Keisuke Ishihara is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computational and Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His research focuses on engineering human brain and cardiac organoids using genetic, chemical, and computational approaches to uncover novel regulatory mechanisms and physical principles underlying tissue development. His lab is located at Biomedical Science Tower 3, with an office in room 10020A. Dr. Ishihara holds a PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard University. His work bridges synthetic biology, developmental biology, and biophysics to address fundamental questions in organogenesis and cellular morphogenesis. Recent research highlights include studies on BMP-mediated neural tube patterning in organoids and the biophysical dynamics of microtubule assemblies in large cells. Publications from his lab emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to understand cell size scaling, mitotic spindle dynamics, and self-organization in synthetic tissues. His team has contributed to advancements in organoid technology, uncovering dormant genetic programs and physical principles governing tissue architecture. Laboratory activities are centered at the University of Pittsburgh, collaborating with the School of Medicine's computational and systems biology initiatives. For more details, visit his lab website linked below.
Prof. Elisabeth Engel López leads the Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies group at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and serves as a Professor at the Technical University of Catalonia. With over 80 publications in JCR journals, her work focuses on designing biomaterials and scaffolds for in vitro/in vivo regenerative medicine, emphasizing cellular response mechanisms and translational applications. Developing lactate-releasing systems for metabolic modulation Advancing 3D bioprinting for tissue-specific models Engineering angiogenic and osteogenic biomaterials Her research bridges fundamental studies with industrial partnerships, including pharmaceutical and biomedical device companies, and contributes to European collaborative projects. She received the Barcelona City Award for technological research and has delivered numerous invited lectures. Her group explores substrate stiffness, ion release, and microenvironmental cues to control cell behavior in cardiac, neural, and bone regeneration contexts.
Shyni Varghese is the Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University, with joint appointments in Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering. She directs the Varghese Lab, an interdisciplinary team focused on smart biomaterials, organ-on-chip models, rejuvenation therapies, and translational medical technologies. Her research bridges tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and disease modeling to address bone healing, osteoarthritis, and age-related tissue degeneration. Education: Ph.D. in Chemistry/Materials Science, National Chemical Laboratory (India), 2002 Research spans four pillars: Smart Biomaterials : Engineered ECM mimetics, self-healing hydrogels, and stimuli-responsive systems for tissue regeneration. Miniature Organs : Organoid and organ-on-chip platforms (e.g., tumor-on-chip, lung alveolus models) to study disease mechanisms. Rejuvenation : Targeting cellular senescence, adenosine signaling, and inflammation to enhance aged tissue repair. Bench to Bedside : Translating technologies like 'bone bandages' and nanocarriers for fracture healing and osteoporosis. Recent publications emphasize orthopaedic repair (fracture healing, osteoarthritis), immunomodulation (macrophage reprogramming, immunotherapy), and advanced biomaterials (self-healing lubricants, cartilage-penetrating carriers). Studies frequently employ mouse models and microengineered platforms to dissect pain mechanisms, senescence, and tissue regeneration pathways. Dr. Varghese advises 10+ doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. Her lab has pioneered innovations like 'DraBot' (environment-responsive soft robot) and 'cell pouch' xenotransplantation devices. Collaborative projects include NIH-funded work on bone radioprotection and NSF-supported biomaterial design. The Varghese Lab occupies the Duke Medical Science Research Building, fostering collaborations with clinicians and engineers. Current projects explore: Senolysis for neuroinflammation mitigation Adenosine-based therapies for bone loss 3D tumor models for immunotherapy screening
Stelios Andreadis is the SUNY Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University at Buffalo, affiliated with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He directs the Cell, Gene and Tissue Engineering Center and previously led the Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine (SCiRM) Training Program. His research focuses on stem cell bioengineering, vascular and gland tissue engineering, and biomaterials design. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and has been funded by NIH, NSF, and NYSTEM, totaling over $20M. His awards include the NSF CAREER Award, SUNY Chancellor’s Excellence in Scholarship, and AIMBE and BMES Fellowships. Research interests span stem cell rejuvenation, cell-free vascular grafts, and metabolic reprogramming. He has published 140+ papers and advised 28 PhD students, many now in academia or industry. His lab co-founded Angiograft, LLC to commercialize vascular grafts. Key achievements include developing self-healing vascular grafts and demonstrating monocyte recruitment for vascular regeneration. His work bridges basic science and clinical applications in regenerative medicine.
Andrea H. Brand serves as the Frederick L. Ehrman Professor of Cell Biology and Professor of Neuroscience at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, where she chairs the Department of Cell Biology. Her dual appointments reflect an interdisciplinary research program spanning molecular mechanisms of stem cell regulation and neural development. Dr. Brand earned her PhD from the University of Cambridge followed by prestigious postdoctoral fellowships: a Leukemia Society Special Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and a Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship at Harvard University. These foundational experiences established her expertise in genetic model systems. Her research integrates stem cell biology and neuroscience through innovative work with Drosophila and mouse models. Key investigations focus on chromatin dynamics in stem cell quiescence, Notch/insulin signaling pathways, neural progenitor reprogramming, and blood-brain barrier formation. Current projects explore obesity-related gene function and CHD8 genomic targets relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders, emphasizing translational potential for regenerative medicine. Recent publications (2020-2022) reveal consistent themes in stem cell niche organization and disease mechanisms, with notable contributions to understanding tumorigenesis through neural progenitor studies and metabolic influences on barrier development. Her work demonstrates strong interdisciplinary convergence between developmental genetics and systems neuroscience. No scientific awards were documented in the provided profile information. While the profile indicates Professor Brand's leadership as Department Chair, specific details regarding student mentorship, grant funding, or laboratory structure were not included in the available text. Her position suggests active supervision of research teams and potential involvement in major collaborative initiatives.
Zhandong Liu is an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine with joint appointments in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Neurology . He serves as Chief of Computational Sciences at Texas Children's Hospital and co-directs the Quantitative & Computational Biosciences Graduate Program at Baylor. Education: B.S. in Computer Science, Nankai University (2001) M.S. in Computer Science, Wayne State University (2003) Ph.D. in Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Pennsylvania (2010) Dr. Liu's research integrates genomics , machine learning , and bioinformatics to advance understanding of neurological diseases. His work focuses on: Multi-omics data integration for disease mechanism discovery Development of cloud-based CRISPR analysis tools like CRISPRcloud Augmented reality platforms for biomedical data visualization Identification of disease genes through computational models Alternative splicing analysis in cancer and neurodegeneration Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics algorithms His recent publications emphasize Alzheimer's disease , MECP2 syndromes , and computational therapy prediction across multiple domains. Scientific awards include the 2018 Outstanding Service Award from the International Association for Intelligent Biology and Medicine. He has secured major grants from NIH, CPRIT, and NSF for projects including: NSF grant #199977 (2018-2020): Augmented reality therapy platforms CPRIT grant #RP170387 (2016-2019): Network-guided cancer analysis NIH #1R01AG057339 (2017-2022): Alzheimer's disease networks As head of the Liu Lab , he leads teams developing tools like: MARRVEL : Human-model organism gene variant integration CRISPRcloud : Secure CRISPR screen analysis platform CrypSplice : Cryptic splicing detection algorithm
Dr. Lin Su is a Lecturer in Engineering Biology at Queen Mary University of London, leading the Biohybrids group. His research focuses on biohybrid systems in synthetic biology, particularly electron transfer mechanisms between microorganisms and materials, with applications in bioelectrical systems and artificial photosynthesis. Dr. Su holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Southeast University (2021), with postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge (2021–present). His work includes collaborations with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Rice University (2016–2021). He is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow (2022–2025) and an Isaac Newton Trust Grant recipient. He also serves as a Fellow at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Research interests span synthetic biology, microbial-material interfaces, and energy-related bioengineering. His lab develops novel platforms integrating living and non-living components for sustainable technologies. Awards: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship Isaac Newton Trust Grant Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College Grants: Collaborative funding via Leverhulme Trust and Isaac Newton Trust. Labs/Teams: Director of the Biohybrids Group (https://biohybrids.group/), focusing on interdisciplinary engineering-biology research.
Yuan-Fang Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Data Science & AI at Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology. He also serves as Associate Dean International. His research focuses on knowledge graphs, natural language processing, multimodality, and graph representation learning. He holds a PhD from National University of Singapore (2006) and a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) from the same institution (2002). Affiliations: Monash University (since 201?), National University of Singapore (PhD 2002-2006) Key Projects: Leading research on neuro-symbolic systems (HARNESS project), large-scale multimodal knowledge management, and maritime knowledge graphs Teaching: Taught courses including FIT4002, FIT4004, and supervised over 20 PhD students Research interests include complex question answering over knowledge graphs, knowledge extraction from text/images, and structural/temporal graph learning. He has published 152+ works with notable contributions to scene graph generation, event extraction, and LLM-based reasoning. Key awards include the 2020 Best Student Paper Award and 2017 Kurzweil Prize. Grants: ARC Discovery Projects, industry collaborations (e.g., Outotec Oy) Labs/Teams: Active in Monash's Data Science & AI research groups, leading neuro-symbolic AI initiatives
Dana Pe'er is Chair of the Computational and Systems Biology Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI) and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). She holds the Alan and Sandra Gerry Endowed Chair and leads an interdisciplinary lab combining single-cell genomics, machine learning, and computational modeling to study cancer biology, immunity, and development. Pe'er earned her PhD at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and focuses on cellular plasticity, epigenetic regulation, and tumor-immune interactions. Her lab develops tools like CellRank , Wishbone , and SEACells to analyze single-cell data and uncover mechanisms in cancer progression and immunotherapy. Key research areas: Computational Biology, Single-Cell Genomics, Cancer Systems Biology, Epigenetics, Immunotherapy Recent trends: Articles from 2025-2024 emphasize spatial transcriptomics, tumor microenvironment mapping, and regulatory network inference using machine learning. Scientific honors include the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award , AACR Academy Induction , and Packard Fellowship . Her work has direct clinical implications for precision medicine and cancer immunotherapy. Labs & Teams: Leads the Dana Pe'er Lab at SKI, directs the Single Cell Research Initiative (SCRI), and collaborates with the SAIL program.
Michael Levin is a Distinguished Professor at Tufts University in the Department of Biology within the School of Arts and Sciences. He serves as Director of both the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University and the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. His laboratory investigates the intersection of developmental biology, artificial life, bioengineering, synthetic morphology, and cognitive science. Allen Discovery Center at Tufts Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology Tufts/UVM: ICDO Harvard Wyss Institute Stibel Dennett Consortium for Brain and Cognitive Science The Proteus Institute MIT Science and Technology Center EBICS Levin's research focuses on understanding diverse intelligence in evolved, designed, and hybrid complex systems. His lab combines developmental biophysics, computer science, and behavioral science to study how cognition scales up from cellular competencies to organism-level behaviors. A key specialty is developmental bioelectricity—the study of how somatic electrical networks store, process, and act on information to control large-scale body structure. His team creates tools to read and edit the bioelectric code guiding proto-cognitive computations in the body. Levin's publications reveal a strong focus on bioelectricity, morphogenesis, and non-neural cognition across multiple model systems including Xenopus, planarians, and synthetic living constructs. His recent work explores collective intelligence as a unifying concept across biological scales, the development of microfluidic devices for measuring electrical connectivity, and optical estimation of bioelectric patterns in living embryos. His research spans fundamental developmental mechanisms to potential biomedical applications in regeneration and disease treatment. As an editor, Levin serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of Bioelectricity and Founding Associate Editor of Collective Intelligence. He has mentored numerous post-doctoral fellows and graduate students who have gone on to establish their own research programs. His lab has received significant attention for creating novel biological machines (xenobots) and demonstrating that cells can store and transmit behavioral memory outside the brain. The Levin Lab maintains several significant research initiatives including the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts, the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, and collaborations with the Wyss Institute at Harvard. The lab employs a multidisciplinary approach combining wet lab experiments with computational modeling to investigate how living systems achieve goal-directed behavior and pattern formation.
Heather R. Christofk is a Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Her research focuses on the intricate relationship between cellular metabolism and various biological processes, particularly in the contexts of cancer development, stem cell function, and viral infections. Education: PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Harvard University (2007) BS in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UCLA (2001) Dr. Christofk's research program centers on understanding how metabolic pathways regulate cellular processes in both normal physiology and disease states. Her laboratory has made significant contributions to understanding how cancer cells reprogram their metabolism to support rapid growth and proliferation, with particular focus on glucose metabolism, amino acid utilization, and metabolic adaptations in tumor microenvironments. She has also pioneered work on the metabolic regulation of stem cell function, especially in hair follicle stem cells, demonstrating how metabolic pathways control stem cell activation and differentiation. Her research has important implications for developing novel therapeutic approaches that target cancer metabolism while preserving normal tissue function. Analysis of Dr. Christofk's recent publications reveals a strong focus on metabolic heterogeneity across different biological contexts. Her work spans cancer metabolism (particularly in liposarcoma, melanoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma), stem cell metabolism (especially hair follicle stem cells), viral metabolism (including Epstein-Barr virus and Zika virus), and developmental metabolism (fetal development and organogenesis). A recurring theme is how metabolic pathways serve as regulatory nodes that control cell fate decisions, tumor progression, and therapeutic responses. Selected Research Funding: Metabolic Control of Hair Follicle Stem Cell Homeostasis and Tumorigenesis (NIH R01AR070245, 2018-2023) - Co-Principal Investigator Nutrient regulation of cancer cell growth (NIH R01CA215185, 2017-2022) - Principal Investigator Regulation of the Warburg Effect in Cancer (NIH DP2OD008454, 2011-2016) - Principal Investigator Dr. Christofk's laboratory maintains active collaborations across multiple disciplines, working with clinicians, basic scientists, and computational biologists to address complex questions in metabolism and disease. Her team employs a range of cutting-edge techniques including metabolomics, stable isotope tracing, molecular biology, and in vivo models to investigate metabolic regulation in health and disease.
Daniela Carnevale is a Full Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, where she serves in the Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies within the Faculty of Medicine. She directs the Laboratory of Neuro and Cardiovascular Immunology at the Department of Molecular Medicine, based at IRCCS Neuromed in Pozzilli. Her academic career spans over a decade with a permanent position as Assistant Professor since 2012, progressing to her current role as Full Professor. Education: PhD in Neuroscience (2010) - Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome Professional qualification in Biology (2006) - Sapienza University of Rome Degree in Biological Sciences (2005) - Sapienza University of Rome, final mark 110/110 cum laude Daniela Carnevale's research primarily focuses on the intersection of cardiovascular medicine, neuroscience, and immunology. She investigates neuroimmune mechanisms in hypertension, exploring how the nervous and immune systems interact to influence blood pressure regulation and organ damage. Her work encompasses biotechnologies and translational approaches to understand arterial hypertension, chronic heart failure, Alzheimer's related dementias, and adaptive immune responses. She has pioneered research on brain-spleen communication pathways in hypertension, demonstrating how neural signals prime immune responses that contribute to cardiovascular pathology. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on neuroimmune cardiovascular interfaces, with particular focus on hypertension-induced cognitive impairment, cerebrovascular remodeling, and organ damage mechanisms. Her work increasingly integrates advanced imaging techniques, genetic analyses, and immune profiling to uncover novel therapeutic targets for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative conditions. Scientific Awards: Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) (2016) Council on Hypertension Mid Career Award for Research Excellence (2019) International Patent in medical technology (2010) Multiple research awards from the Italian Society of Arterial Hypertension Research Award from the Foundation "Roberto Cornelli" (2009) Professor Carnevale has secured significant research funding as Principal Investigator, including grants from Sapienza University, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, and the Italian Ministry of Health. She has supervised numerous PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and undergraduate students across various biomedical programs. Her laboratory collaborates internationally with leading researchers from Harvard University, Vanderbilt University, University of Glasgow, and University of Munich. At IRCCS Neuromed, Professor Carnevale directs the Laboratory of Neuro and Cardiovascular Immunology, where her team investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuroimmune interactions in cardiovascular diseases. Her research facility includes advanced preclinical imaging capabilities, including a 7Tesla MRI for small animal research, which she secured through competitive grant funding.
Dr. Yanjie Fu is an Associate Professor in the School of Computing and AI at Arizona State University, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He maintains his office in BYENG 506 at the Tempe campus and can be reached at yanjie.fu@asu.edu. Dr. Fu received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2016, the B.E. degree from the University of Science and Technology of China, and the M.E. degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His industry research experience includes positions at Microsoft Research Asia and IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. His research focuses on developing disruption-robust machine intelligence that can handle imperfect and complex data. Dr. Fu's work spans two major efforts: Data for AI (D4AI), exploring how structure knowledge of data can guide AI, and AI for Data (AI4D), investigating how AI can augment, reprogram, and knowledgeize data. His current research interests include space-time intelligence, data-centric AI, sim2decision, multimodal reasoning, and LLM with agentic AI. His lab has contributed projects including D4AI-spatial, D4AI-timeseries, D4AI-causal outliers, AI4D-RL, AI4D-Gen, and AI4D-LLM. Dr. Fu's recent publications reveal a strong trend toward integrating causal reasoning with deep learning for robust anomaly detection, advancing time series forecasting with novel normalization techniques, and applying generative AI to urban planning. His work increasingly bridges traditional machine learning with large language models, particularly focusing on data-centric approaches for tabular data transformation and feature engineering. US NAE FOE early career engineer (2023) US NSF CAREER (2021) NSF CRII (2018) ACM KDD18 Best Student Paper Finalist IEEE ICDM Best Paper Finalist (2014, 2021, 2022) ACM SIGSpatial Best Paper Runner-up (2020) 2022 Baidu Scholar global top Chinese young scholars in AI 2021 Aminer.org AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar Award Honorable Mention Dr. Fu has successfully mentored multiple Ph.D. students who have secured tenure-track faculty positions at prestigious institutions including University of Kansas, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Great Bay University, Portland State University, and University of Macau. His research has been supported by significant grants including the NSF CAREER award, and he currently serves as Associate Editor of ACM Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data. He is also a senior member of both ACM and IEEE. Dr. Fu leads a research group focused on developing trusted and safe machine intelligence. The lab connects computing issues across representation learning, self-supervised learning, interactive learning, adaptive learning, and stream learning to build disruption-robust frameworks. The group executes two key steps: data representation construct (integrating structure knowledge, self-optimization, explainability) and learning strategy construct (integrating robust representations with adaptive and interactive learning).
Dr. Zhengqing Hu is a tenured, full-time Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Physiology/Cell Biology and has active research programs in stem cell-based hearing restoration. Dr. Hu's academic journey includes dual MD and PhD training in China, a second PhD at Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and postdoctoral work at the University of Virginia. Education : MD from Shanghai Medical University, PhD in neurotology from China, second PhD in cell replacement therapy at Karolinska Institute Grants : NIH R01, DoD grants, VA SPiRE, and Wayne State OVPR funding His research focuses on auditory synapse regeneration , epigenetic reprogramming for hair cell repair, and development of biological hearing restoration models . The Hu lab employs stem cell biology, in vitro and in vivo transplantation, advanced microscopy, and electrophysiology to investigate inner ear progenitor cell differentiation and neural integration. Recent publications highlight DNA demethylation strategies for hair cell regeneration and auditory neuron synaptogenesis. Dr. Hu serves on multiple NIH, VA, and international grant review panels. He teaches graduate courses in Stem Cell Biology , Molecular Physiology , and Cell Biology at Wayne State University, including directing the Embryonic Stem Cell Biology course. His lab's work aims to establish a Biological-EAR model for future hearing loss treatments.
Dr. Anand Krishnan serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine, where he leads research on nerve-tumor interfaces and neural macrophage biology. His work bridges neuroscience and oncology to identify therapeutic targets for cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Education: Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Canada Postdoctoral Fellow, Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Canada PhD in Biotechnology (Cancer Biology), Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, India Master of Pharmacy (Pharmacology), Manipal University, India Pharma R&D Experience: Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Limited; Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited Dr. Krishnan's research program investigates two core areas: molecular mapping of tumor-nerve interfaces to uncover novel therapeutic targets, and defining the roles of self-renewing resident macrophages in nervous system homeostasis and disease. His lab employs proteomics, murine models, and in vitro neuronal cultures to explore how tumors and nerves mutually support growth through neural invasion and autonomic signaling. Analysis of his 2020-2024 publications reveals consistent focus on neuro-oncology mechanisms, particularly peripheral nerve regeneration pathways (Myc interactome, growth-primed DRG), tumor-nerve crosstalk (sympathetic signaling in prostate cancer), and neurodegenerative targets (MANF). Key methodologies include comparative proteomics, molecular mapping, and drug repurposing screens. Research Funding: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Cancer Research Society (CRS) CIHR Institute of Cancer Research Breast Cancer Society of Canada (BCSC) Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation (PCFF) & Ride for Dad Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) College of Medicine Research Award (CoMRAD) CoMBRIDGE Fund Start-up Research Fund Based at Saskatoon City Hospital within the Cameco MS Neuroscience Research Centre, the Krishnan Lab trains students supported by NSERC USRA, Dean's project fellowships, OVDR Biomedical research fellowships, and Mitacs awards. The lab's strategic location adjacent to the Meewasin Valley provides collaborative opportunities for translational neuroscience research focused on nerve regeneration and cancer therapeutics.
