Daniel Chaparro leads research in the Kalfa Lab focused on developing living allogeneic heart valve transplants, combining biomedical engineering with translational science. His work centers on designing and optimizing bioreactor systems to store, rehabilitate, and preserve heart valve tissues, with the goal of creating living grafts that can treat congenital heart defects and reduce repeat surgeries in pediatric patients as they grow.
He directs the development of tissue-based bioreactor platforms, translates clinical needs into engineering requirements, and maintains documentation aligned with design control and regulatory standards. He also authors protocols and work instructions to ensure reproducible tissue processing and testing, plans and executes experiments, analyzes data, and reports results to multidisciplinary research and clinical teams. He coordinates with clinicians, surgeons, suppliers, and collaborators to evaluate the safety and performance of tissue products and bioprocesses.
Chaparro also mentors undergraduate, graduate, and junior engineering staff in experimental rigor, documentation, and translational research principles.
Areas of Expertise
- Cardiovascular biomechanics
- Translational research
- Medical device prototyping
Research Interests
- Cardiac and valvular congenital and acquired pathologies
Committees & Professional Organizations
- Member, Young Professionals Network of the Heart Valve Society Board
Education
- Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University 2025
- MS, Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University 2023
- BS, Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University 2018