February 2023
Dr. Thangam Ramar joins the lab
Welcome, Thangam!
January 2023
Haokang Zhang's work published in Advanced Biology
The title of the paper is "The actin crosslinker fascin regulates cell chirality". In the paper, the authors explored the role of fascin, an actin scaffolding protein, in determining cell chiral biases. It may be a new mechanism of cell chirality regulation.
The authors are: Haokang Zhang, Dr. Jie Fan (a previous postdoc in the lab), Joshua Maclin, and Dr. Wan. Congraluations to Haokang and the team!
More information can be found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36658789/.
Tasnif Rahman's work published in Journal of Biomechanics
Tasnif Rahman, a doctoral student in the lab, reported his simulation work on biomechanics of multicellular chirality. The title of the paper is "Cell jamming regulates epithelial chiral morphogenesis". Frank Peters is a co-author of this paper. Congratulations, Tasnif and Frank!
More information can be found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36641827/.
Frank Peters awarded AHA Fellowship
Frank Peters, a doctoral student in the lab, has been awarded the American Heart Association predoctoral fellowship for his project titled, "Spatiotemporal patterns of cell chirality in cardiac asymmetric morphogenesis." This is a prestigious, peer-reviewed fellowship covering two years. Congratulations, Frank!
More information on the AHA Predoctoral Fellowship can be found here: https://professional.heart.org/en/research-programs/application-information/predoctoral-fellowship.
November 2022
Dr. Lallepak Lamboni joins the lab as a postdoc
Welcome, Lallepak!
July 2022
Dr. Wan co-chaired two sessioins on cell chirality in the World Congress of Biomechanics
Dr. Wan co-organized two sessions on cell chirality and symmetry breaking at the conference, providing an oppertunity for the scientists in this emerging field to share ideas and collaborate with each other.
Graduate Students, Haokang Zhang and Tasnif Rahman, presented their research at the World Congress of Biomechanics.
Dr. Wan promoted to Full professor
https://bme.rpi.edu/news/announcements/leo-wan-promoted-professor
March 2022
Lab's research is highlighted on "The Scientist." Cell Chirality offers Clues to Mystery of Body Asymmetry
December 2021
Review article "Cell Chirality as a Novel Measure for Cytotoxicity" is published on Advanced Biology, selected as a cover for the January 2022 issue.
In this article, we compare the current in vitro techniques for cell chirality characterization and their applications and discuss the advantages and limitations of these cell chirality assays as potential tools for detecting cytotoxicity.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/adbi.202101088
Congratulations to Haokang!
September 2021
Our article, “Cell chirality in cardiovascular development and disease,” was recently promoted by APL Bioengineering in its email Newsletter, “Latest in Biomechanics.”
Congratulations to Tasnif, Haokang, and all coauthors!
https://aip-info.org/1XPS-7CYU3-2B5A2E49B90A89EFPY6MBC1CD1F3A4D6902536/cr.aspx
APL Bioengineering is an open access journal devoted to research of the highest caliber at the intersection of biology, physics, and engineering. The journal publishes high-impact manuscripts specific to the understanding and advancement of physics and engineering of biological systems.
August 2021
Lab's method article "A Micropatterning Assay For Measuring Cell Chirality" was accepted for publication on Journal of Visualized Experiments, in collaboration with Columbia University.
https://www.jove.com/t/63105/a-micropatterning-assay-for-measuring-cell-chirality
Congratulations to Haokang and all co-authors!
Lab's article promoted to the cover of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE), a journal affiliated with BMES.
The title of the article is "Effects of Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Proteins on the Chirality of Brain Endothelial Cells". It is collaborative work with the RPI Biological Sciences department and the University of Southern California.
Congratulations to all the authors: Haokang Zhang, Jie Fan, Zhen Zhao, Chunyu Wang and Leo Q. Wan.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12195-021-00669-w
July 2021
Lab receives research funding on cell chirality and heart looping
Please click the link below for details:
https://bme.rpi.edu/index.php/news/cardiac-cell-symmetry-could-unlock-greater-understanding-healthy-heart-formation
September 2020
Review paper published in ALP Bioengineering
Our review paper "Cell Chirality in Cardiac Development and Disease" published in ALP Bioengineering. You can find it here.
Congratulations to Tasnif and all the co-authors!
May 2021
Wan co-authors review article on 2020 Annual BMES-Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Conference,
Dr. Leo Wan has co-authored a review article on 2020 Annual BMES-Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Conference, published on the CMBE journal, which is the official journal of BMES and the CMBE SIG. Titled "Recent Advances in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering for Building and Translation of Biological Systems," Wan co-authored the article with the two other conference co-chairs, Drs. Guohao Dai and Adam Feinberg.
The goal of this report is to present the research frontiers in this field and provide perspectives on successful engineering and translation towards the clinic. We thank all conference attendees, especially our invited and plenary speakers. Please follow the link for the article: https://rdcu.be/clwmd
March 2021
Leo Wan has been elected as a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA). The membership level of Fellow is the highest one awarded by AHA and recognized members for their outstanding engineering achievements.
The AHA is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. A shared focus on cardiovascular health unites our more than 40 million volunteers and supporters as well as our more than 2,800 employees.
Fellowship of the AHA provides a means to recognize and award premium professional members for excellence, innovative and sustained contributions in the areas of scholarship, practice and/or education, and volunteer service and/or leadership within the AHA.
February 2021
A new video about our lab is available. You can find it here.
Thanks to Haokang and Tasnif for fabulous work!
January 2021
Dr. Wan becomes the chair of the Cellular Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) SIG, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) in 2021.
September 2020
Our review paper "Cell Chirality in Cardiac Development and Disease" published in ALP Bioengineering. You can find it here.
Congratulations to Tasnif and all the co-authors!
August 2020
Dr. Jie Fan, a former postdoc in the lab, accepts a faculty position at the University of Michigan - Dearborn.
Huge congratulations!
January 2020
Dr. Wan becomes the chair-elect the Cellular Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) SIG, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).
December 2019
Graduate student, Haokang Zhang, wins the prestigious American Heart Association (AHA) predocotoral fellowship. This fellowship will support him for 2 years.
Congratulations!
November 2019
Haokang Zhang honored with Founders Award! Congratulations!
September 2019
Capital Region American Heart Association Research Reception to Feature Leo Wan
Dr. Wan attended the Capital Region American Heart Association’s inaugural research reception, “The Science Behind Your Giving,” on November 15. He shared his research and had wonderful conversations with potential donors and other scientists. Thanks the organizers for the invitation.
click here for the news.
July 2019
Our lab research featured on The Approach (RPI News)
Click here.
December 2018
Another paper published in PNAS
The article is titled "Intrinsic cellular chirality regulates left–right symmetry breaking during cardiac looping". This paer reveals a role of cell chirality in cardiac asymmetry looping in the early stage of embryonic development. The paper can be found here. Congratulations, Poulomi and all co-authors!
November 2018
Lab's work published in PNAS.
The article is titled "Epithelial Cell Chirality Revealed by Three-Dimensional Spontaneous Rotation", can be found here. This paper describes a new approach to determine cell chirality in 3D. Congratulations, Amanda and all co-authors!
October 2018
Lab's work published in Science Advances
The paper "Cell chirality regulates intercellular junctions and endothelial permeability" can be found here. This article demonstrates the role of cell chirality in vascular leakiness. Congratulations, Jie and the team!
Read the news here.
October 2018
Graduate student Jennifer Rico-Varela honored with presentation award
Jennifer Rico-Varela, a graduate student in Dr. Leo Wan's lab, has been honored with a presentation award at the 2018 National Diversity in STEM Conference which was held in San Antonio, Texas.
Her award was the only one given to a graduate student in biomedical engineering. About the award: The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science awarded 105 graduate and undergraduate students for their research and presentation skills. The Presentation Awards recognize the next generation of scientists and STEM leaders for exemplary science, while giving visibility to their investigations and home institutions.
October 2017
Allison Fleck honored with Founders Award
Congratulations, Allison!
September 2017
Faculty highlight: Leo Wan
Do Cells lean left or right? click here.
February 2017
Wan lab's work mentioned in WIRED
Dr. Leo Wan's work on chirality is highlighted in a recent article in the magazine WIRED. The full article can be found here:https://www.wired.com/2017/02/body-can-tell-left-right/ Leo is a pioneer in studying the left-right asymmetry at a cellular level with microfabricated engineering systems. His research focuses on developing engineering platforms for embryonic development and regeneration medicine. His research has received much attention from developmental biologists in the field of left-right asymmetry. His recent collaboration with TED-Ed, http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-human-bodies-asymmetrical-leo-q-wan, has received ~500K views.
July 2016
Leo Wan promoted
Dr. Wan is promoted to associate professor with tenure at RPI, starting on July 1, 2016.
May 2016
Kathryn Worley's abstract on chiral force generation by epithelial cells was selected as short talk at the Gordon Research Conference: Cell Polarity Signaling in June, 2016.
April 2016
Wan invited to speak
Dr. Leo Wan was invited and gave a talk at the WISC 2016 -- Expanding the Life Sciences Toolkit at SUNY Albany on cell chirality research.
Kaur gives presentation as part of Accepted Student Celebration
Gurleen Kaur was selected to give a presentation at the Accepted Student Celebration, and shared her experience of working as an undergraduate researcher in our lab. Dr. Leo Wan participated in the panel discussion organized by the vice president of research office.
February 2016
Wan elected CMBE SOG council member
Leo Wan was elected as council member of the Cellular Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) SIG, Biomedical Engineering Society.
The CMBE-SIG brings together researchers with diverse backgrounds in scientific and clinical interests with a common goal of understanding how physical forces control biological processes and a desire to improve the practice of medicine, human and veterinary, through the results of their research.
Please refer to this page for detail.
January 2016
Dr. Leo Wan has created a TED Ed lesson on "Why are human bodies asymmetrical?". The lesson received over 100k downloads within the first 24 hours, and now reached over 300K views. It can be found here:
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-human-bodies-asymmetrical-leo-q-wan.
Abu-Hakhem wins presentation at Graduate Research Symposium
Ahmad Abu-Hakhem was won the second-best podium presentation at the Graduate Research Symposium in Rensselaer's BME department.
October 2015
Amanda Chin honored with Rensselaer's Founders Award
The Founders Award of Excellence was established in 1994 to honor students who embody qualities of creativity, discovery, leadership, and the values of pride and responsibility at Rensselaer. The award consists of a special certificate, recognition by faculty, staff, and peers at the Honors Convocation ceremony, and a cash prize. Approximately 70 wonderful students from the Troy and Hartford campuses – about one percent of our student population – are honored each year as winners of Rensselaer's Founders Award of Excellence.
Congratulations, Amanda!
June 2015
Mike Raymond placed third in MS Poster Competition at SB3C Conference at Snowbird, Utah
Mike Raymond won the third place in the MS poster competition at the Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference (SB3C) held in Snowbird, Utah. The title of the poster was "Individual Cell-Based Morphological Analysis to Determine Chirality of Epithelial Morphogenesis".
Two PhD students, Amanda and Katie, attended the meeting and presented their research.
The 2015 Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport Conference included Plenary Lectures, Symposia, Workshops and Student Design and Paper Competitions. The theme of this year's conference was "Synergy of Modeling and Experiments in Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport."
May 2015
Leo Wan wins 2015 School of Engineering Research Excellence Award
Dr. Leo Wan has been selected as a recipient of the 2015 School of Engineering Research Excellence Award.
The SoE awardees will be celebrated at the Faculty Achievement Recognition Dinner on May 12, 2015.
April 2015
New paper published on Integrative Biology
Katie's paper, titled "Inhibition of Cell-Cell Adhesion Impairs Directional Epithelial Migration on Micropatterned Surfaces," (link), is published on Integrative Biology. Undergraduate student David Shieh is a co-author. Congratulations!
January 2015
New paper appears online in Scientific Reports
A recent paper titled "Astrocytes Increase ATP Exocytosis Mediated Calcium Signaling in Response to Microgroove Structures" has appeared online. Please click link for abstract and full text. The authors include Ajay, Mike, Fabiano, Tony, and Leo from this lab, Dr Zuidema and Chris McKay from Dr. Gilbert's lab, and Dr. Lu from University of Delaware. Congratulations!
December 2014
Leo Wan Appointed to Editorial Board of Scientific Reports
Leo Wan joined the Editorial Board for Scientific Reports, a journal from Nature Publishing Group, the publishers of Nature. Scientific Reports launched in 2011 as a multidisciplinary, online-only, open access publication covering all areas of the natural sciences.
Leo is also an associate editor of the Springer journal Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing.
November 2014
Leo Wan Invited to Kavli Symposium and Named Fellow
Leo Wan was recently invited to attend the symposium "Kavli Frontiers of Science" which was organized by the National Academy of Science. Participants of the symposium were also named Kavli fellows.
More details about the Kavli Foundation and their symposia can be found on their web site: http://www.kavlifoundation.org/kavli-frontiers-science.
October 2014
Amanda Chin Wins Poster Award at Symposium
Amanda Chin, a second-year graduate student from Dr. Leo Q. Wan's laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis (TEAM), won the First Place Poster Award from the New Frontiers Symposium 2014: New Strategies and Technologies in Cancer Research, held in Albany, NY on Nov 14, 2014. Her abstract was also "deemed to be one of the best", and selected to give a podium presentation at the meeting. This award speaks highly of her research quality and presentation skills. The conference is organized by the Capital Region Cancer Research Group.
Leo Wan Receives NIH Director's New Innovator Award
The NIH Director's New Innovator Award is the most prestigious award that a researcher can receive at this stage in their career. Leo is the first researcher at RPI to win this award.
The NIH Director's New Innovator (DP2) Award initiative supports a small number of early stage investigators of exceptional creativity who propose bold and highly innovative new research approaches that have the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important problems in biomedical and behavioral research. The New Innovator Award initiative complements ongoing efforts by NIH and its Institutes and Centers to fund early stage investigators through R01 grants, which continue to be the major sources of NIH support for early stage investigators.
August 2014
Two master students, Tony and Mike, presented at the GE Global Research Symposium.
July 2014
Dr. Eric Sun joined our lab.
Katie gave a podium presentation at the World Congress of Biomechanics in Boston.
June 2014
Leo Wan Appointed as Associate Editor of a Springer journal Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing
Founded in 1963, Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing (MBEC) continues to serve the biomedical engineering community, covering the entire spectrum of biomedical and clinical engineering. The journal presents exciting and vital experimental and theoretical developments in biomedical science and technology, and reports on advances in computer-based methodologies in these multidisciplinary subjects. The journal also incorporates new and evolving technologies including cellular engineering and molecular imaging.
MBEC is an official journal of the International Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE).
March 2014
Amanda Chin won the Most Valuable Teaching Assistant Award for her outstanding performance and very positive feedbacks from course instructors and students in the class. Congratulations!
Katie's abstract was accepted for the World Congress of Biomechanics, which will be held this July in Boston. Two students she mentored won awards (see below). Congratulations!
David Shieh, a sophomore majored in Biology, won the Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowship from American Heart Association.Congratulations! Read news here.
Kyle O'Neiil, a high school who worked in the lab last summer, won the Philips Award for Exceptional Research at the Westchester Science and engineering Fair.
February 2014
Ajay Singh's paper on effects of nano-toxcicity on cell chirality was accepted to ACS Nano! Congratulations! Please click here for the paper.
Ahmad's book chapter on "High—Throughput Cell Aggregate Culture for Stem Cell Chondrogenesis" was accepted for publication on Springer Protocols. Congratulations!
Ahmad presented a poster at ORS in New Orleans, LA. Two undergraduate students, Amy and Sarah, co-authored the abstract.
January 2014
Leo Wan won the Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award from March of Dimes. Please click link here.
October 2013
Katie Worley, a second year graduate student in the lab, won the prestigious Founders Award of Excellence for her great research as well as the leadership in outreach activities. This Award was established to honor students who embody qualities of creativity, discovery, leadership, and the values of pride and responsibility at Rensselaer. Congratulations, Katie!
Apple picking at Bowman Farm was a success. We got the chance to taste and compare different types of apples. Thanks to Allison for organzing this event!
September 2013
Summer student Sarah Kamal presented an abstract at the BMES meeting at Seattle, WA.
Dr. Wan was invited to give a talk, titled " Left-Right Asymmetry of the Cell", at the Capital Region Cancer Research group seminar on September 19.
July 2013
Allison Fleck and Amanda Chin joined the lab as graduate students. Welcome!
June 2013
Dr. Wan was selected as a Pew scholar. Click here for details. It was also highlighted on the RPI website: Here. Congratulations!
Previously, he also received the NSF CAREER Award and the AHA Scientist Development Grant.
We had a group dinner at Ala Shanghai, a restaurant offering delicious Chinese food.
May 2013
The Graduation dinner was held at the Country Club of Troy on May 24 to celebrate the achievements of the students graduating this year. Mike and Tony graduated with their BS degrees this year, Mark with a MS degree, and Sarah with both BS and MS degrees. Congratulations!
In addition, a graduate student in the lab, Ahmad Abu-Hakmeh, was named as the Most Valuable Teaching Assistant for his performance and positive feedbacks from course instructors and students in the class. Tony was given the Department Chair's Award for Undergraduate Research because of his active role in the lab and two publications as an undergraduate (http://bme.rpi.edu/node/176). Congratulations to both of you!
April 2013
The second paper "Micropatterning of Cells Reveals Chiral Morphogenesis" is published on Stem Cell Research and Therapy. Mark, an undergraduate student from this lab, is a co-author of the paper. Congratulations!
Dr. Wan led a group of 20 undergraduates from RPI BME to attend the Northeastern Bioengineering Conference at Syracuse, NY. This program is supported by Dean's Grant (PI: Drs. Wan and Thompson) from the Engineering school at RPI.
Dr. Wan also presented a keynote talk on "Engineering Chiral Morphogenesis" at the conference. Tony and Mark presented their posters as well.
March 2013
The lab welcomes the next generation scientist, Meera, the new-born baby girl of Dr. Singh. Congratulations, Ajay!
Two abstracts submitted by undergraduate students, Tony and Mark, in the lab were accepted for presentation at the 39th Annual Northeastern Bioengineering Conference at Syracuse, NY. The co-authors included Katie and two other undergraduates, Kate and Mike. Congratulations!
January 2013
Dr. Leo Wan was selected as a Young Investigator at Frontiers of Bioengineering Workshop at Atlanta, GA.
December 2012
Dr. Leo Wan won the Rising Star Award at the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (BMES-CMBE) Conference.
The first paper from the lab, titled "Geometry-force control of stem cell fate", is published on BioNanoScience. It is online now (click here). Congratulations, Katie and Tony! Katie is a first year graduate student, and Tony is a senior undergraduate student.
October 2012
Dr. Wan's proposal "Broad UG Participation Biomedical Research for a Better World" was selected for funding under the Dean's Grants program. This program aims to increase the participation of undergraduate students in biomedical research at RPI.
Mark Guirguis, an undergraduate in the lab, won the prestigious Founders Award of Excellence. This Award was established to honor students who embody qualities of creativity, discovery, leadership, and the values of pride and responsibility at Rensselaer. Congratulations, Mark!
September 2012
Welcome Dr. Ajay Vikram Singh to the lab!
August 2012
Ahmad Abu-Hakmeh joined the lab as a graduate student.
June 2012
Kathryn Worley joined the lab as a graduate student with Rensselaer Fellowship.
January 2012
Mark Guirguis went to South Africa and helped innovate new solutions to unique medical changes (click here).
October 2011
Winner of 2011 NYSTEM Stem Cell Image contest. One Image from the chirality project is included in 2012 NYSTEM Calendar (December).
September 2011
Leo Joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
June 2011
Leo's paper "Micropatterned Mammalian Cells Exhibit Phenotype-Specific Left-Right Asymmetry" was highlighted on the cover of PNAS, and reported by Columbia University, Engineering school, Medical school, and Science and Technololgy Venture.
May 2011
“Cell Polarity and Chirality” won the First Place in the 2011 Micro-/Nanotechnology Image Contest at the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, Columbia University