Abstract
With advances in micro/nanoscale technologies and novel biomaterials (e.g., hydrogels), it has been possible to manipulate cells in microscale volumes with precision comparable to the natural systems to address challenges in medicine.  In this talk, I will present the unique opportunity of microengineering in solving significant clinical problems in medicine, especially 3D microscale tissue engineering.  I will begin by introducing engineering of cell microenvironment using hydrogels to generate 3D tissue constructs by assembling micro-engineered tissue blocks (mesoscale cell-laden hydrogels) using several approaches including magnetic force, acoustic power and electrostatic interaction.  The tissue assembly process recapitulates the native tissue formation from repeating functional units (i.e., myofiber, lobule or nephron).  Several bottom-up approaches (e.g., cell printing, microgel assembly) are demonstrated for engineering complex 3D tissue constructs with delicate microarchitecture, cell-cell interactions and internal vascular-like network that have not been achieved by conventional ‘top-down’ tissue engineering approaches.  Examples of applying these approaches in tissue engineering, biomechanics, cancer biology, stem cell niche, cell-based biosensor, and high throughput drug screening will also be presented.  The approaches for manipulating cells in microscale volume using hydrogels presented here hold great promise for developing complex tissue substitutes and cell-based systems for bio-sensing and drug screening.

Bio
Dr. Feng Xu is the founding director of the Bioinspired Engineering & Biomechanics Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU).  His current research aims at advancing human health through academic excellence in education and research that integrates engineering, science biology and medicine with focus on Bio-thermo-mechanics, Engineering of Cell Microenvironment, and Point-of-Care Technologies.  Dr. Xu has published more than 110 journal papers and 5 books.  Total impact factor is more than 455 and the papers have been cited more than 1850 times, with H-index factor of 21.  Dr. Xu serves as an Associate Editor for ASME book series Biomedical and Nanomedical Technologies (B&NT), an Associate Editor for Journal of Medical Imaging and Health Informatics, an Editor for Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology, and an Associate Editor for ASME Journal of Nanotechnology in Engineering and Medicine (JNEM).