Mandy B. Esch, PhD (Fed)

Dr. Mandy B. Esch is an award-winning project leader with over 18 years of experience in using nanofabrication to build organs-on-chips (OOC) and microphysiological systems (MPS). She received an M.S. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the Julius Maximilians University in Germany. For her PhD research she fabricated microfluidic devices and synthesized dye-filled, oligonucleotide-tagged liposomes to create biosensors for the detection of water-borne pathogens. In 2001, Dr. Esch joined the Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) as process engineer, where she used nanofabrication to create devices such as microelectrode arrays (MEAs), cantilevers, oscillators, free-standing porous membranes, SU-8 waveguides, and complex microfluidics. In 2007, she joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University as a postdoctoral researcher, and then as a senior research associate. While there, she developed several patents for OOC technologies and MPS. In 2015 she received the 2015 Lush Science Prize for her publication of an on-chip gut-liver MPS that she used to simulate the oral uptake of nanoparticles. In 2016, Dr. Esch moved to NIST where she combines nanofabrication techniques with 3D tissue engineering to create in vitro drug screening devices that will contribute to reducing the need for animal experiments in drug discovery. Dr. Esch designs single-organ devices as well as multi-organ devices (gut-liver, liver-heart) and the accompanying in silico physiologically based pharmacokinetic models (PBPK). She has developed several patents for human-based drug testing technologies, including the body cube that can be operated with four tissues and physiological amounts of blood surrogate.

Dr. Esch participates in the development of standards and test guidelines (TG) for human-based drug testing devices (gut-liver MPS) at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She also attends meetings of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) and serves on the steering committee of the Validation and Qualification Network (VQN) for New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) of the ComplementARIE program. 

Dr. M. B. Esch google scholar profile

NRC postdoc opportunities

We are looking for postdocs with expertise in the development of on organs-on-chips, MPS, and PBPK modelling. Please contact Dr. Esch via email, or read about the NRC opportunity here.

Selected Publications

Please see the full list of publications and patents here: M.B. Esch google scholar

• Glucocorticoids Alter Bone Microvascular Barrier via MAPK/Connexin43 Mechanisms, Eun‐Jin Lee, Peter Lialios, Micaila Curtis, James Williams IV, Yoontae Kim, Paul Salipante, Steven Hudson, Mandy B Esch, Moshe Levi, Joanna Kitlinska, Stella Alimperti, Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2025, 2404302
• Organ-specific vasculature-on-a-chip systems, Abaci H.E., Esch M.B., Biomicrofluidics 18 (3), 2024
• From animal testing to in vitro systems: advancing standardization in microphysiological systems, Reyes D.R., Esch M.B., Ewart L., Nasiri R., Herland A., Sung K., Piergiovanni M., Lucchesi C., Shoemaker J.T., Vukasinovic J., Nakae H., Hickman J., Pant K., Taylor A., Heinz N., Ashammakhi N., Lab on a Chip, 2024
• Pumped and pumpless microphysiological systems to study (nano) therapeutics, E.J. Lee, Z.L. Krassin, H.E. Abaci, G.J. Mahler, M.B. Esch, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology, e1911
• In Situ Surface‐Directed Assembly of 2D Metal Nanoplatelets for Drug‐Free Treatment of Antibiotic‐Resistant Bacteria, P. Fathi, A. Roslend, M. Alafeef, P. Moitra, K. Dighe, M.B. Esch, D. Pan, Advanced Healthcare Materials 11 (19), 2102567 (2022)
• Near-infrared emitting dual-stimuli-responsive carbon dots from endogenous bile pigments, P. Fathi, M.M. McDonald, M. B. Esch, and D. Pan, Nanoscale, 13 (31), 13487-13496 (2021).
• Critical considerations for the design of multi-organ microphysiological systems (MPS), M. Malik, Y. Yang, P. Fathi, G. J. Mahler, and M. B. Esch, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9:721338 (2021).
• Electron and x-ray focused beam-induced cross-linking in liquids: Toward rapid continuous 3D nanoprinting and interfacing using soft materials, T. Gupta, E. Strelcov, G. Holland, J. Schumacher, Y. Yang, M.B. Esch, V. Aksyuk, P. Zeller, M. Amati, L. Gregoratti, A. Kolmakov, ACS nano, 14(10), 12982-12992 (2020).
• Lymphatic vessel on a chip with capability for exposure to cyclic fluidic flow, P. Fathi, G. Holland, D. Pan, M.B. Esch, ACS Applied Bio Materials, 3(10), 6697-6707 (2020).
• A microphysiologic body-in-a-cube system with near-physiologic amounts of blood surrogate, L. Chen, H. Ueno, T. Suzuki, M. B. Esch, Biophysical Journal, 118 (3), 621a-622a (2020).
• Piezoelectric bioMEMS cantilever for measurement of muscle contraction and for actuation of mechanosensitive cells, E.A. Coln, A. Colon, C.J. Long, N.N. Sriram, M. B. Esch, J.-M. Prot, D.H. Elbrecht, Y. Wang, M. Jackson, M.L. Shuler, J. J. Hickman, MRS communications, 9(4), 1186-1192 (2019).
• Biodegradable biliverdin nanoparticles for efficient photoacoustic imaging, P. Fathi, H.J. Knox, D. Sar, I. Tripathi, F. Ostadhossein, S.K. Misra, M.B. Esch, J. Chan, D. Pan, ACS nano, 13 (7), 7690-7704 (2019).
• Body-in-a-cube: a microphysiological system for multi-tissue co-culture with near-physiological amounts of blood surrogate, Chen, L., Yang, Y., Ueno, H., and Esch, M. B., Microphysiological Systems 4, 1–13 (2020).
• A pumpless microfluidic device for long-term culture of primary human lymphatic endothelial cells under high shear, Fathi, P., Holland, G., Pan, D., and Esch, M.B., ACS Applied Biomaterials accepted September 7, 2020.
• Bulk-state and single-particle imaging are central to understanding carbon dot photo-physics and elucidating the effects of precursor composition and reaction temperature, P. Fathi, J.S. Khamo, X. Huang, I. Srivastava, M.B. Esch, K. Zhang, D. Pan, Carbon, 145, 572-585 (2019).
• Pumpless microfluidic devices for generating healthy and diseased endothelia Y. Yang, P. Fathi, G. Holland, D. Pan, N.S. Wang, M.B. Esch, Lab on a Chip 19 (19), 3212-3219
• Self-contained, low-cost Body-on-a-Chip systems for drug development, Y. I. Wang, C. Oleaga Sancho, C. L. Long, M. B. Esch, C.W. McAleer, P. G. Miller, J. J. Hickman, M. L. Shuler, Experimental Biology and Medicine, 242(17), 1701-1713 (2017).
• Modular, pumpless body-on-a-chip platform for the co-culture of GI tract epithelium and 3D primary liver tissue, M.B. Esch, H. Ueno, D.R. Applegate, M.L. Shuler, Lab on a Chip, 2016, 16 (14), 2719-2729.
• Body-on-a-chip systems for animal-free toxicity testing, G. J. Mahler, M. B. Esch, T. Stokol, J. J. Hickman, M. L. Shuler, Alternatives for laboratory animals (ATLA), 44(5), 469-478 (2016).
• Modeling Barrier Tissues In Vitro: Methods, Achievements, and Challenges, C. M. Sakolish, M. B. Esch, J. J. Hickman, M. L. Shuler, G. J. Mahler, EBioMedicine, 5, 30-39 (2016).
• Multi-Organ toxicity demonstration in a functional human in vitro system composed of four organs, C. Oleaga, C. Bernabini, A.S.T. Smith, B. Srinivasan, M. Jackson, W. McLamb, V. Platt, R. Bridges, Y. Cai, N. Santhanam, B. Berry, S. Najjar, N. Akanda, X. Guo, C. Martin, G. Ekman, M. B. Esch, J. Langer, G. Ouedraogo, J. Cotovio, L. Breton, M. L. Shuler, J. J. Hickman, Scientific Reports, 2016, 6, 1-17.
• Multi-cellular 3D human primary liver cell culture elevates metabolic activity under fluidic flow, M.B. Esch, J.M. Prot, Y.I. Wang, P. Miller, J.R. Llamas-Vidales, B.A. Naughton, D. Applegate, M.L. Shuler, Lab on a Chip, 2015, 15 (10), 2269-2277.
• Endothelial retention and phenotype on carbonized cardiovascular implant surfaces, C.M. Frendl, S.M. Tucker, N.A. Khan, M.B. Esch, S. Kanduru, T.M. Cao, J. Butcher, Biomaterials, 2014, 35 (27), 7714-7723.
• How multi-organ microdevices can help foster drug development, M.B. Esch, A.S.T. Smith, J.M. Prot, C. Oleaga, J.J. Hickman, M.L. Shuler, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 2014, 69, 158-169.
• Body-on-a-chip simulation with gastrointestinal tract and liver tissues suggests that ingested nanoparticles have the potential to cause liver injury, M.B. Esch, G.J. Mahler, T. Stokol, M.L. Shuler, Lab on a Chip, 2014, 14 (16), 3081-3092.
• Microfabricated mammalian organ systems and their integration into models of whole animals and humans, J.H. Sung, M.B. Esch, J.M. Prot, C.J. Long, A. Smith, J.J. Hickman, M.L. Shuler, Lab on a Chip, 2013, 13 (7), 1201-1212.
• On chip porous polymer membranes for integration of gastrointestinal tract epithelium with microfluidic ‘body-on-a-chip’devices, M.B. Esch, J.H. Sung, J. Yang, C. Yu, J. Yu, J.C. March, M.L. Shuler, Biomedical Microdevices, 2012, 14 (5), 895-906.
• Oral exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles affects iron absorption, G.J. Mahler, M.B. Esch, E. Tako, T.L. Southard, S.D. Archer, R.P. Glahn, M.L. Shuler, Nature Nanotechnology 7 (4), 264-271.
• Characterization of in vitro endothelial linings grown within microfluidic channels, M.B. Esch, D.J. Post, M.L. Shuler, T. Stokol, Tissue Engineering Part A, 2011, 17 (23-24), 2965-2971.
• The role of body-on-a-chip devices in drug and toxicity studies, M.B. Esch, T.L. King, M.L. Shuler, Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering, 2011 13, 55-72.
• Challenges, Promises and Future Directions of μCCAs, M. B. Esch, J. H. Sung, M. L. Shuler, Journal of Biotechnology, 148, 64–69 (2010).
• Body-on-a Chip: Using Microfluidic Systems to Predict Human Responses to Drugs, M. B. Esch, M. L. Shuler, Pure and Applied Chemistry, 82(8), 1635-1645 (2010).
• Integration of in Silico and in Vitro Platforms for the PK-PD Modeling Approach, J. H. Sung, M. B. Esch, M. L. Shuler, Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology, 6(9), 1063-1081 (2010).
• Characterization of a Gastrointestinal Tract –Liver Microscale Cell Culture Analog Used to Predict Drug Toxicity, G. J. Mahler, M. B. Esch, M. L. Shuler, Biotechnology & Bioengineering, 104(1), 193-205 (2009).
• Surface topography induces 3D self-orientation of cells and extracellular matrix resulting in improved tissue function, M. D. Guillemette, B. Cui, E. Roy, R. Gauvin, C.Giasson, M. B. Esch, P. Carrier, A. Deschambeault, M. Dumoulin, M. Toner, L. Germain, T. Veres, F. A. Auger, Integrative Biology, 1(2), 196-204 (2009).
• Influence of Master Fabrication Techniques on the Characteristics of Embossed Microfluidic Channels, M. B. Esch, S. Kapur, G. Irizarry, V. Genova, Lab on a Chip, 3(2),121-127 (2003).
• Detection of Viable Cryptosporidium parvum in a Microfluidic Chip, M. B. Esch, L. Locascio, M. J. Tarlov, R. A. Durst, Analytical Chemistry, 73(13), 2952-2958 (2001).
• Rapid Visual Detection of Viable Cryptosporidium parvum on Test Strips using Oligonucleotide-tagged Liposomes, M. B. Esch, A. Bäumner, R. A. Durst, Analytical Chemistry, 73(13), 3162-3167 (2001).
• Dielectric Properties of Alginate Beads and Bound Water Relaxation Studied by Electrorotation, M. B. Esch, V. Sukhorukov, M. Kürschner, U. Zimmermann, Biopolymers, 50, 227-237 (1999).

Book chapters:

1. Animal Surrogate Systems in Tissue Engineering and Artificial Organs, M. L. Shuler, S. G. Harris, X. Li, M. B. Esch, In: The Biomedical Engineering Handbook. J. D. Bronzino (Ed). (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2012, pp.8/1)
2. Body-on-a-chip systems: Design, fabrication, and applications, M.B. Esch, G.J. Mahler, In: Microfluidic Cell Culture Systems, J. T. Borenstein, V.Tandon, S. L. Tao, J. L. Charest (Eds). (Elsevier, Cambridge, MA, 2019, pp. 323-350)
3. Fabrication and use of a pumpless microfluidic lymphatic vessel chip, P. Fathi, and M.B. Esch, In: Organ-on-a-Chip. Methods in Molecular Biology, M. Rasponi (Ed). (Humana, New York, NY, 2021, vol 2373)

Attendee of DOC's Secretary's Leadership Seminar, 2024/2025

Lush Prize (as part of Prof. M.L. Shuler's team), 2015

DAAD scholarship, 2000

DAAD travel award, 1998