Our group’s overall goal is to design and deploy active biohybrid systems in the forms of nano- and microparticles, hydrogels, living cells, and their derivatives to study and regulate biointerfacial and biotransport processes relevant to human and environmental health for multiple applications, including drug delivery, diagnosis/bioimaging, 3D cell culture and therapies, and tissue repair and regeneration.
To achieve this goal, we focus on the synthesis, characterization, and processing of ABMs with desired structure, property, and functionality. We also study an emergent behavior of these ABMs for (1) biofilm removal, (2) biofabrication of muscle-neural interface, (3) cell regulation, and (4) biotransport in neural computing models.
Current Research Areas
Self-Propelling Micromotors to Break Down Biofilm
Bacteria form tough, slimy communities called biofilms that protect them from treatment and make infections hard to treat. We design small self-moving particles that can actively break apart and remove up to 99.999% of these biofilms. Our work focuses on designing these particles and testing how they perform in living systems and industrial settings.
Biofabrication of Neuron-Muscle Interface
We biofabricate tissue models that recreate cell–cell communication critical for tissue development, repair, and regeneration. Our work focuses on engineering neuromuscular tissue models to investigate how muscle and brain interact in both healthy and perturbed states. In parallel, we engineer neural tissue models to understand how biological networks process information and enable biological computing.
Nano- and Micro-Biomaterials for Biological Cell Regulation
Cells exposed to stress can enter an aging-like state in which they stop dividing and lose normal function, reducing the effectiveness of stem cell–based technologies. We develop biomaterial-based antioxidative microcrystals, nanoparticles, and hydrogels to actively regulate cellular activities, including secretion, differentiation, and energy metabolism, in order to maintain and enhance therapeutic cell function.
Biotransport in Neuroinflammation and Neural Biological Computing
Biological Computing
We investigate how biotransport processes regulate neuronal communication in healthy and perturbed environments through multiscale analyses, to understand how neuroinflammation and immune signaling alter neural network stability and biological computation
