Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Cheng Dong, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Department Head
Department of Biomedical Engineering
122E Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802-6804
Tel: (814) 865-8091
Fax: (814) 863-0490
Email: cxd23@psu.edu

Research Interests

The major focus of Dr. Dong’s research is to elucidate cellular functions in the circulatory systems with particular interest in cellular biomechanics, cell adhesion, cell migration, cell signaling, and multi-scale modeling of biological systems. Dr. Dong’s current research at Penn State University includes studies of micro-hemodynamics, intercellular and intracellular signaling, immunotherapies, drug delivery, and cancer metastases. In particular, he is investigating how fluid dynamics and tumor microenvironments change immune cell functions that subsequently affect tumor cell extravasation and metastasis from circulation. Most recently, Dr. Dong has involved adoptive immunotherapies using engineered chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) lymphocytes and smart nanoparticles that target brain tumors by delivering drugs through the blood-brain barrier.

Professional Affiliation

Fellow – The International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE)
Fellow – American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
Fellow – The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).
Member – The United States National Committee on Biomechanics (USNCB).
Member – The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Member – The American Physiological Society (APS).
Guest Co-Editor (2009) – BMES Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (Special Issue).
Managing Editor (2003 – present) – Frontiers in Bioscience.
Associate Editor (2007 – present) – BMES Journal of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering.
Associate Editor (2006 – present)– Editorial Board for Journal of Molecular and Cellular Biomechanics.
Board Member (2019 – present) – Editorial Board for Journal of Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices
Board Member (2002 – present) – Editorial Board for Journal of Medical Biomechanics (China).

Current Group Members

GRADUATE STUDENTS

	Yicheng Dong –I am currently a Master student in Biomedical Engineering with a Thesis option. My research focuses on combinatorial modalities with immune cell targeting and IR triggered drug release, which provide a means for precise delivery of therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier from the circulation to targeted brain tissues in the treatment of brain cancer. My favorite sport is Tai Chi. I’m good at it and my hometown is also the birthplace of Tai Chi.
	Hayley Hall –I received my BS in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Biology from the University of South Carolina in 2021. Following my undergraduate studies, I enrolled in PSU’s PhD program in Biomedical Engineering. My research focuses on dCAR-PMN therapy to modulate the inflammatory response in transplanted pancreatic beta cell regenerative tissues. Outside of the lab, Hayley enjoys hiking and cooking.
	Farnaz Naeemikia –She received her B.Sc in Applied Physics and M.Sc in Medical Physics from the University of Science and Technology in Iran. She moved to Boston Massachusetts, where she received her M.Sc in Biophysics. Her passion in Cancer Therapy led her to receive another M.Sc in Biology at the University of Houston. She started her Ph.D. studies in 2020 in Biomedical Engineering at PSU. Her research is focused on CAR-T Cell therapy. Farnaz is named “Marco Polo” by her family and friends. If you could not find her in the Lab, she is either playing tennis or spending time with Dey (her puppy). Farnaz’s favorite spot at PSU is Penn State Creamery.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

	Lauren Onweller – I am currently a student in the Millennium Scholars Program and Schreyer Honors College majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a biochemical option. I am involved in studying the interactions between immune system cells and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia cells computationally and through benchwork. My project is to best model these interactions and how drug or therapeutic intervention can address the cancer.
	Mikayla Shaffer– I am currently a senior in the Schreyer Honors College majoring in Psychology Neuroscience and minoring in Biology and Deaf and Hearing Studies. As an aspiring medical student and pediatric doctor, I joined Biomedical Engineering lab in Spring 2020 to deepen my knowledge of cancer research. My research project studies cell signaling responses to various combinational immunotherapy treatments for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia – the most prevalent type of cancer among pediatrics.
	Lauren Spadt – I am currently majoring in Biomedical Engineering with the biochemical option in the Schreyer Honors College. My research centers around exosomes, micro vesicles known to be involved in extracellular communication pathways. I am exploring the potential of exosomes and their surface proteins to serve as potential biomarkers for CAR T-cell cancer therapies. Currently, I am focused on a treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but I believe that this research can also be extended to brain glioblastoma that is currently studied in the lab or other cancer types in the future.
	Kyrah Williams – I am currently a student in the Millennium Scholars Program majoring in Biology with a Genetics option and minoring in Classical and Ancient Mediterranean Studies. I am involved in studying whether exosomes promote or inhibit the killing of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) cells. My project is to explore the role of exosomes on ALL treatment with bispecific Antibody-Blinatumomab.

Photos from previous years

2018

2016

2009

2005

2004

2003

1999

1996

Ph.D. Alumni

Aragon Sanabria, Virginia	currently a Postdoc at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	Ph.D. 2019
Gaskin, Byron	currently a Senior Data Scientist Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies, AI Ethics	Ph.D. 2019
Kim, Gloria	currently Postdoc at University of Pennsylvania	Ph.D. 2018
Teng, Xiaomeng	in Biomedical industry	Ph.D. 2018
Fu, Changliang		Ph.D. 2014
Khanna, Payal	Postdoctoral Fellow NCI at the National Institutes of Health	Ph.D. 2012
Fu, Yi	Postdoctoral Fellow Shanghai Jiao Tung University	Ph.D. 2011
Ma, Yangping	Assistant Professor Loyola Marymount University	Ph.D. 2010
Hoskins, Meghan	RES & DEV ENGR, Penn State Applied Research Laboratory	Ph.D. 2008
Liang, Shile	Manager, Scientific Affairs Research and Development Abbott Molecular, Inc. Des Plaines, IL	Ph.D. 2007
Peng, Hsin-Hsin	Assistant Professor Center for Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Chang Gung University, Kwei-Shan, Taiwan	Ph.D. 2007
Slattery, Maggie	Assistant Professor Pennsylvania State University Bio Engineering	Ph.D. 2006
Hodgson, Louis	Assistant Professor Albert Eistein College of Medicine Department of Anatomy & Structural Biology	Ph.D. 2002
Lei, Xiao-Xiao	Sharon Lei Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology Logos Evangelical Seminary	Ph.D. 1999
You, Jun	Assistant Professor Hershey Medical Center- PSU Musculoskeletal Research Lab	Ph.D. 1998
Cao, Jian	Senior Principal Scientist Medtronic, Inc.	Ph.D. 1997

M.S. Alumni

Lee, Deborah		M.S. 2016
Selvi, Erhan		M.S. 2016
Zaki, Peter	Penn State College of Medicine	M.S. 2015
Pohler, Steven		M.S. 2014
Behr, Julie	Cornell University	M.S. 2013
Khristov, Todor	BioMagnetic Soluation, LLC in State College, PA	M.S. 2012
Weidert, Eric	Medical school student West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine	M.S. 2012
Ozdemir, Tugba	Postdoc Fellow University of Delaware	M.S. 2010
Yunkunis, Tara	Kensey Nash	M.S. 2010
Kwang, Chong-Haw	Singapore	M.S. 2008
Rank, Brad	Wyeth	M.S. 1999
Perkowski, Karen	11 years with Merck and Co. Inc in various roles of vaccine production.	M.S. 1996