Tao Sun

Dr. Tao Sun is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University and a core member of the Institute of Chemical Imaging of Living Systems. He joined Northeastern in 2023 after postdoctoral training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and an Instructor role at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on focused ultrasound (FUS), neuroimaging, and immunoengineering, aiming to treat neurological disorders like glioblastoma and Alzheimer’s disease. He leads the Sun Ultrasound and Neuroengineering (SUN) Lab, developing ultrasound-based therapies and diagnostic tools.

Education:

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Tufts University
• M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University
• B.S., Acoustics, Nanjing University

Research Interests: Dr. Sun’s work integrates FUS with drug delivery and immunomodulation. He develops non-invasive methods to enhance drug penetration across the blood-brain barrier and studies ultrasound’s effects on neuroimmune interactions. His lab explores applications in cancer treatment, immunotherapy, and neurodegenerative diseases. Recent breakthroughs include using nonspherical microbubbles for targeted delivery and closed-loop control systems for drug delivery.

Awards:

• Young Investigator Award, Focused Ultrasound Foundation (2022)
• Young Investigator Award, Acoustical Society of America (2021)

Lab & Collaborations: The SUN Lab collaborates with institutions like Harvard and MIT, focusing on ultrasound device innovation and clinical translation. Dr. Sun co-authors high-impact papers in journals like PNAS and Science Translational Medicine, and his work is featured in WIRED and Medical Xpress.