Currently

Education

• Advisor: Shuming Nie, Ph.D (Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering)
• Dissertation: Biomedical instrumentation and nanotechnology for image-guided cancer surgery (link)

• Graduated With Distinction
• ABET-accredited

Work Experience

• Pascal Medical is a development-stage medtech company developing ClickGel, a click chemistry (SPAAC-based) injectable hydrogel platform for orthopedic spine, neurosurgery, and adjacent applications. ClickGel is biodegradable, non-toxic, controlled-swelling, and injectable: characteristics that make it well suited for tissue sealing and local drug delivery in sensitive anatomical environments.
• Lead development and translation, advancing ClickGel from academic technology through commercial development pipeline
• Own R&D budget and financial forecasting, allocating resources across formulation, testing, and vendor contracts to support program milestones and Series A planning
• Serve as key technical contributor to regulatory strategy, sterilization validation planning, and packaging development in coordination with teammates and regulatory and quality partners
• Manage core SPAAC patent portfolio in coordination with academic co-inventors and university technology transfer
• Contributed to successful Virginia Catalyst award; led the pitch presentation

• Activation Capital is the dba of the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia created to:
• (i) disseminate knowledge pertaining to scientific and technological research and development among public and private entities, including but not limited to knowledge in the area of biotechnology and
• (ii) promote industrial and economic development.
• Engaged to develop a life sciences entrepreneur strategy and regional ecosystem growth framework during a period of significant organizational transition. The role evolved materially from its original scope at hire. Departed at the conclusion of a discrete project deliverable.

• Administered the College of Engineering Capstone Engineering Design program, overseeing project assignment, team management, IP protocols, and external partner relationships across 100+ student teams annually. Sourced and brought in external industry and clinical projects.

• Managed a select portfolio of high-value medical device, pharmaceutical, and catalysis technologies for licensing and commercialization. Advised on IP strategy across university offices including sponsored projects and counsel. Developed commercialization strategy and funding pathways across a portfolio of medical device and biotech technologies, with direct insight into drivers of successful vs. unsuccessful translation.
• Mentored 35+ faculty teams through competitive internal proof-of-concept funding, 2017–2020: $825K in awards, 18x return in follow-on funding, five startup licenses
• Assisted 12 faculty teams in competitive state commercialization grant applications, 2017–2019: six awards totaling $600K in 2018–2019; one $150K award in 2020
• Contributing author on VCU's successful APLU Innovation and Economic Prosperity University designation application; member of the Strategic Research Priority Plan Implementation Committee
• Provided SBIR and state commercialization funding guidance, market research, business model development, customer discovery support, and grant writing for VCU licensees

• Spectropath was founded to commercialize an intraoperative fluorescence imaging platform co-invented during doctoral research: a contrast-enhanced near-infrared system providing real-time surgical guidance for tumor margin assessment and lymph node evaluation.
• Led technical development from co-invention through venture due diligence: raised $2M from angel investors, built working prototypes, contracted domestic subsystem vendors for electro-optical and mechanical components, and managed requirements engineering, risk management (ISO 14971), and software development (agile, AAMI TIR45) in-house. Executed a term sheet and completed due diligence for a Series A raise.
• The company closed on a board-VC term impasse — deal structure, not technical execution. What remained was direct knowledge of exactly where the translation from science to commercial scale breaks down. That knowledge has shaped every role since.

Teaching Experience

• 3 lecture hours, 3 credits
• Engineering design for 3rd year biomedical engineering undergraduate students

• Advisor: Barbara Boyan, Ph.D. (Biomedical Engineering)
• Introductory cell biology for engineering students. Designed and taught a lecture series (cell cytoskeleton, cell-cell interactions, and cellular motility), designed a "lab math" introductory lecture in response to student need as gauged by analysis of student performance, and participated in an experimental problem-based learning (PBL) approach to laboratory instruction that was later adopted.

Awards

• Advisor: Andrés García, Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering)
• Competitive NIH-funded training grant in cell and tissue engineering for Ph.D. candidate students at Georgia Institute of Technology.

• Business plan competition for engineering senior design projects at the University of Rochester.
• Senior design team awarded first place for a hearing loss simulator tool.

Patents and Applications

• Nie, S.; Mohs, A.; Mancini, M. C. inventors; Emory University and Georgia Tech Research Corporation, assignees. Advanced Systems and Methods for Providing Real-Time Anatomical Guidance in a Diagnostic or Therapeutic Procedure. PCT application WO 2015/069657 A1.
• Nie, S.; Mohs, A.; Mancini, M. C. inventors; Emory University and Georgia Tech Research Corporation, assignees. Additional Systems and Methods for Providing Real-Time Anatomical Guidance in a Diagnostic or Therapeutic Procedure. PCT application WO 2012/065163 A2: Granted in U.S. (9,345,389).
• Nie, S.; Mohs, A.; Mancini, M. C. inventors; Emory University, assignee. System and method for providing real-time anatomical guidance in a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure. PCT application WO 2011/084528 A1: Granted in U.S. (9,451,882), China (CN102770071B and CN104757936B), Australia (AU2010339972B2), Canada (CA2784576C), Japan (JP6275382B2), European Union (EP2512337B1).

Scholarly Publications

• Cohen, D. J.; Jacobs, T. W.; Wilson, D. S.; Mancini, M. C.; Van Duyn, C.; Schwartz, Z.; Boyan, B. D. Rapidly Polymerizing Click Hydrogel Provides Localized Delivery of rhBMP2 to Promote Bone Formation. Pharmacology Research & Perspectives 2025, 13 (3), e70119. DOI: 10.1002/prp2.70119
• Yoon, Y.; Mohs, A. M.; Mancini, M. C.; Nie, S.; Shim, H. Combination of an Integrin-Targeting NIR Tracer and an Ultrasensitive Spectroscopic Device for Intraoperative Detection of Head and Neck Tumor Margins and Metastatic Lymph Nodes. Tomography 2016, 2 (3), 215–222. DOI: 10.18383/j.tom.2016.00253
• Mohs, A. M.*; Mancini, M.*; Provenzale, J.; Saba, C.; Cornell, K.; Howerth, E.; Nie, S. An Integrated Widefield Imaging and Spectroscopy System for Contrast-Enhanced, Image-guided Resection of Tumors. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 2015, 62 (5), 1416–1424. DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2015.2389626
• Provenzale, J. M.; Mancini, M. C.; Assessment of intra-observer variability in measurement of high-grade brain tumors. J. Neuro-Oncol. 2012, 108, 477–483. DOI: 10.1007/s11060-012-0843-2
• Mohs, A. M.*; Mancini, M. C.*; Singhal, S.; Provenzale, J. M.; Leyland-Jones, B.; Wang, M.D.; Nie, S.; Hand-held spectroscopic device for in vivo intraoperative tumor detection: Contrast enhancement, detection sensitivity, and tissue penetration. Anal. Chem. 2010, 82 (21), 9058–9065. DOI: 10.1021/ac102058k
• Smith A. M.; Mancini M. C.; Nie S. Second window for in vivo imaging. Nature Nano. 2009, 4 (11), 710–711. DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2009.326
• Mancini M. C.; Kairdolf B. A.; Smith A. M.; Nie S. Oxidative quenching and degradation of polymer-encapsulated quantum dots: new insights into the long-term fate and toxicity of nanocrystals in vivo. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130 (33), 10836–10837. DOI: 10.1021/ja8040477
• Kairdolf B. A.; Mancini M. C.; Smith A. M.; Nie S. Minimizing nonspecific cellular binding of quantum dots with hydroxyl-derivatized surface coatings. Anal. Chem. 2008, 80 (8), 3029–3034. DOI: 10.1021/ac800068q

Scientific Presentations

As Presenter

• Mancini, M. C.; Image-Guided Medicine Gives Physicians A Needed Advantage Over Cancer. Oral presentation at Nanjing University, Nanjing, China, 28 July 2014.
• Provenzale, J. M.; Mohs, A. M.; Mancini, M. C.; Tumor Cell Marker Imaging: Searching for the Micrometastases That Change the Game. Oral presentation at the RSNA/ASTRO Cancer Imaging and Radiation Therapy Symposium, Atlanta, GA, 30 April 2011.
• Mancini, M. C.; Mohs, A. M.; Provenzale, J. M.; and Nie, S.; Area imaging combined with interactive point spectroscopy of optical contrast agents for intraoperative guidance during cancer resection. Poster presentation at the AACR Special Conference on Nano in Cancer, Miami, FL, 12–15 January 2011.
• Mancini, M. C.; Nie, S. Examining the long-term fate of quantum dots in vivo: degradation by inflammatory processes. Oral presentation at the annual fall meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Pittsburgh, PA, 7–10 Oct. 2009.
• Mancini, M. C. and Nie, S. The long-term fate of semiconductor quantum dots in vivo: degradation by inflammatory processes. Oral presentation to the Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, 4 Sept. 2009.
• Mancini, M. C. and Nie, S. Examining the biocompatibility and long-term fate of semiconductor quantum dots: fluorescence quenching and chemical degradation by inflammatory processes. Oral presentation at the International Conference on Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, China, 1–3 Sept. 2009.
• Mancini, M. C. and Nie, S. Nanotechnology for Cancer Molecular Imaging and Personalized Therapy. Oral presentation at the Nano Bio International Symposium, Tokyo, Japan, 14 Feb. 2008.
• Mancini, M. C. and Nie, S. Cardiovascular nanotechnology: development of nanoparticle agents for probing oxidative stress. Oral presentation at the annual fall meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Los Angeles, CA, 26–29 Sept. 2007.

As Co-Author

• Cohen, D. J.; Jacobs, T. W.; Wilson, D. S.; Mancini, M. C.; Van Duyn, C.; Schwartz, Z.; Boyan, B. D. Combination of Vancomycin with ClickGel Click Hydrogel for Improved Activity against Combat Wound Infections. Poster presentation at the Military Health System Research Symposium, Kissimmee, FL, 6 August 2025.
• Provenzale, J. M.; Mohs, A.; Mancini, M.; Saba, C. Howerth, E.; Xu, J.; Cornell, K.; Nie, S. Assessment of a Hand-held Intraoperative Optical Imaging Device for Tumor Resection. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society, Washington, D.C., 14–19 April 2013.
• Provenzale, J. M.; Mohs, A.; Mancini, M.; Saba, C.; Howerth, E.; Cornell, K.; Nie, S. Evaluation of a Hand-held Optical Imaging Device for Tumor Resection. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, Chicago, IL, 25–30 November 2012.
• Yoon, Y.; Mohs, A.; Liang, Z.; Mancini, M. C.; Lee, D.; Chen, G. Z.; Brat, D. J.; Chen, A. Y.; Nie, S.; Shim, H. Optical imaging guidance of tumor resection margin for head and neck cancer. In proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, Washington, D.C., 17–21 April 2010. Cancer Research, 70 (8 supp.) 2257–2257.
• Mohs, A. M.; Mancini, M. C.; Machaidze R.; Nie, S.; Hadjipanayis, C. A.; Intraoperative imaging of brain cancer using integrated spectroscopy and imaging. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Philadelphia, PA, 1–5 May 2010.
• Behravesh E.; Fasse B. B.; Mancini, M. C.; Newstetter W. C.; Boyan, B. D. A comparative study of traditional and problem-based learning instructional methods in a lab setting. Oral presentation at the annual fall meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Los Angeles, CA, 26–29 Sept. 2007.

Contact information

• My email is "hello" at this domain.
• Research Portfolio at ORCID.
• LinkedIn profile