Rosario Perez
Visiting Lecturer
Research Interests
Rosario Pérez's teaching interests span 3D biological models, ranging from organ-on-a-chip systems to organoids and 3D bioprinting. She is particularly interested in developing accurate in vitro models that better replicate human physiology, support medical research, and reduce the need for in vivo animal testing. Professor Pérez is interested in how machine learning and computational modeling can be used to design, analyze, and optimize these models. Her work bridges biology and engineering to design environments that guide realistic cell behavior and improve our ability to study disease, drug response, and personalized medicine. Email
In addition to her position at MBZUAI, Professor Pérez completed a Ph.D. in Bioengineering and conducted research at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she worked on developing artificial extracellular matrices and 3D in-vitro biological organoid models to support disease modeling and personalized medicine.
- Ph.D. in Bioengineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- M.Sc. in Bioengineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- B.Sc. in Biotechnology, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
- Best Poster Award, Advances in Metagenomics and its Applications Conference, 2021.
- Co-inventor on international patent: Developing Lateral Flow Immunochromatography (LFIA) Peptide-Based Test Strips for Rapid Detection of Antigens and Antibodies Against Specific Antigens (WO/2022/107089), 2022
- Invited conference and symposium presenter (2020-2022) across international venues in cancer research, additive manufacturing, biomaterials, and smart health innovation.
- Xu, J., Pérez-Pedroza, R., et al.: "3D bioprinting of colon organoids in ultrashort self-assembling and decorated peptide matrices." International Journal of Bioprinting 10(5), 2024.
- Pérez-Pedroza, R., et al: "Fabrication and Characterization of Colorectal Cancer Organoids from SW1222 Cell Line in Ultrashort Self-Assembling Peptide Matrix." Journal of Visualized Experiments 207, 2024.
- Pérez-Pedroza, R: "A Biofunctionalized, Self-Assembly-Based Scaffold Library for Organoid Formation." KAUST Repository, 2024.
- Pérez-Pedroza, R., et al: "Fabrication of lumen-forming colorectal cancer organoids using a newly designed laminin-derived bioink." International Journal of Bioprinting 9(1), 2023.
- Aldoukhi, A., Pérez-Pedroza, R., et al: "Fusing Peptide Epitopes for Advanced Multiplex Serological Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Detection." ACS Bio & Med Chem Au 4, 2023.
- Hauser, C.A.E., Pérez-Pedroza, R., et al: "Developing Lateral Flow Immunochromatography Peptide-Based Test Strips." WO/2022/107089, 2022.
- Huang, D., Pérez-Pedroza, R., et al: "Reversed-Engineered Human Alveolar Lung-on-a-Chip Model." PNAS 118, e2016146118, 2021.