Speaker: Professor Y. Shrike ZHANG
Institution: Division of Engineering in Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Host by: Prof. Benzhong TANG
 

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 microtissues are anticipated to supplement 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 microtissues 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-chip platforms formed by sophisticated microfluidics and bioanalysis units, 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 microtissues. These platform technologies will likely provide new opportunities in constructing functional tissue and disease models for drug development, therapeutics screening, and precision medicine.
 

About the speaker

Dr. Zhang received a B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering from Southeast University, China in 2008, after which he 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 an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Bioengineer in the Division of Engineering in Medicine 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, and bioanalysis, 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 >150 peer-reviewed publications and his scientific contributions have been recognized by >40 international, national, and regional awards.