Research Projects
Engineering human in vitro models of physiology and diseases for precision medicine
Precision medicine aims to deliver personalized treatments to a given patient, necessitating an elucidation of the patient’s genetic makeup and the disease microenvironment. To obtain such understanding, experimental models that recapitulate human physiology and pathophysiology are highly needed, yet largely unavailable. The central goal of my work is to engineer and apply microfluidic organs-on-chips to first recreate in vitro tissue/disease models, then to unravel the mechanisms underlying tissue homeostasis, disease progression, and treatment resistance, and finally to screen therapeutic potential of novel treatments. My research provides a blueprint for the development and leverage of tissue-engineered humanized in vitro platforms, which may enable a novel paradigm for drug discovery, development, and evaluation in a physiologically relevant context.
Cancer on chip
Understanding of the crosstalk between tumor and neighboring cells in the tumor microenvironment is indispensable for optimal therapy (Ma et at., Trends Pharmacol Sci, 2021).
Project goals
- Establish a line of novel, integrated microfluidic-based microphysiological systems
- Reconstitute the in vivo pathology of diverse tumor niches
- Screening optimal chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy
Collaborators
Iannis Aifantis, Ph.D.
Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Matthew T. Witkowski, Ph.D.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Saba Ghassemi, Ph.D.
Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Liver engineering
The liver is a complex hierarchical organ in which several types of cells self-assemble into fine-tuned structures that perform functions including metabolism, detoxification, and synthesis (Ma et at., Lab on a chip, 2016).
Project goals
- Develop bioinspired strategies to fabricate liver blocks
- High-throughput and advanced liver organ manufacturing
- Liver disease modeling and therapeutics testing
Collaborators
The deadly kiss (unpublished © Chao)
integrated Single cell analysis
Single-cell analysis measures molecular signals such as transcription, translation, and regulation within a single cell, providing a new perspective for cell physiology and pathological processes, drug screening, and early diagnosis.
Project goals
- Controllable single/paired cell arrays
- T cell-based therapy testing
- Antibody-secreting hybridoma screening
Collaborators
Pengyu Chen, Ph.D.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University