Assistant Professor
The University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, Texas, United States
Yunfeng Chen, PhD, is a tenure-track assistant professor at The University of Texas Medical Branch. He ceceived his PhD degree in BioEngineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he graduated with BioEngineering Outstanding Thesis Award. By combining the cutting-edge force spectroscopy, Biomembrane force probe, with cell fluorescence imaging, he studied platelet mechano-signaling and the binding, conformational dynamics and activation of integrins on the single-molecule and single-cell level. His researches advanced the field’s understanding on neutrophil adhesion/recruitment and its dysfunction by lupus, platelet mechanosensing via surface receptors GPIb and integrin αIIbβ3, and cell’s matrix rigidity-sensing. From 2016 to 2021, Dr. Chen worked at The Scripps Research Institute with the financial support of MERU Foundation. By combining in vitro bioengineering approaches (e.g., single-molecule/cell force spectroscopy and microfluidic-based techniques) with in vivo tests, he studied how atherothrombosis is associated with mechanobiological defects in platelets and blood plasma proteins. Dr. Chen's lab's current research is focused on the mechanobiology of the vascular cells, particularly platelets, and the development of novel anti-thrombotic strategies abiding the concept of 'mechanomedicine'. Dr. Chen’s research is recognized nationally and internationally. He received Mary Rodes Gibson Memorial Award in Hemostasis and Thrombosis from the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in 2017, American Heart Association (AHA) Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2019, Yuan-Cheng Fung Best Paper Award and ICBME Young Scholars Award from International Conference on Biomechanics and Medical Engineering in 2019. He is currently supported by an NIH R00 grant.
Sunday, June 25, 2023
17:35 - 17:50 ET