Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for May
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Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Thu, May 01, 2025 @ 09:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Feng Yan, M.D. , Chief Neurosurgeon at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, and Associate Professor at Zhejiang University
Talk Title: CAR-T Cell Therapy in Glioma: Clinical Insights and Challenges."
Abstract: Glioblastoma(Glioma) is one of the most aggressive primary brain tumors, with a medianoverall survival of less than two years despite standard treatments. Theimmunosuppressivetumor microenvironment, antigen heterogeneity, and the bloodbrain barrier are significant hurdles that limit the efficacy of CAR-T cells in GBM. Innovative strategies, including multi-antigen targeting and combination therapies, are being explored to enhance CAR-T cell persistence and function within the tumor milieu. In this presentation, I will delve into the current state of CAR-T therapy for gliomas, share insights from recent clinical cases, and discuss the challenges that lie ahead. Our goal is to shed light on the path forward, aiming to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients battling these formidable tumors.
Biography: Dr. Feng Yan is Chief Neurosurgeon at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Ph.D. advisor, and Associate Professor at Zhejiang University. He also serves as Vice President of Huzhou Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University. Dr. Yan specializes in the surgical management of brain tumors, including gliomas, meningiomas, and vestibular schwannomas, with expertise in advanced microsurgical and minimally invasive techniques. His research currently centers on CAR-T therapy and related clinical trials, and he is the recipient of numerous grants from China’s National Natural Science Foundation, which are equivalent to R01 awards from the NIH in the US. He has completed visiting scholar fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and UCLA. His work has been published in leading journals such as Theranostics, Journal of Advanced Research, and J Neuroinflammation. Dr. Yan is an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeonsï¼ÂAANSï¼Âand several national neurosurgical societies.
Host: Peter Yingxiao Wang- Chair of Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Location: Corwin D. Denney Research Center (DRB) - 145
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Fri, May 02, 2025 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Amy Herr, Ph.D., Professor of Bioengineering, and a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator University of California, Berkeley
Talk Title: Design of microanalytical tools to understand single-cell biology
Abstract: My lab is interested in design of microanalytical tools to address cellular-resolution questions that are difficult (or impossible) to answer with existing approaches. Our research spans from questions in cancer biology and developmental biology to symbiotic cellular systems and cell biology. We tackle questions where protein expression, state, and function play important biological roles, and we are particularly interested in questions where proteoforms (e.g., protein isoforms) are key molecular players. In this talk, I will focus on two areas where precision microfluidic tools for molecular and cellular measurements are accelerating biological understanding. First, single-cell genomics and transcriptomics tools have radically changed the biological sciences and biomedicine. Further, microfluidic tools have radically expanded the capabilities of these sequencing tools (e.g., sequencing flow cells and droplet systems). Our aim is to bring the power of single-cell understanding to proteomics (targeted & discovery) by leveraging the precision of microfluidic design. Second, I will describe recent research from my lab that physically links together multiple, independent measurement modalities in a ‘single-cell, same-cell’ paradigm. Our long-term vision is to create tools that allow researchers to ex-post query a unique originating cell for protein-level information, as informed by a priori sequencing-based discovery. Taken together, we strive to introduce tools uniquely equipped to measure both cellular and molecular heterogeneity as a means to more comprehensively understand cellular form and function.
Biography: Dr. Herr is Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. She received a BS degree in Engineering & Applied Science from the California Institute of Technology and MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Professor Herr is an elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and an elected member of the National Academy of Inventors. Her research interests include bioinstrumentation innovation to advance quantitation in the biosciences & biomedicine, in particular the study and application of electrokinetic phenomena in single-cell and sub-cellular analyses. She has been recognized as a: Sciex Microscale Separations Innovation Medalist (2018), Visionary Awardee by the City of Berkeley (2017; one of three), Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator (2017-2022), 2016 Mid-Career Achievement Award from the American Electrophoresis Society (AES), 2015 Georges Guiochon Faculty Fellow from HPLC (inaugural), 2012 Young Innovator Award from Analytical Chemistry/CBMS, 2011 NSF CAREER award, 2010 NIH New Innovator Award, 2010 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in chemistry, 2010 New Investigator Award in Analytical Chemistry from Eli Lilly & Co., 2009 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award, 2009 Hellman Family Faculty Fund Award from UC Berkeley.
Host: Maral Mousavi
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Fri, May 02, 2025 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Amy Herr, Ph.D. , Professor of Bioengineering, and a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator University of California, Berkeley
Talk Title: âÂÂDesign of microanalytical tools to understand single-cell biology
Abstract: My lab is interested in design of microanalytical tools to address cellular-resolution questions thatare difficult (or impossible) to answer with existing approaches. Our research spans from questionsin cancer biology and developmental biology to symbiotic cellular systems and cell biology. Wetackle questions where protein expression, state, and function play important biological roles, andwe are particularly interested in questions where proteoforms (e.g., protein isoforms) are keymolecular players. In this talk, I will focus on two areas where precision microfluidic tools formolecular and cellular measurements are accelerating biological understanding. First, single-cellgenomics and transcriptomics tools have radically changed the biological sciences andbiomedicine. Further, microfluidic tools have radically expanded the capabilities of thesesequencing tools (e.g., sequencing flow cells and droplet systems). Our aim is to bring the powerof single-cell understanding to proteomics (targeted & discovery) by leveraging the precision ofmicrofluidic design. Second, I will describe recent research from my lab that physically linkstogether multiple, independent measurement modalities in a ‘single-cell, same-cell’ paradigm. Ourlong-term vision is to create tools that allow researchers to ex-post query a unique originating cellfor protein-level information, as informed by a priori sequencing-based discovery. Taken together,we strive to introduce tools uniquely equipped to measure both cellular and molecularheterogeneity as a means to more comprehensively understand cellular form and function.
Biography: Dr. Herr is Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and a ChanZuckerberg Biohub Investigator. She received a BS degree in Engineering & Applied Science fromthe California Institute of Technology and MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering fromStanford University. Professor Herr is an elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical andBiological Engineering (AIMBE) and an elected member of the National Academy of Inventors. Herresearch interests include bioinstrumentation innovation to advance quantitation in the biosciences& biomedicine, in particular the study and application of electrokinetic phenomena in single-celland sub-cellular analyses. She has been recognized as a: Sciex Microscale SeparationsInnovation Medalist (2018), Visionary Awardee by the City of Berkeley (2017; one of three), ChanZuckerberg Biohub Investigator (2017-2022), 2016 Mid-Career Achievement Award from theAmerican Electrophoresis Society (AES), 2015 Georges Guiochon Faculty Fellow from HPLC(inaugural), 2012 Young Innovator Award from Analytical Chemistry/CBMS, 2011 NSF CAREERaward, 2010 NIH New Innovator Award, 2010 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in chemistry,2010 New Investigator Award in Analytical Chemistry from Eli Lilly & Co., 2009 Defense AdvancedResearch Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award, 2009 Hellman Family Faculty FundAward from UC Berkeley.
Host: Maral Mousavi
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Tue, May 13, 2025 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Chwee Teck Lim, NUS Society Chair Professor National University of Singapore, Singapore
Talk Title: From Cells to Tissues: Collective Dynamics of Multicellular Assemblies
Abstract: Collective multicellular migration plays a vital role in processes such as embryonic development, wound healing, epithelial maintenance, and cancer metastasis. Unlike isolated cells, cell cohorts exhibit coordinated behaviors influenced by their physical and geometrical environments. Understanding these collective dynamics is essential not only for advancing fundamental biology, but also for engineering applications involving living systems. In this talk, I will present our recent works on the migration of epithelial cell sheets under well-defined mechanical and geometrical constraints. Using custom-designed platforms, we investigate how cells migrate across both flat and curved substrates, including microtubes that mimic physiologically relevant topographies. These studies reveal how mechanical features such as confinement and curvature affect collective migration patterns, including alignment, force generation, and directional persistence. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how multicellular systems respond to external cues and have important implications for the design of biohybrid systems—integrated platforms that combine living cells with engineered components. Such insights can inform the development of biomaterials and scaffolds that promote desired cell behaviors, enhancing outcomes in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and biomedical device design. This work bridges cell biology and engineering, offering new directions for building adaptive, multiscale living systems.
Biography: Professor Chwee Teck Lim is the NUSS Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Institute for Health Innovation and Technology at the National University of Singapore. He is also the Founding Director of the Singapore Health Technologies Consortium, a national initiative. He conducts research in human disease mechanobiology and develops innovative medical technologies for healthcare applications. Prof Lim has co-authored over 500 journal articles and delivered over 530 invited talks. He is also a serial entrepreneur having cofounded six startups with one IPO in 2018. Prof Lim is globally recognized for his distinguished achievements by the over 100 research awards and honors including the Nature Lifetime Achievement Award for Mentoring in Science, Highly Cited Researcher, Asia’s Most Influential Scientist Award, ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award, Asian Scientists 100, Credit Suisse Technopreneur of the Year Award, Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Award and the President's Technology Award. He is also an Elected Fellow of 9 academies including the UK Royal Society, US National Academy of Inventors, IUPESM, IAMBE, AIMBE, ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology, Singapore National Academy of Science and Academy of Engineering, Singapore.
Host: Peter Yingxiao Wang- Chair of Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Location: Corwin D. Denney Research Center (DRB) - 145
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.
