Ying Tu

Dr. Ying Tu is a Research Fellow at Imperial College London's Department of Life Sciences (Faculty of Natural Sciences), working in Spillane's lab. He holds a PhD from Queen Mary University of London (2019) and conducted postdoctoral research at Iowa State University under Prof. Xuefeng Wang (2019–2022). His work spans biophysics, synthetic biology, materials science, and chemistry, with a focus on developing biosensors for in vivo/in vitro force mapping and biochemical monitoring. Current research emphasizes DNA-based high-throughput biosensor platforms to quantify cellular forces.

Research interests include electrochemical/fluorescent biosensor design, molecular-level force measurement, and bioreaction monitoring. Key technical areas involve integrin molecular tension imaging, nanoscale force detection, and single-molecule force microscopy. His contributions bridge cell biology, materials engineering, and biomedical applications.

Publications highlight advancements in cellular force nanoscopy, mechanosensing technologies, and sensor material innovation. Notable techniques include ratiometric tension sensors and mechano-optical biosensors for tracking cell migration. Collaborative work spans interdisciplinary fields such as nanomaterials, bioelectronics, and biomedical diagnostics.

Dr. Tu's expertise in analytical chemistry and materials engineering supports cutting-edge sensor development, with applications in cancer cell biology and biomedical engineering. His lab focuses on translating fundamental discoveries into practical tools for cellular force analysis and disease monitoring.