Xiaoming He, Ph.D.

University of Maryland professor Xiaoming (Shawn) He and fellow Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) researchers developed a new strategy to improve engineered heart tissues and one day advance overall understanding of heart disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. A major reason for this is that the human heart has very limited capacity to regenerate cardiomyocytes – the contractile cells of the cardiac muscle – when these cells become damaged. This damage commonly occurs due to ischemia – a reduction of blood flow to the heart, most often resulting from buildup or a blockage in the arteries… Continue reading.

University of Maryland (UMD) Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) Professor Xiaoming (Shawn) He and members of his Multiscale Biomaterials Engineering Lab have developed an affordable system that uses machine learning and smartphone technology to improve how living cells are identified and sorted for applications in cell-based medicine. Their technique – highlighted today in Small – has the potential to enhance cell and tissue engineering and transplantation, and thus improve treatment options for a range of diseases including diabetes and infertility.

“For decades, bioengineers have applied microfluidics techniques to encapsulate cells and tissues for use in cell-based medicine. But, the process of encapsulating living cells and tissues using today’s methods poses many challenges – including the fact that, often, the process is associated with a tedious and inefficient off-chip cleaning and sorting procedure… Continue reading.

Across nearly all types of cancer, the number one cause of death is not the primary tumor itself, rather, it is the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. This spread, known as metastasis, occurs when cancer cells break away from a primary tumor site and travel via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system to form new tumors in other parts of the body.

For decades, researchers have worked to uncover new methods to slow or stop the growth of metastatic cancer. But, these efforts are limited in large part due to poor understanding of the factors that lead cancer cells to form tumors in the first place. Adding to these challenges, scientists still have much to learn about why some cancer cells prove resistant to drug therapies while others do not.

This critical juncture is exactly where Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) Professor Xiaoming (Shawn) He and his team of researchers step into the picture… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Xiaoming He, Ph.D., Professor, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, to its College of Fellows. Dr. He was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for leading contributions in developing multiscale materials/devices to engineering stem cells for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and cancer theranostics.