Our lab operates at the intersection of tissue engineering, synthetic bioengineering, hepatology, stem cell biology, vascular biology and regenerative medicine. We specialize in developing next-generation 3D human organ-on-chip platforms that replicate the complexity of human tissues and their surrounding microenvironments. These technologies are designed to deepen our understanding of cellular communication and the role of the 3D microenvironment in regulating tissue function under both healthy and diseased conditions.
A central pillar of our research is engineering vascular networks within these platforms, not only to support tissue survival, but also to investigate the dynamic interactions between vascular cells and tissue-resident cells. Although these systems are broadly applicable across various organ types, our current work centers on the liver, with a particular emphasis on modeling liver biology and diseases such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which impacts a significant portion of the U.S. population.
Ultimately, our goal is to advance fundamental knowledge of human organ biology and to harness these engineered systems to uncover molecular mechanisms that lead to novel therapeutic strategies.