(Lecture) Microphysiological Systems for Emulating Human Tissues and Diseases
Topic: Microphysiological Systems for Emulating Human Tissues and Diseases
Speaker: Dr. Shrike Yu Zhang (Harvard Medical School and Associate Bioengineer at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital)
Time: Thursday, Aug 30, 2018, 15:00
Venue: Room 324, Building No.2, Science Park, Wushan Campus
Abstract
Microphysiological systems are microfluidic three-dimensional miniature human tissue and organ models that recapitulate the important biological and physiological parameters of their in vivo counterparts. They have recently emerged as a viable platform for personalized medicine and drug screening. These biomimetic organoids are anticipated to replace the conventional planar, static cell cultures, and to bridge the gaps between the current pre-clinical animal models and the human body. In addition, multiple organoids may be channeled together through the microfluidics in a similar manner they arrange in vivo, providing the capacity to analyze interactions among these models. In this talk, I will discuss our recent efforts on developing integrated multi-organ-on-a-chip platforms formed by sophisticated microfluidics and bioengineered organoids, which can operate in a continual and automated manner over extended periods. I will also discuss a series of bioprinting strategies including sacrificial bioprinting, microfluidic bioprinting, and multi-material bioprinting, along with various cytocompatible bioink formulations, for the fabrication of biomimetic organoids. These platform technologies will likely provide new opportunities in constructing functional tissue and disease models with a potential extension into clinical therapeutics and precision therapy.
Biography
Dr. Zhang received a B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering from Southeast University, China in 2008, after which he then obtained a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis (2011) and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine (2013). Dr. Zhang then pursued postdoctoral training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technologies, and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.
Dr. Zhang is currently a Research Faculty at Harvard Medical School and Associate Bioengineer at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Zhang’s research is focused on innovating medical engineering technologies, including 3D bioprinting, organs-on-chips, microfluidics, biomedical imaging, and biosensing, to recreate functional tissues and their biomimetic models. In collaboration with a multidisciplinary team encompassing biomedical, mechanical, electrical, and computer engineers as well as biologists and clinicians, his laboratory seeks to ultimately translate these cutting-edge technologies into the clinics. He is an author of >120 publications and his scientific contributions have been recognized by >40 international, national, and regional awards. More information can be found on his website (www.shrikezhang.com).
Announced by South China advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology