that delay healing. Conventional treatments often yield inconsistent and limited success. Combinatorial strategies that integrate biomaterial scaffolds with gene delivery offer a promising approach to promote tissue repair. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), particularly miRNA-155, are key regulators of wound healing. miRNA-155 is highly expressed in inflammatory conditions and modulates macrophage activation, polarisation, and nerve regeneration. In this context, this study introduces a miRNA-155 inhibitor-activated scaffold designed to modulate the chronic wound environment by inhibiting miRNA-155. miRNA-155 inhibitor complexed GET nanoparticles were incorporated into collagen-glycosaminoglycan (CG) scaffolds. Scaffold-mediated miRNA-155 inhibition in both non-polarised (M0) and pro-inflammatory (M1) macrophages promoted anti-inflammatory (M2) polarisation, confirmed by molecular and protein analysis. The regenerative potential of this macrophage polarisation was validated through inflammatory and angiogenic functional assays with endothelial cells. In parallel, scaffold-mediated miRNA-155 inhibition in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) enhanced axonal regrowth, essential for the synergistic repair of chronic wounds across the skin-nerve axis. In vivo implantation in a chick model demonstrated successful scaffold integration without disrupting vascular development. Collectively, these findings establish the miRNA-155 inhibitor-activated scaffold as a multi-faceted regenerative platform with anti-inflammatory, angiogenic, and neurogenic outcomes for chronic wound healing applications. • miRNA-i-activated scaffolds promote pro-regenerative (M2) macrophage polarisation. • Macrophage secretome from miRNA-i-activated scaffolds support angiogenic outcomes. • Dorsal root ganglia on miRNA-i-activated scaffolds show promising neurogenic outcomes. • In vivo implantation of miRNA-i-activated scaffolds displays successful integration.

  PublisherDOI

• Author response for "Characterization of adeno-associated virus binding to alginate and its controlled release"

  2026-01-15

  peer-reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Biomaterial scaffold-based gene delivery for the repair of complex wounds: Challenges, progress, and future perspectives

  Cell Biomaterials · 2025-04-24 · 15 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Preprint: Triggered sequential viral-transduction from collagen-based scaffolds for tissue regeneration

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2025-05-16 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Chronic wounds are a major healthcare issue that are recalcitrant to many traditional treatments. Increasingly, tissue engineering scaffolds are being developed and translated to promote their healing. To control signaling in the wound environment, gene therapy approaches are being explored, with adeno-associated virus (AAV) becoming increasingly popular. One critical challenge in chronic wound healing is that the wounds do not progress through the typical wound healing cascade, with signaling getting stuck in the inflammatory/immature tissue formation phase. This motivated us to develop a system capable of triggered sequential release of viral vectors to drive coordinated signaling. By housing this system within a collagen-glycosaminoglycan (GAG) scaffold, we aim to provide a proven extracellular matrix template as well as the correct signaling profile for closure of chronic wounds. Our system consists of two alginate pockets within the collagen-GAG scaffold, which we use to control the release of AAV. The first pocket allows diffusion of one AAV therapeutic and the second pocket can be ultrasound-triggered using low-frequency stimulation to release the second therapeutic. Initially, we developed and characterized the system using a reporter AAV. At our high AAV loading, we got sustained release and GFP expression in HEK293T cells over 9 days from our system in vitro, but lower loading had minimal transduction. When this lower group was triggered with ultrasound, cells were successfully transduced. Finally, we demonstrated sequential release of AAV encoding clinically-relevant genes for angiogenesis. This system has the potential for broad applicability as it can be readily adapted to mimic a range of biological pathways.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Human dermal fibroblast senescence in response to single and recurring oxidative stress

  Frontiers in Aging · 2025-03-28 · 6 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: Aging results in an accumulation of damaged cells, which reduces the health of tissues and their regenerative capabilities. In the skin, there are both internal and external drivers of oxidative stress that result in aging phenotypes. Oxidative stress has been used to model senescence in vitro ; however, there has been a lack of research determining whether the severity of oxidative stress correlates with senescent phenotypes. Methods: In this work, we compare cellular and secretory responses to a single (500 μM hydrogen peroxide, 2 hours) or recurring dose of hydrogen peroxide (500 μM hydrogen peroxide, 2 hours + 4 × 300 μM hydrogen peroxide each 48 hours). Senescence induction was studied using markers including cell morphology, senescence-associated-beta-galactosidase, absence of apoptosis, and cell cycle inhibition genes. Next, functional studies of the effects of the signaling of these cells were completed, such as vascular potential, keratinocyte proliferation, and macrophage polarization. Results: Fibroblasts exposed to both single and recurring oxidative stress had increased total cell and nucleic area, increased senescence-associated-beta-galactosidase (SABGAL) expression, and they were able to escape apoptosis – all characteristics of senescent cells. Additionally, cells exposed to recurring oxidative stress expressed increased levels of cell cycle inhibitor genes and decreased expression of collagen-I, -III, and -IV. Cytokine profiling showed that the single stressed cells had a more inflammatory secretory profile. However, in functional assays, the recurring stressed cells had reduced vascular potential, reduced keratinocyte proliferation, and increased IL-1β gene expression in unpolarized and polarized macrophages. Discussion: The described protocol allows for the investigation of the direct effects of single and recurring oxidative stress in fibroblasts and their secretory effects on surrounding healthy cells. These results show that recurringly stressed fibroblasts represent a more intense senescent phenotype, which can be used in in vitro aging studies to understand the severity of senescent responses.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Development of a VEGF-activated scaffold with enhanced angiogenic and neurogenic properties for chronic wound healing applications

  Biomaterials Science · 2025-01-01 · 29 citations

  articleOpen access

  models. Taken together, the VEGF-activated scaffold demonstrates multifaceted outcomes through the induction of pro-angiogenic and neurogenic responses from dermal, vascular and neural cells, illustrating the potential of this platform for the healing of chronic wounds.

  PublisherDOI

• Around the ThermoClock: A precision automated temperature control system for Ex Vivo circadian studies

  MethodsX · 2025-11-09

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Temperature treatment is commonly used to manipulate circadian rhythms in cells and tissue cultures. However, it is often laborious and error-prone in prolonged studies. We present the ThermoClock , an Arduino-based temperature regulation system designed for precise, automated temperature control in ex vivo and in vitro studies, particularly circadian rhythm research. Built with off-the-shelf components and open-source software, ThermoClock is easy to fabricate, costing approximately $450 and requiring under 10 hours to assemble. Its modular design enables simultaneous control of multiple conditions, reducing manual intervention and user error. Individual ThermoClock modules use a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller and off-the-shelf electronics to realize real time, precise temperature controls, while being cost-friendly and accessible to construct and operate. Assembled ThermoClock can operate up to five temperature modules, greatly enhancing experimental versatility and throughput. An Arduino script is provided to automate the temperature controls based on user-input temperature setpoint schedules. ThermoClock is designed to function in an incubator and shows significantly faster heating and cooling ( p < 0.001) compared to a programmable incubator. It reaches the target temperature within five minutes after a setpoint change.

  PublisherDOI

• Combined sustained and triggered release for sequential viral-transduction from collagen-based scaffolds for tissue regeneration

  Biomaterials Science · 2025-01-01 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author

  , but lower loading had minimal transduction. When this lower group was triggered with ultrasound, cells were successfully transduced. Finally, we demonstrated sequential release of AAV encoding clinically-relevant genes for angiogenesis. This system has the potential for broad applicability as it can be readily adapted to mimic a range of biological pathways.

  PublisherDOI

• Refillable silicone pump with precise switching for timed therapeutic delivery

  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · 2025-09-11

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Introduction: Given the precise temporal coordination of natural biological processes, administering therapeutic agents at specific times can be used to enhance efficacy in a range of applications. To achieve such controlled drug delivery, various stimulus-responsive techniques (e.g., ultrasound, temperature changes, and electromagnetic radiation) have been developed. However, many of these current methods exhibit limitations, such as premature leakage prior to stimulus activation or delayed and prolonged responsiveness to stimuli. Our research introduces a soft robotic pressure-actuated drug delivery pump aimed at improving therapeutic efficacy through precisely-timed drug administration. Methods: This device utilizes silicone - a low-modulus material - for both the therapeutic reservoir and the actuation chamber to create a biocompatible and conformable interface, facilitating controlled drug release and offering the potential to be adapted as an implantable drug delivery system. Two ports in the actuation chamber allow the therapeutic reservoir to be refilled. We actuated the pressure reservoir of the device in the range of 28.5 - 59.8 mmHg and tested: the pressure-dependent release from the device; repeated release; baseline release, and the ability to deliver a wide-range of therapeutics. Results: Importantly, the system demonstrated a reliable On/Off mechanism - confirmed by actuating to ∼80% of opening pressure over 5 days - which addresses a key limitation in many existing technologies. In vitro, the device was used to deliver a range of therapeutics and had non-significant differences versus manual delivery of therapeutics in relevant assays: antibiotics (doxycycline; reduced E. coli viability by 49.6% vs. 49.8%); adeno-associated virus (AAV; transduced 73.5% vs. 76.2% of cells); dexamethasone (2D fibroblast scratch wound closure 50.9% vs. 51.0%); and successful delivery of viable cells (viability of 83% vs. 100%). We additionally developed a finite element model to model the pressure/volume release trend, and demonstrated the effect of membrane stiffness on release. Discussion: Our results demonstrate that the device can consistently administer therapeutics and molecules of various sizes and functions while maintaining their bioactivity, showcasing its potential for repeated, precisely-timed therapeutic delivery.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Fergal J. O’Brien

  Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

  97 shared

• Ronaldo J.F.C. do Amaral

  Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

  46 shared

• Zena Moore

  Monash University

  41 shared

• Myron Spector

  Brigham and Women's Hospital

  35 shared

• Daniel J. Kelly

  Trinity College Dublin

  30 shared

• Rukmani Sridharan

  27 shared

• Declan Patton

  Griffith University

  26 shared

• Francesco Santarella

  University of Basel

  25 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Health Sciences and Technology/Mechanical Engineering

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  2011

• SMME, Mechanical Engineering

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  2006

• B.A., B.A.I., Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

  Trinity College Dublin School of Engineering

  2004

Awards & honors

• 2023 Armstrong Fund for Science Award