Dr. Hong Chen recently received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award, a highly competitive and prestigious award supporting “High Risk, High Reward” research. She is one of only eight recipients nationwide, securing $5.4 million to fund her work. The grant will support her research on using ultrasound to induce a hibernation-like state […]
For their 2024 retreat, the Chen Lab visited Spring Lake Ranch in Potosi, MO. Immersed in the beauty and serenity of nature, the team participated in collaborative, team-building activities designed to foster innovation, enhance productivity, and strengthen relationships within our research group. The retreat was filled with thrilling adventure, from hiking at Johnson’s Shut-Ins State […]
Yimei Yue, the Chen lab’s highly regarded Research Laboratory Supervisor, recently received the ‘Making a Difference’ award. This award is presented to individuals within WashU’s Department of Neurosurgery who exemplify qualities such as teamwork, initiative, compassion, and exceeding expectations. Yimei received this award because “her exceptional dedication and unwavering support has been instrumental in the […]
Doris (Dingyue) Zhang was recently selected to receive the Imaging Sciences Pathway (ISP) Trainee Fellowship Award. ISP is a graduate fellowship program within WashU’s Imaging Sciences program, which offers diverse, multidisciplinary opportunities. The ISP Trainee Fellowship Award is given to students who demonstrate potential to contribute to building a strong community of innovative, bright, and […]
Congratulations to Andrew Stark for being accepted into the prestigious CardioVascular Research Innovation in Surgery & Engineering (CVISE) Training Program! This program is a 24-month program that aims to unify engineers and clinicians on research topics related to cardiovascular disease. For the program duration, Andrew will participate in multi-disciplinary research, as well as CVISE-sponsored programs […]
The Chen team, led by Yaoheng Yang and former postdoc Zhongtao Hu, has recently developed a new technology called Airy-beam holographic sonogenetics, or AhSonogenetics. This revolutionary technology utilizes the Airy beam-enabled binary acoustic metasurface (AB-BAMs) to acoustically modulate neurons. AB-BAMs is a 3D-printed holographic device that can flexibly manipulate ultrasound beams. The use of AB-BAMs […]
Congratulations to Dingyue (Doris) Zhang for placing 2nd in the Student Poster Competition at the 186th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). She received this award for her poster presentation on the ‘Evaluation of sonobiopsy feasibility and safety in a mouse model of diffusive intrinsic pontine glioma’. Amazing job Dingyue!
In 2023, the Chen lab, led by graduate student Siaka Fadera, demonstrated noninvasive delivery of an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) to the brain using focused ultrasound combined with microbubbles. This study was performed in a large animal model and demonstrated the feasibility and safety of opening the blood brain barrier using focused ultrasound to deliver […]
Congratulations to an esteemed member of the lab, Chih-Yen Chien, for receiving her doctorate degree in Biomedical Engineering! Chih-Yen defended her thesis, titled ‘Passive Acoustic Detection for Focused Ultrasound Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Opening: Transitioning from Mice to Pigs to Humans’, on April 18th. Chih-Yen was also selected as a winner of the BME Outstanding Dissertation […]
Congratulations to one of our lab’s brilliant and talented members, Lu Xu, for receiving his doctorate degree in Biomedical Engineering! Lu defended his thesis, titled ‘Develop and Optimize Clinical System of Focused Ultrasound-enabled Liquid Biopsy (Sonobiopsy) for Brain Cancer Diagnosis’, on April 24th and received outstanding remarks from his peers and mentors. Lu will go […]
Dr. Hong Chen and her team have been utilizing focused ultrasound with microbubbles to open the blood-brain barrier for drug delivery or biomarker retrieval, but lacked a strategy to ensure the safety and consistency of their treatment. To address this, the team, which includes doctoral student Chih-Yen Chien, developed a quality assurance strategy that incorporates […]
Dr. Hong Chen has been named a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). She is being recognized as an academic inventor and emerging leader in her field, who has demonstrated achievements in patents, licensing and commercialization and has produced “technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare […]
The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) has published rankings of institutions, departments, and investigators based on the funding they receive from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). We are pleased to announce that Dr. Hong Chen is ranked 11th nationally among all Principal Investigators in Neurosurgery. Additionally, the WashU Neurosurgery ranked No. 5 in NIH […]
In just 5 years, our team turned the revolutionary Sonobiopsy technology from concept to commercialization amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This technology provides a noninvasive solution to brain disease diagnostics through the use of focused ultrasound for release of disease-specific biomarkers from brain to blood, which can further be detected and characterized using liquid-based biopsy. Cordance […]
Dr. Hong Chen and Dr. Eric Leuthardt, MD have laid the foundation for a revolutionary technique that noninvasively surveys the molecular and genetic information of brain tumors. This technique, termed sonobiopsy, uses focused ultrasound and microbubbles to precisely and accurately target a brain tumor lesion, temporarily disrupt the blood brain barrier at the target region, […]
The Chen lab recently received two NIH awards to fund their research on ultrasound combined with genetics for treatment of brain disorders. One of the awards — a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke — will fund the team’s transformative Sonogenetics 2.0 research, […]
Dingyue (Doris) Zhang received her first best poster award at the 15th International Conference on Ultrasound Engineering for Biomedical Applications (IC-UEBA). This award was given to the best three posters during the conference poster sessions. Congratulations to Dingyue on this wonderful achievement!
Some animals have an extraordinary ability to conserve energy by going into torpor, a physiological state marked by reduced body temperature and metabolic activity, which enables them to survive adverse environmental conditions such as harsh weather or lack of food. Hong Chen’s team, led by Yaoheng (Mack) Yang, demonstrated safe and noninvasive induction of torpor-like […]
Like the lymphatic system in the body, the glymphatic system in the brain clears metabolic waste and distributes nutrients and other important compounds. Impairments in this system may contribute to brain diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. Dezhuang (Summer) Ye in collaboration with the team found a noninvasive and nonpharmaceutical method to influence glymphatic […]
Congratulations to Dr. Yaohang (Mack) Yang for winning the BME PhD Outstanding Dissertation Award at WashU! This award is given to recognize a comprehensive body of independent scholarship that significantly advances the discipline. Yaohang’s thesis work has undoubtedly advanced the field of sonogenetics and neuromodulation. Congratulations for your amazing achievements!