Ruiguo Yang

Dr. Ruiguo Yang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU), affiliated with the Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering. He holds the Robert F. and Myrna L. Krohn Professorship, previously serving at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2016-2024). His research focuses on biomechanics of cell-cell junctions, integrating engineering, physical sciences, and biology to develop technologies for clinical translation. Key interests include BioMEMS, single-cell manipulation, and mechanotransduction. He earned a B.S. and M.S. from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (China), and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from MSU (2014).

His lab investigates how epithelial cell-cell junctions respond to mechanical forces, aiming to elucidate biophysical mechanisms in health and disease. Techniques developed include acoustic wave tweezers and porous substrate electroporation for high-throughput assays. Awards include the NSF CAREER (2022) and NIH MIRA (2023) grants. The lab actively recruits postdocs, graduate, and undergraduate students.

Notable achievements include pioneering studies on desmosomal cadherin tension in pemphigus vulgaris and strain-rate-dependent mechanics of cell adhesions. Translational efforts target tissue regeneration and clinical advancements through interdisciplinary collaboration.