Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Lab
To justify the development of new therapies in prolonged and expensive clinical trials, in-vitro screening platforms that can provide early evidence of efficacy of the therapies is desired. We are developing high-throughput in-vitro culture platforms that can assist drug screening process. Our models aim to recapitulate the physio-pathological characteristics of the disease and provide proper predication of drug responses.
See our recent work on modeling lung fibrosis and anti-fibrosis drug screening. Nature Comm 9: 2066 (2018);
Cell Mol Bioeng, 12(5), pp529
Mechanical properties of cells and tissues, such as their contractility and stiffness, play key roles in maintaining their physiological function and driving pathological transitions. Using a variety of novel engineering approaches such as force sensing micropillar arrays, we characterize the inherent mechanical property of healthy and diseased tissues and study how these properties affect of the progression of diseases such as fibrosis.
See our study on micropillar array and tissue stiffening. Advanced Materials, 2013, Vol 25(12), 1699-1705; Biomaterials, 2014, Vol 35, pp 5056-5064; Nature Comm 9: 2066 (2018);
Nature Comm
10: 2051 (2019)
See our study on single cell and tissue mechanics using micropipette aspiration. Acta Biomaterialia, 2010, 7(3): 1120-1127; Biomech Model Mechanobiol, 2013, 12, Issue 6, pp 1283-1290
Engineered tissue is a promising solution for repairing damaged organs and disease modeling. We are developing 3D bioprinting technology to improve the clinical relevancy of engineered tissues. See our work on Fast Stereolithography Printing of Large-scale Hydrogel Tissue Model. Adv. Healthcare Mater. 2021, 2002103 (bioRxiv free version)