AIBN Seminar Series Mechanobiology inspired anti-thrombotic strategies and point-of-care microtechnologies

We are pleased to present Assoc Professor Arnold Lining Ju to speak on Mechanobiology inspired antithrombotic strategies and point-of-care microtechnologies.

Time:   11am

Date:   27 April 2023

Click here to view the Seminar recording

Abstract:  

Dr. Ju's work in mechanobiology connects mechanical forces in blood flow to hematological proteins and blood clotting cells, offering innovative solutions for blood clotting diseases. The Biomembrane Force Probe (BFP), a nano-tool invented by Dr. Ju, enables precise, quantitative mechanobiology investigations at single-cellular to molecular scales.

In collaboration with the Charles Perkins Centre and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Dr. Ju leads a team developing microfluidic devices for personalized diagnostics and telehealth. Two novel platforms have been created to study thrombosis and cancer mechanobiology. The microvasculature-on-a-post chip mimics partially stenotic vascular geometries, using a 3D micropost structure and endothelial cells to investigate the impact of disturbed flow on thrombotic response. The Vein-Chip recapitulates cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) vascular anatomy, enabling systematic characterization of venous thrombogenesis concerning fibrin formation and platelet aggregation.

Bio:  

Dr Arnold Ju received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, USA. In 2014, he joined the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne as a junior postdoc; and relocated in 2015 to Sydney, to join the Heart Research Institute. In early 2020, Dr Ju joined the University of Sydney (USYD)’s new BME school as a senior lecturer and started up the Mechanobiology and Biomechanics Laboratory (MBL).

Dr Ju currently holds an Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship, working at the interface between mechanical engineering and mechanobiology. His team has pioneered multiple biomechanical nanotools, including blood clot-on-chip microfluidic devices (Nature Materials 2019), single-cell biomembrane force probes (Nature Communications 2018), and 4-D haemodynamic modelling (Nature 2021). Recently, he was awarded the prestigious mid-career Snow Fellowship.

His vision is to build novel platforms that integrate advanced biomanufacturing, high-throughput biomechanical manipulation, and artificial intelligence for biobank data processing. His track record spans developing, characterising, and evaluating innovations of 3D organoids and organ-on-chips, mechanobiology, imaging probes and biosensors, bio-nanotechnology, and image-based deep learning. These large facilities should provide significant benefits to interdisciplinary research in biofabrication, biomechanics and point-of-care microtechnologies.

These platforms provide a controlled, patient-specific environment for personalized evaluation of prothrombotic phenotypes and the risk of heart attack, stroke, and COVID-19 vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia. The integration of microfluidics and vascular biology holds potential for targeted therapeutics development, revolutionizing thrombosis research and personalized diagnostics.

Watch the Seminar here