Kristina Rinker
Associate Professor
Associate Professor, Physiology and Pharmacology Dept.
Lead, Early Cancer Detection Initiative
PhD - Chemical Engineering
BS - Chemical Engineering
Contact information
Phone
Location
Courses
Dr. Rinker has taught the following courses:
Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (BMEN 301)
Biomedical Engineering Research Thesis (BMEN 500)
Biomedical Engineering Project (BMEN 501)
Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Engineering (BMEN 585)
Special Problems - Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering (BMEN 619.15)
Chemical Process Design I (ENCH 511)
Chemical Process Design II (ENCH 531)
Chemical Engineering Laboratory (ENCH 551)
Behaviour of Liquids, Gases and Solids (ENGG 201)
Research
Research areas
- Biomedical engineering
- Biomarker expression in normal and pathological tissues
- Fluid force effects on transcriptional regulation
Research activities
Research in the Rinker Laboratory focuses on how fluid flow affects cell and nanoparticle behavior with relevance to cardiovascular disease, stem cells, and cancer. These effects are further studied in animal models or human tissues to confirm in vivo relevance, and then used to build applications that influence human health. Of particular interest is the transcriptional regulation of gene expression in both health and disease, with primary targets being arterial tissues, stem cells, and cancer metastasis. The Rinker lab has developed in vitro research tools for use in physiological profiling, drug target/biomarker identification, tissue engineering, and the screening of pharmaceuticals, nanoparticles and MRI contrast agents.
Biography
Dr. Rinker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (Schulich School of Engineering) and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology (Cumming School of Medicine). Her research is highly collaborative locally and internationally, and focuses on how fluid flow affects cell and nanoparticle behavior with relevance to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Dr. Rinker is actively involved in technology development and commercialization through university spin‐off companies and industrial and governmental partnerships in the areas of cardiovascular and cancer detection and treatment. Her previous academic appointments include being an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Colorado State University (2000‐2005), and an Assistant Research Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University (1998‐2000). She received a BS in chemical engineering from University of Alabama in 1992 and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1998.
Dr. Rinker is the Lead for the Early Cancer Detection Initiative (ECDI), a developing program supported by the Charbonneau Cancer Institute.
Publications
Selected publications
Sykes, E.A., Q. Dai, C. Sarsons, J. Chen, J. V. Rochleau, D. I. Hwang, G. Zheng, D. Cramb, K. D. Rinker, W. C. W. Chan. 2016. Tailoring nanoparticle designs to target cancer based on tumor pathophysiology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(9): E1142-E1151.
Sarsons, C., A. Tekrony, Yaehne, K., S. Childs, K.D. Rinker, D. Cramb. 2014. Testing Nanoparticles for Angiogenesis-Related Disease: Charting the Fastest Route to the Clinic. Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology, 10:1641-1676.
Lara, G., O. Hazenbiller, T. Gareau, R. D. Shepherd, M. Kallos, D. Rancourt, K.D. Rinker. 2013. Fluid flow modulation of murine embryonic stem cell pluripotency gene expression in the absence of LIF. Cell and Molecular Bioengineering, 2013, 6(3): 335-345.
Tekrony, A., K. Yaehne, A. Clancy, Y. Gregoriou, J. Walker, T. Nguyen, A. Doiron, K. Rinker, S. Jiang, S. Childs, D. Cramb. 2013. Nanoparticle accumulation in angiogenic tissues: Towards predictable pharmacokinetics. Small, 9(18): 3006-3127.
Gareau T, Lara G, Shepherd RD, Taiani J, Krawetz R, Rancourt D, Rinker KD, Kallos MS. 2012. Shear stress influences pluripotency of murine Embryonic Stem Cells (mESCs) in suspension bioreactors Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine DOI: 10.1002/term.1518.