Z. Wan

Soft-lithographically defined template for arbitrarily patterned acoustic bioassembly

This paper introduces a soft-lithography-based acoustic bioassembly technique to create complex multicellular structures with functional liver tissue mimic capabilities.

A 3D in vitro assay to study combined immune cell infiltration and cytotoxicity

This paper introduces a 3D in vitro assay to study immune cell infiltration and cytotoxicity in solid tumors, showing it captures key steps of immune cell interaction with the tumor microenvironment.

Ether lipids influence cancer cell fate by modulating iron uptake

This study shows that ether lipids in cancer cells regulate membrane properties to influence iron uptake, ferroptosis, and metastasis, offering a therapeutic target.

Engineering self-propelled tumor-infiltrating CAR T cells using synthetic velocity receptors

This paper develops velocity receptors (VRs) to enhance CAR T cell migration through solid tumors, improving tumor infiltration and survival.

Patient-Specific Vascularized Tumor Model: Blocking TAM Recruitment with Multispecific Antibodies Targeting CCR2 and CSF-1R

This paper develops a vascularized tumor model to study TAM recruitment and evaluates a multispecific antibody's effect on monocyte migration and TAM repolarization.

IgG-inspired, multivalent protein-DNA nanostructures for high-affinity, tunable, and reversible binding to biomolecular targets

This paper designs and tests a DNA-based synthetic antibody (nano-synbody) that binds SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins with high affinity and reversibility through multivalency.

SARS-CoV-2 infection of human pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular cells reveals smooth muscle cells as key mediators of vascular pathology during infection

This study infects human pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular cells with SARS-CoV-2 and finds that smooth muscle cells drive vascular inflammation and coagulation.

An unconventional mechanism of IL-1β secretion that requires Type I IFN in lupus monocytes

The paper identifies an unconventional IL-1β secretion mechanism in lupus monocytes requiring Type I IFN, involving mitochondrial RNA and the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Rapid Regulation of Local Temperature and TRPV1 Ion Channels with Wide-Field Plasmonic Thermal Microscopy

This paper introduces wide-field plasmonic thermal microscopy (W-PTM) for rapid local temperature regulation and demonstrates its use in modulating TRPV1 ion channels in living cells.

Multiplexed protein detection and parallel binding kinetics analysis with label-free digital single-molecule counting

Single-Objective Evanescent Scattering Microscopy for Imaging Single Proteins and Binding Kinetics

This paper introduces single-objective evanescent scattering microscopy for label-free single protein imaging and binding kinetics quantification with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Personalized models of breast cancer desmoplasia reveal biomechanical determinants of drug penetration

The paper develops personalized breast cancer models to identify biomechanical factors affecting drug penetration and discovers potential therapeutic targets.

Three-dimensional tracking of tethered particles for probing nanometer-scale single-molecule dynamics using plasmonic microscope

This paper introduces a plasmonic microscope technique for 3D tracking of tethered particles with sub-nanometer axial precision, enabling study of single-molecule dynamics and interactions.

Glycocalyx-Mediated Vascular Dissemination of Circulating Tumor Cells

This study shows tumor cells use glycocalyx components to adhere to endothelium and invade stroma, suggesting targeting this pathway could reduce metastasis.

TLR2 signaling pathway combats Streptococcus uberis infection by inducing production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species

This study shows that TLR2 signaling reduces S. uberis infection severity by promoting mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production in mammary epithelial cells.

Germline-encoded TCR-MHC contacts promote TCR V gene bias in umbilical cord blood T cell repertoire

The paper uses QTL mapping to show MHC variants bias TRBV gene usage in UCB samples, revealing germline-encoded TCR-MHC contacts influence TCR repertoire.

Optical imaging of single protein size, charge, mobility, binding and conformational change

This paper introduces a method to measure single protein properties like size, charge, mobility, and conformational changes using optical imaging and electric fields.

Investigating the conformational response of the Sortilin receptor upon binding endogenous peptide- and protein ligands by HDX-MS

This study uses HDX-MS to analyze how Sortilin's conformation changes upon binding different endogenous ligands, revealing distinct conformational impacts and a potential link between ligand binding and a remote domain.

Identification and quantification of Lyme pathogen strains by deep sequencing of outer surface protein C (ospC) amplicons

The paper develops a deep sequencing method to identify and quantify Lyme pathogen strains by analyzing the ospC gene in ticks, revealing mixed infections and a new strain related to Borreliella bissettiae.