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Christopher S. Chen, MD, PhD
Skirkanich Associate Professor of Innovation in Bioengineering, Dept of Bioengineering
Cell
Biology and Physiology Program
Address
Tissue Microfabrication Lab
510 Skirkanich Hall
210 S. 33rd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Office tel.: 215 746-1754
Lab tel.: 215 746-1750
Fax: 215 746-1752
E-mail: chrischen@seas.upenn.edu
Administrative Assistant
Elaine Jenson
510 Skirkanich Hall
210 S. 33rd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Office tel: 215-746-3597
E-mail: elainej@seas.upenn.edu
Link(s)
Dr. Chen's Lab
EDUCATION
Harvard College: AB (Biochemistry), 1990.
MIT: MS (Mechanical Engineering), 1993
MIT: PhD (Mechanical Engineering and Medical Physics), 1997.
Harvard: MD, 1999.
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Research Interests
- Regulation of angiogenesis, cancer growth, and stem cell
differentiation by adhesive and mechanical cues
- Mechanochemical signal transduction
- Cadherin and integrin signaling
- Rho GTPases and cytoskeletal processes
- Cell and tissue engineering.
Key
words: Angiogenesis, Stem Cells,
Vascular Biology, Mechanotransduction, Extracellular Matrix,
Integrins, Cadherins, Cell Adhesion, Cytoskeleton, Rho.
Search PubMed for articles
Description of Research
Cells are the fundamental units of life. Their behavior is
dictated by both genetics and environment. In vivo, the local
tissue structure defines the cellular environment, constraining
how cells interact with surrounding extracellular matrix substrates,
neighboring cells, soluble growth factors, and physical forces.
These "microenvironmental" cues not only cooperate
to regulate the behaviors of individual cells - including
cell proliferation, differentiation, and gene expression -
but also govern emergent properties of the multicellular community.
Yet, although understanding these interactions between cells
and their surroundings is a fundamental aspect of both biology
and tissue engineering, few experimental models exist to control
these interactions at the cellular length scale, making it
difficult to study the structure-function relationships of
cells and tissues.
To address these questions in novel ways, we are pursuing
several research programs: 1) to explore and develop new ways
to use materials, microfabrication, and nanotechnologies to
interact with, probe, and manipulate cells; and 2) to use
these systems to understand the underlying mechanisms by which
cells sense and respond to the physical, chemical, and structural
cues in their surrounding microenvironment. Our laboratory
is investigating the molecular mechanisms through which the
local microenvironment regulates several aspects of cell behavior
including cell migration, proliferation, differentiation,
and apoptosis. We are actively studying how stem cells choose
to commit to different lineages, and the biology of endothelial
cells and smooth muscle cells in the context of angiogenesis,
wound healing, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. Specific
projects currently are examining: the cooperation between
cell adhesion, cell shape, and cytoskeletal architecture cooperate
to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation; the crosstalk
between cadherin and integrin signaling in regulating Rho
GTPases; comparative whole genome gene expression analysis
of cells experiencing different adhesive and mechanical cues.
Recent Publications
McBeath, R., Pirone, D., Nelson, C.M., Bhadriraju, K., Chen,
C.S. (2004) Cell shape, cytoskeletal tension, and
RhoA regulate stem cell lineage commitment. Development
Cell. 6:483-495.
Nelson, C.M., Jean, R.P., Tan, J.L., Liu, W.F., Sniadecki,
N.J., Spector, A.A., Chen, C.S., (2005) Emergent
patterns of growth contolled by multicellular form and mechanics.
Proc Nat Acad Sci. 102(33):11594-11599.v
Liu, W.F., Nelson, C.M., Pirone, D.M., Chen, C.S.
(2006) E-cadherin Engagement Stimulates Proliferation Via
Rac1. J Cell Biol. 173(3):431-441.
Pirone, D.M., Liu, W.F., Gao, L., Raghavan, S., Lemmon,
C.A., Romer, L.H., Chen, C.S. (2006) An Inhibitory
Role for FAK in Regulating Proliferation: a Link Between Limited
Adhesion and RhoA-ROCK Signaling. J Cell Biol. 174(2):277-88.
Lab
Rotation Projects
Please contact me to discuss any interest in rotations.
- Lab
personnel:
- Sami Alom Ruiz
Jan Baranski
Daniel Cohen, PhD
James Cooper, PhD
Ravi Desai
Jennifer Foley, PhD
Jianping Fu, PhD
Lin Gao, PhD
Wesley R. Legant
Jennifer Leight
Zhijun (Gordon) Liu
Jaisree Moorthy, PhD
Colette Shen
Yang-Kao (Humphrey) Wang, PhD
Michele Wozniak, PhD
Michael Yang
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last updated 10/2007
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