Program and Agenda
For a PDF version of the agenda, click here.
*Please note this is not the full program & agenda. Additional details coming soon.
Thursday, January 2, 2025
2:00 PM – 8:00 PM |
Registration and Badge Pick Up |
Friday, January 3, 2025
7:00 AM – 1:00 PM
|
Registration |
7:00 AM |
Breakfast |
8:00 AM |
Welcome & Introduction Ngan Huang & Keyue Shen |
8:10 AM – 10:05 AM |
Platform Session 1: Advances in Regenerative Medicine (Moderator: Stephanie Seidlits) |
8:10 AM |
Keynote Speaker Pro-regenerative biomaterials and medical devices Guillermo Ameer (Northwestern University) |
8:40 AM |
Functional repair and regenerative engineering of composite bone-muscle injury in mouse lower extremity trauma Karina Nakayama (Oregon Health & Science University) |
8:55 AM |
Stem Cell Derived Placental Organoid Model to Investigate Maternal-Fetal Crosstalk Quinton Smith (UC Irvine) |
9:10 AM |
Local photo-crosslinking of native tissue matrix regulates alveolar epithelial cell function Claudia Loebel (UMich) |
9:25 AM |
Short Talk A hybrid hPSC differentiation strategy for region-specific spinal and sensory neurons Nisha Iyer (Tufts) |
9:40 AM |
Directing the Cellular Organization in 3D Gels Using Filamented Light Biofabrication for Cell Therapy Johnson V. John (Terasaki) |
9:55 AM |
Postdoctoral Travel Award Targeted Mitochondria Delivery to Repair and Regenerate Injured Vascular Endothelium Brandon Applewhite (Northwestern University)
|
10:05 - 10:30 AM
|
Coffee Break and Booth Viewing |
10:30 – 12:40 PM |
Platform Session 2: Mechanobiology of Rejuvenation (Moderator: Guohao Dai) |
10:30 AM |
Keynote Speaker Cytoplasmic Dynamics and Mechanics in the Maturation and Aging of Mammalian Oocytes Rong Li (NUS)
|
11:00 AM |
Dissecting the Molecular Mechanism of Cell Mechanobiology using a Nano-ruler Platform Haogang Cai (NYU) |
11:15 AM |
Multiplexed spatial mapping of chromatin features, transcriptome, and proteins in tissues Yanxiang Deng (UPenn) |
11:30 AM |
Imaging the dynamic mechanical environment of embryonic development in live mouse model Shang Wang (Stevens Institute of Technology) |
11:45 AM |
Computational Modeling of Energy Supply and Demand during Mechanotransduction in Inner Ear Hair Cell Stereocilia Robert Raphael (Rice) |
12:00 PM |
Monocytes use protrusive forces to generate migration paths in viscoelastic collagen-based extracellular matrices Kolade Adebowale (UCSD) |
12:15 PM |
Mechanics in a Human Engineered Heart Tissue Model of Lamin Cardiomyopathy Benjamin Lee (UPenn) |
12:25 PM |
Lightning Daanish Kulkarni (UCI): Piezo1 Mediated Mechanotransduction Regulates Lipid Accumulation in Microglia Ali Kazempour (NJIT): Margination Behavior of a Circulating Cell in a Tortuous Microvessel Yerbol Tagay (PSU): Cracking the Code of Nuclear Rigidity: New Frontiers in Cell Migration and Therapy Yifan Wu (UCLA): Viscoelastic Extracellular Matrix Enhances Epigenetic Remodeling and Cellular Plasticity
|
12:40 - 2:00 PM |
Meal Meet the Leaders lunch for Rising Stars and Travel Awardees (by invitation only) |
12:40 – 2:00 PM |
Lunch on your own |
2:00 – 3:30 PM |
Workshop: Meet the Grant Agencies Ross Okamura (CIRM): 2:00 - 2:30 Shivani Sharma (NSF): 2:30 - 3:00 Rahul Thakar (NIH/NHLBI): 3:00 - 3:30
|
3:00 - 4:30 PM |
Break |
3:30 - 4:30 PM |
CMBE Council Meeting (invitation only) (BMES Staff included) |
4:30 - 6:00 PM |
Poster Session 1 (with refreshments) |
5:30 - 7:00 PM |
|
Saturday, January 4, 2025
7:00 AM – 2:30 PM
|
Registration |
7:00 AM |
Breakfast |
8:00 – 9:55 AM |
Platform Session 3: Engineering Rejuvenation and Regeneration (Moderator: Song Li) |
8:00 AM |
Keynote Speaker Pathways to Rejuvenation of Adult Stem Cells Thomas Rando (UCLA) |
8:30 AM |
Ocular fluid outflow on-chip reveals ALK5/VEGFC-mediated Schlemm's canal endothelial dysfunction in glaucoma Esak Lee (Cornell) |
8:45 AM |
P-cadherin dependent adhesions mediate cell protrusions required for epithelial morphogenesis Priscilla Hwang (Virginia Commonwealth) |
9:00 AM |
M-MDSCs and Neutrophil Dysfunction: Unveiling a Mechanism of Post-Sepsis Immunosuppression Laurel Hind (UColorado - Boulder) |
9:15 AM |
Short Talk Elucidating distinct roles of extracellular matrix in cardiac aging Jennifer L. Young (NUS) |
9:30 AM |
Precision Mechanomedicine for Zone-Specific Meniscal Repairs Using a Tunable Meniscus ECM-Based Hydrogel System Su Chin Heo (UPenn) |
9:45 AM |
Spatiotemporal dynamics of mammalian brain development and neuroinflammation by multimodal tri-omics mapping Di Zhang (Yale University) |
9:55 - 10:30 AM |
Coffee Break and Booth Viewing |
10:30 AM – 12:40 PM |
Platform Session 4: Advanced Biomaterials for Immunomodulation and Drug Delivery (Moderator: Jenny Jiang) |
10:30 AM |
Tuning the "Structure" of Biomaterials: Implications for Cell-Based Therapy and Drug Delivery Tejal Desai (Brown University) |
11:00 AM |
Ultra-Long-Term Delivery of Hydrophilic Drugs Using Injectable In Situ Cross-Linked Depots Nitin Joshi (Brigham Women's Hospital) |
11:15 AM |
Affinity-Controlled Delivery of Multiple Angiogenic Proteins Enhances Vascular Network Formation Marian Hettiaratchi (University of Oregon) |
11:30 AM |
Determining sex-specific drug combinations targeting aortic valve myofibroblast activation using an artificial intelligence-derived platform Brian Aguado (UCSD) |
11:45 AM |
Phenotype-Instructive Nanomaterials for Augmentation of Macrophage Cell Therapies John Clegg (University of Oklahoma) |
12:00 PM |
Short Talk Engineering Cyborg Mammalian Cells as Therapeutic Materials Cheemeng Tan (UCDavis)
|
12:15 PM |
Postdoctoral Travel Award Surface-Functionalized Microgels as Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells to Regulate Expansion of T Cells Junzhe Lou (Harvard)
|
12:25 PM |
Lightning Ai Mochida (UPenn): Modulators of LFA-1 signaling control leukocyte upstream migration Karla Lambaren (USC): T Cell Targeting Nanoparticles to Modulate the Immune Response in Hypertension Ana Diaz Espinosa (Mayo Clinic): Design of a high-throughput screening assay to identify cues promoting distinct alveolar and adventitial lung fibroblast identities Tuba Marjan (Purdue): Constructing a decellularized extracellular matrix containing interpenetrating network hydrogel to probe cell-material interactions
|
12:40 - 1:40 PM |
Demo: MaxCyte, Inc Product Demo |
12:40 - 2:00 PM |
Lunch on your own |
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM |
Pratima Labroo (FDA/CBER): 2:00 - 2:15 Karen Christman (UCSD): 2:15 - 2:30 Robert Tranquillo (University of Minnesota): 2:30 - 2:45 Aijun Wang (UC Davis): 2:45 3:00
|
3:00 - 4:30 PM |
Break |
3:00 - 4:30 PM
|
Perspectives Manuscript Products Meeting (all are welcome to attend) |
4:30 - 6:00 PM |
Poster Session 2 (with refreshments) |
6:00 - 9:00 PM |
AAASE Gala Dinner Welcome & Introduction: Ngan Huang & Keyue Shen Presentation of Junior Travel Awards Introduction to CMBE 2026: Evangelia Bellas & Elizabeth Wayne Shu Chien Achievement Award: Christopher Chen (Boston University) |
Sunday, January 5, 2025
7:00 AM – 1:00 PM
|
Registration |
7:00 AM |
Breakfast |
8:00 – 9:55 AM |
Platform Session 5: Translational Applications of Biomimetic Platforms (Moderator: Aijun Wang) |
8:00 AM |
Keynote Speaker Design and Translation of Decellularized Extracellular Matrix Biomaterials Karen Christman (UCSD)
|
8:30 AM |
Actuating Extracellular Matrices Enable Decoupling Mechanical and Biochemical Impacts of Exercise Ritu Raman (MIT) |
8:45 AM |
Enhancing therapeutic exosomes: High-efficiency drug loading and large-scale production using biomimetic materials Yichun Wang (University of Notre Dame) |
9:00 AM |
Real-time probing of pneumonia pathogenesis: dissecting systemic and pulmonary immunity using a novel extracorporeal cross-circulation model Hadi Nia (Boston University) |
9:15 AM |
Human microvessel-based vascularization post myocardial infarction in pigs show unprecedented endothelial retention and scar remuscularization Sara Nunes Vasconcelos (U Toronto) |
9:30 AM |
Precision biomaterials sustain durable and massive expansion of human CAR-T cells in vitro Xiao Huang (Drexel) |
9:45 AM |
Engineering a viscoelastic, growth factor sequestering hydrogel for induced pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocyte culture (iPSC-CMs) Marissa Gionet-Gonzales (UCSB) |
9:55 - 10:30 AM |
Coffee Break and Booth Viewing |
10:30 AM – 12:35 PM |
Platform Session 6: Advancing Cancer Mechanomedicine (Moderator: Allen Liu) |
10:30 AM |
Cell Mechanochemical Sensing and Memory Formation Konstantinos Konstantopoulos (Johns Hopkins University) |
11:00 AM |
Engineering Commensal Bacteria to Neutralize a Microbial Genotoxin Involved in Colorectal Cancer Jiahe Li (UMich) |
11:15 AM |
Pre-exposure to Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure Promotes Downstream Motility by Suppressing Tumor Cell Mechanosensitivity Panagiotis Mistriotis (Auburn University) |
11:30 AM |
Transcriptomic Mechano-Immunology Landscape in Colorectal Cancer in Response to Peristalsis Abigail Clevenger, on behalf of Shreya Raghavan (Texas A&M) |
11:45 AM |
Cell contractility and paracrine signals drive mechanical memory of oral squamous cell carcinoma Adam J. Engler (UCSD) |
12:00 PM |
The Mechano-Metabolic Crosstalk Driving 3D Breast Cancer Invasion is Regulated by YAP/TAZ Activity Jacopo Ferruzzi (UTDallas) |
12:15 PM |
Postdoctoral Travel Award Modeling glioblastoma tumor progression via CRISPR-engineered brain organoids Matthew Ishahak (WUSTL )
|
12:25 PM |
Lightning Bella Raykowski (USC): Regulation of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential by YAP in Cancer Cells Tianyu Chen (Utah State University): Establishing a Microglia-GBM Organoid Model to Study Immune Response and Tumor Interaction in the Brain
|
12:35 – 2:00 PM |
Lunch on your own |
2:00 – 3:15 PM |
Workshop: Meet the Journal Editors: Best Practices in Manuscript Preparation and Submission (Meet the Journal Editors) Adam Engler (APL Bioengineering): 2:00 - 2:10 Song Li (Med-X): 2:10 - 2:20 Guillermo Ameer (Sci Advances): 2:20 - 2:30 Michael King (CMBE): 2:30 - 2:30 Dennis Discher (Molecular Biology of the Cell, PNAS & PNAS Nexus, and Science): 2:40 - 2:50 Q&A: 2:50 - 3:15
|
3:15 – 4:30 PM |
Break |
4:30 – 6:00 PM |
Poster Session 3 (with refreshments) |
6:00 – 7:30 PM |
Reception Welcome: Ngang Huang & Keyue Shen
|
6:30 – 7:00 PM
|
Introduction to Award Ed Guo (Columbia University)
Chris Jacobs Award for Excellence in Leadership Yi-Xian Qin (Stony Brook University)
|
Monday, January 6, 2025
7:00 – 11:00 AM
|
Registration |
7:00 AM |
Breakfast
|
8:00 – 10:00 AM |
Platform Session 7: Emerging Technologies in Cell and Molecular Bioengineering (Peter Wang)
|
8:00 AM |
Keynote Speaker Dissecting Kidney Injuries and Repairs with Single-Cell Technologies Kun Zhang (UCSD)
|
8:30 AM |
Rising Star A method to achieve optical transparency in live animals Guosong Hong (Stanford)
|
8:45 AM |
Rising Star Programming of Fibroblasts into Neurons via a Scalable Magnetoelastic Generator Array Jun Chen (UCLA)
|
9:00 AM |
Rising Star Volumetric imaging of intact tissue by distributed molecular networks Joshua Weinstein (UChicago)
|
9:15 AM |
Short Talk MAGIK: A rapid and efficient method to create lineage-specific reporters in stem cells Xiaojun Lian (PSU)
|
9:30 AM |
Short Talk Programmable RNA targeting with DNA-guided CRISPR/Cas Systems Piyush Jain (University of Florida)
|
9:45 AM |
Short Talk Developing High-Throughput In Vivo Screening Technology for Engineered Tissue Formulation Fan Zhang (UWashington)
|
10:00 - 10:30 AM |
Coffee Break
|
10:30 AM - 12:15 PM
|
Platform Session 8: Advances in Immunobioengineering and Cellular Therapy (Moderator: Keyue Shen)
|
10:30 AM |
Introduction to Award Adam Engler Momentum Award Decoding Antigen-Specific T Cells: From High-Dimensional Profiling to Biophysics to Therapeutic Development Ning Jenny Jiang (UPenn)
|
11:00 AM
|
Short Talk Reprogramming T cells in inhibitory tumor microenvironment with TGFβ redirectors for improved ultrasound controllable CAR-T therapy Longwei Liu (USC)
|
11:15 AM
|
Short Talk Synthetic mechanoreceptors derived from clinical anti-tau immunotherapies for regulated gene therapies against neurodegeneration Jonathan Brunger (Vanderbilt)
|
11:30 AM
|
Closing Remarks and Poster Awards Ngan F. Huang and Keyue Shen
|
11:45 AM
|
Meeting Adjourned
|
Funding Acknowledgement:
Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH, 1R13EB035466), National Science Foundation (NSF, 2436651 ), and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM, EDUC1-16714). The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the NIH, NSF, or CIRM; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.