Xiaojun Lian

Xiaojun (Lance) Lian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology and Biomedical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. He leads the Human Stem Cell Engineering Laboratory, focusing on regenerative medicine and stem cell-based therapies. His work integrates developmental principles, genome editing, and stem cell biology to address diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Lian holds affiliations with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and collaborates widely on projects spanning gene editing (e.g., MAGIK method), CAR-T cell engineering, and ultrasound imaging technologies.

**Education**:

• Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012)
• Postdoctoral Training: Harvard University (Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology), Karolinska Institutet (Cell & Molecular Biology)

**Research Interests**:
Lian’s lab targets pluripotent stem cell differentiation into specialized cell types (e.g., pancreatic beta cells, cardiac cells). They develop novel tools like MAGIK for efficient gene editing and explore engineered cells for cancer immunotherapy. Key themes include:

• Stem cell-derived therapies for diabetes and heart disease
• Optogenetic control of cell fate decisions
• Acoustic reporter genes for non-invasive imaging

**Awards**:

• 2017 BMES Junior Investigator Award
• 2016 CMBE Young Innovator Award
• Cozzarelli Prize (2012) for PNAS paper on Wnt signaling in cardiomyocyte differentiation

**Grants & Lab**:

• NSF CAREER Award (2020)
• NIH Trailblazer Grant (2018)
• Lab members include Alessandro Howells (PhD), Hayley, and Jirong

**Outreach**: Active presenter at conferences (BMES, ISSCR) and collaborator on industry partnerships for scalable stem cell manufacturing.