Date and Time (China standard time): Thursday, Jan 29, 11:30am – 12:30pm

Location: IB 2050

Speaker: Dr. Xiaobo Gong, Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai

Abstract :

The motion, deformation, adhesion, and mass transfer properties of cells in flow environments provide not only the mechanical microenvironment fundamental to cellular mechanobiology, but also the biomechanical basis for advancing personalized precision medical technologies such as live-cell manipulation and organ-on-a-chip systems. Our research group integrates cellular-scale fluid-structure interaction (FSI) numerical analysis with microfluidic chip technology to explore cell mechanical properties in relation to disease diagnosis and therapy, as well as physical isolation of rare cells from blood.

Starting from numerical simulation, we employ the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) to solve the Navier-Stokes equations, thereby analyzing FSI mechanisms at the cellular scale. Systematic studies have been conducted on the correlation between single-cell motion characteristics in narrow channels and cellular mechanical properties, mass transfer properties of red blood cells (RBCs) under varying shear flow conditions, and the distribution patterns of nucleated cells in microfluidic channels under the influence of many RBCs.

Building upon this mechanistic understanding, we have addressed specific clinical problems by developing round-cross-section microtube-based microfluidic chips. This has enabled high-throughput measurement of RBC mechanical properties, establishment of mathematical models for RBC fatigue and aging, and cell separation leveraging stable secondary flows. These innovations contribute to foundational technologies for mining human health data and improving disease diagnosis and treatment.

Our research and technological developments demonstrate how microscale fluid mechanics can underpin cutting-edge biomedical challenges, holding significant potential for clinical translation.

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Key Project 12432014) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (International Cooperation Key Project 2025YFE0107500).

Bio: 

I am a full professor in the Department of Engineering Mechanics of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. My group currently focuses on the developments of soft microfluidics for rare cell sorting, high throughput measurements of cell mechanical properties, and enhanced mass transfer over cell membranes. My research integrates the explorations of mechanism of cell-fluid interaction in complicated flows numerically, and creative practices based on the mechanical discoveries.