A major research focus at the Tissue and Biomolecular Engineering Lab is the development of feedable multivalent vaccines to protect poultry from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Influenza A viruses are single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses that infect domestic and wild birds. They also may infect other animals and even humans. The outbreaks of HPAI among US farms in recent years have posed significant threats to food supply such as egg and dairy shortages, disrupting the economy. We aim to leverage an innovative cell surface protein display platform to create vaccines in a safe, scalable and cost-effective manner. The efficacy of feedable yeast-based vaccine will be evaluated in animal studies. The outcome of the project would prevent avian influenza outbreaks, strengthen national food and biosecurity, reduce spillover risks to dairy cattle and humans, and ultimately save lives.
Another area of research is how to mitigate global warming and climate change caused by environmental pollution. Food waste is an inevitable global problem. According to an Environmental Protection Agency report, food waste represents the largest component of U.S. landfills, accounting for a quarter of the solid waste. The greenhouse gases emitted from the landfilled food waste cause climate change and extreme weather. We aim to use modern biotechnology and bioengineering approaches to convert food waste into ecofriendly value-added industrial/medical products.
Another research area is the fundamental and transformative study of stem-cell differentiation and the interplay between cells and their microenvironments with a goal of generating clinically relevant tissues/organoids for disease modeling, drug discovery and cell-based therapy. The lab aims to understand cues and signaling critical for engineering functional organoids and to promote the maturation of tissues/organoids derived from stem cells.
Research interests
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Cell engineering
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Vaccine development
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Virology
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Environmental biotechnology
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Bioinformatics
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Proteomics
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Tissue engineering
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Stem cell biology
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