Joe Tien Group at Boston University

The Tien Group

Boston University

Department of Biomedical Engineering

44 Cummington Mall

Boston, MA 02215

We are an interdisciplinary group of researchers who invent new types of biomaterials, for uses that range from basic studies of quantitative physiology to clinical applications in regenerative medicine. Of particular interest are perfusable, microfluidic materials whose internal geometries mimic the organization of native vascular networks. With these materials, we seek to solve one of the long-standing challenges in tissue engineering: how to form clinically relevant volumes of tissue that are nourished and drained by functional microvessels. We are also interested in developing vascularized microphysiological systems for studying vessel-tissue interactions in vitro, particularly in the context of cancer progression. We are currently in our 25^th year at Boston University.

Our research addresses the following questions:

· How does one synthesize and vascularize perfusable biomaterials?

· What principles govern vascularization of biomaterials? Can one distill these principles into a computer algorithm for rational scaffold design?

· How does one scale up vascularized materials to clinically relevant sizes? How do such materials behave upon perfusion in vivo?

To answer these questions, we develop unconventional methods to organize vascular and non-vascular cells and extracellular components into perfused, micropatterned tissues. We use traditional techniques of microvascular physiology (along with a healthy mixture of ideas from vascular cell biology, transport phenomena, biomechanics, and numerical modeling) to analyze, predict, and control the behavior of these tissues.

Below, we invite you to read about the group and its research interests, publications, and resources. For further information, please contact us directly.

GROUP INFORMATION

Principal Investigator: Joe Tien

Address: We are located on the 7th floor of the Engineering Research Building (44 Cummington Mall), in rooms 713, 715, and 717. [Map]

Phones: (617) 358-3055 [Joe’s office—ERB 717]

(617) 358-2831 [Main lab—ERB 715]

(617) 353-5557 [Lounge—ERB 713]

Fax: (617) 358-2835

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Mechanics of vascularization

Much of our work is focused on understanding how vascularization of microfluidic scaffolds occurs and what factors control its long-term success. We have found that the microfluidic structure of a scaffold is important in controlling the initial formation of open vessels, but it is insufficient to guarantee sustained perfusion. Through a combination of experimental and computational studies, we have shown that mechanical stresses at the cell-scaffold interface determine whether the vascular lining remains adherent or detaches over time. We have begun to apply this physical theory of vascularization to a variety of challenging problems, including the vascularization of capillary-scale channels and the formation of functional lymphatic microvessels in which the mechanical stresses are inherently destabilizing.

Techniques for patterning biological materials

We have a long-standing interest in inventing new techniques for patterning biological materials. In fact, our work on vascularization is based on subtractive methods that we developed in-house to create single channels and entire networks within hydrogels of extracellular matrix. We are always interested in patterning scaffolds with ever finer resolution, greater three-dimensional connectivity, and larger network sizes. Current efforts are focused on specific applications, including the development of valves that can actively pump fluids and the creation of large-scale microfluidic scaffolds suitable for composite tissue engineering.

Engineering vascularized microphysiological systems

Our latest work is geared towards developing microphysiological systems ("organs-on-a-chip") that model the interactions of vessels and non-vascular tissue in human disease. We have created microfluidic models of human breast cancer and its progression towards vascular invasion, an obligate step in metastasis. These models provide a well-controlled system for testing whether a particular element of the tumor microenvironment, such as interstitial flow or the presence of adipose cells, alters the rate at which tumor cells escape into a nearby vessel. We have also begun to develop vascularized models of human obesity, which can be used to understand the interplay between breast cancer, obesity, and vascular invasion.

MEMBERS (Current in bold)

Joe Tien [BME page] [CV] [Google Scholar]		jtien \| bu_edu	Principal investigator
Joely Brammer-Depuy		joelybd \| bu_edu	Undergraduate researcher
Alex Seibel [CV]		aseibel \| bu_edu	Postdoctoral fellow Ph.D. thesis: "Tissue-engineered human lymphatic models for the study of breast cancer and obesity"
Madison Tuck		mtuck \| bu_edu	Undergraduate researcher
Chitrangada Acharya (2010^P)			Research scientist, Allied Innovative Systems
Wajd Al-Holou (2002^U)			M.D., University of Michigan, with specialization in neurosurgery (2009)
Nelson Boland (2013-2015^U)			M.D., Baylor College of Medicine (2019)
Kelvin Chan (2011-2012^M)			M.S. thesis: "Genipin Crosslinked Collagen Microfluidic Scaffolds Form Stable Microvessels In Vitro Using Human Endothelial Cells" M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2016)
Kenneth Chrobak (2003-2007^D)			Ph.D. thesis: "Formation of Perfused Microvessels In Vitro, and Their Use as Models of Barrier Function" Research manager, Baxter Healthcare
	Cassandra Chua (2017-2020^U)			Medical student, Boston University
	Ben Cohen (2012^U)			Ph.D., biomedical engineering, Cornell University (2018), with Larry Bonassar Engineer, 3DBio Therapeutics
	Brent Coisman (2013-2014^U)			Research scientist, Bluebird Bio
	Russell Condie (2006^U)			Doctoral student in biomedical engineering, University of Utah
	Gil Covarrubias (2014-2015^U)			Ph.D., biomedical engineering, Case Western Reserve University (2020), with Stathis Karathanasis Postdoctoral fellow with Paula Hammond (MIT)
	Yoseph Dance (2018-2022^D)			Ph.D. thesis: "Engineering 3D Breast Tumor-on-a-Chip Devices to Investigate the Roles of Adipose Tissue and Obesity in the Early Stages of Breast Cancer Metastasis" Postdoctoral fellow with Jude Phillip (Johns Hopkins)
	Hillary Eggert (2004^U)			Carthage College, Biology
	Evan Feldman (2014-2015^U)			Software engineer, Viridis3D
Yixin Gao (2023-2025^U)			M.S., biomedical engineering, Boston University (2025)
	Andrew Golden (2002-2008^D)			Ph.D. thesis: "Microfluidic Hydrogels for Microvascular Tissue Engineering" Research manager, AgaMatrix
	John Jiang (2017-2019^S)			Animal surgeon, Boas Lab, Boston University
Owen Kelly (2020-2023^U)			Doctoral student in biomedical engineering, University of Michigan
	Aimal Khankhel (2011-2013^U)			Doctoral student in biophysics, UC Santa Barbara
Nikhil Lahiri (2022-2025^U)			B.S., biomedical engineering, Boston University (2025)
	Alex Leung (2009-2011^U)			M.D., Boston University, with specialization in vascular surgery (2016)
	Henry Li (2015-2019^D)			Ph.D. thesis: "Engineering Components of a Vascularized, Microsurgically Implantable Adipose Tissue" Research manager, WuXi Biologics
	Raleigh Linville (2014-2016^U)			Ph.D., biomedical engineering, Johns Hopkins University (2021), with Peter Searson Postdoctoral fellow with Myriam Heiman (Broad Institute)
	Chao Liu (2017-2019^U)			Doctoral student in biomedical engineering, Case Western Reserve University
	Emily Margolis (2014-2018^U)			Ph.D., biomedical engineering, University of Michigan (2023), with Andy Putnam Research scientist, IVIVA Medical
	Jordann Marinelli (2015-2017^U)			Consultant, Accenture
	Brandon Markway (2002^U)			Ph.D., biomedical engineering, Oregon Health and Science University (2010), with Owen McCarty and Monica Hinds Research scientist, Aronora
	Miles Massidda (2017-2018^U)			Doctoral student in biomedical engineering, UT Austin
	Cate McCullough (2003^U)			M.S., bioengineering, Stanford University (2007) Manager, Durango Machining Innovations
	Calin Nicolescu (2015-2018^U)			Doctoral student in biomedical engineering, Case Western Reserve University
	Mackenzie Obenreder (2020-2022^U)			Doctoral student in chemical and biological engineering, CU Boulder
	Neil Parikh (2018-2020^U)			Medical student, Boston University
	Gavrielle Price (2004-2009^D)			Ph.D. thesis: "Mechanical and Chemical Control of Barrier in Engineered Microvessels" Science writer, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals
	Jason Pui (2011-2012^U)			Engineer, Accellent
	Rachel Roesch (2011^U)			Ph.D., chemistry, University of Pennsylvania (2017), with Feng Gai Research scientist, Illumina
	Tyler Ryan (2014-2017^U)			Medical student, Boston University School of Medicine
	Stephanie Steichen (2008^U)			Ph.D., biomedical engineering, UT Austin (2016), with Nicholas Peppas Scientist, Dow Corning
	Min Tang (2002-2005^D)			Ph.D. thesis: "In Vitro Engineering of a Microvascular Network" Assistant professor of pediatrics, University of Connecticut Health Center
	Rebecca Thompson (2012-2015^U)			Research scientist, Broad Institute
Abed Tlemcani (2022-2025^U)			B.S., biomedical engineering, Boston University (2025)
	James Truslow (2006-2008^M; 2008-2011^D; 2011-2013^P)			Ph.D. thesis: "Design and Analysis of Engineered Microvasculature via Computational Methods" M.S. thesis: "Drainage Systems That Maintain Transmural Pressure in Engineered Microvascular Tissue" Research scientist, Brigham & Women's Hospital
	Kim Waller (2007-2008^U)			Ph.D., biomedical engineering, Brown University (2013), with Gregory Jay Program manager, Ximedica
	Keith Wong (2007-2012^D; 2012^P)			Ph.D. thesis: "Normalization of Microvascular Physiology in Engineered Microvessels via Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Supplementation and Artificial Lymphatic Drainage" Research scientist, Catamaran Bio
	Jingyi Xia (2017-2019^U)			Doctoral student in biomedical engineering, University of Michigan
	Jing Xu (2014-2016^U; 2016-2018^S)			M.D., University of Massachusetts, with specialization in plastic surgery (2023)

(^P: postdoctoral fellow; ^D: doctoral student; ^M: Master's student; ^U: undergraduate researcher; ^S: research staff)

PUBLICATIONS

71. Seibel, A.J., Frosti, C., Tlemçani, A.R., Lahiri, N., Brammer-DePuy, J.A., Layne, M.D. & Tien, J., Obesity-associated conditions hinder solute drainage function of engineered human lymphatic vessels. Cell. Mol. Bioeng. 18, 53-69 (2025). [PDF + Supporting Information]

70. Leggett, S.E., Brennan, M.C., Martinez, S., Tien, J. & Nelson, C.M., Relatively rare populations of invasive cells drive progression of heterogeneous tumors. Cell. Mol. Bioeng. 17, 7-24 (2024). [PDF + Supporting Information]

69. Tien, J. & Dance, Y.W. Protein-based microfluidic models for biomedical applications. In Handbook of the Extracellular Matrix: Biologically-Derived Materials (eds. Maia, F.R., Reis, R.L. & Oliveira, J.M.), pp. 329-355 (Springer, Berlin, 2024). [PDF]

68. Dance, Y.W., Obenreder, M.C., Seibel, A.J., Meshulam, T., Ogony, J.W., Lahiri, N., Pacheco-Spann, L., Radisky, D.C., Layne, M.D., Farmer, S.R., Nelson, C.M. & Tien, J., Adipose cells induce escape from an engineered human breast microtumor independently of their obesity status. Cell. Mol. Bioeng. 16, 23-39 (2023). [PDF + Supporting Information]

67. Seibel, A.J., Kelly, O.M., Dance, Y.W., Nelson, C.M. & Tien, J., Role of lymphatic endothelium in vascular escape of engineered human breast microtumors. Cell. Mol. Bioeng. 15, 553-569 (2022). [PDF + Supporting Information]

66. Dance, Y.W., Meshulam, T., Seibel, A.J., Obenreder, M.C., Layne, M.D., Nelson, C.M. & Tien, J., Adipose stroma accelerates the invasion and escape of human breast cancer cells from an engineered microtumor. Cell. Mol. Bioeng. 15, 15-29 (2022). [PDF + Supporting Information]

65. Tien, J. & Ghani, U. Methods for forming human lymphatic microvessels in vitro and assessing their drainage function. In Biomedical Engineering Technologies, Volume 2 (Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2394) (eds. Rasooly, A., Baker, H. & Ossandon, M.R.), pp. 651-668 (Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, 2022). [PDF]

64. Tien, J., Dance, Y.W., Ghani, U., Seibel, A.J. & Nelson, C.M., Interstitial hypertension suppresses escape of human breast tumor cells via convection of interstitial fluid. Cell. Mol. Bioeng. 14, 147-159 (2021). [PDF + Supporting Information]

63. Tien, J. & Dance, Y.W., Microfluidic biomaterials. Adv. Healthcare Mater. 10, 2001028 (2021). [PDF]

62. Rabie, E.M., Zhang, S.X., Kourouklis, A.P., Kilinc, A.N., Simi, A.K., Radisky, D.C., Tien, J. & Nelson, C.M., Matrix degradation and cell proliferation are coupled to promote invasion and escape from an engineered human breast microtumor. Integr. Biol. 13, 17-29 (2021). [PDF + Supporting Information]

61. Tien, J., Li, X., Linville, R.M. & Feldman, E.J., Comparison of blind deconvolution- and Patlak analysis-based methods for determining vascular permeability. Microvasc. Res. 133, 104102 (2021). [PDF] [Supporting Information]

60. Tien, J., Ghani, U., Dance, Y.W., Seibel, A.J., Karakan, M.C., Ekinci, K.L. & Nelson, C.M., Matrix pore size governs escape of human breast cancer cells from a microtumor to an empty cavity. iScience 23, 101673 (2020). [PDF + Supporting Information]

59. Li, X., Xu, J., Bartolák-Suki, E., Jiang, J. & Tien, J., Evaluation of 1-mm-diameter endothelialized dense collagen tubes in vascular microsurgery. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. B 108, 2441-2449 (2020). [PDF]

58. Tien, J., Tissue engineering of the microvasculature. Compr. Physiol. 9, 1155-1212 (2019). [PDF]

57. Li, X., Xia, J., Nicolescu, C.T., Massidda, M.W., Ryan, T.J. & Tien, J., Engineering of microscale vascularized fat that responds to perfusion with lipoactive hormones. Biofabrication 11, 014101 (2019). [PDF]

56. Thompson, R.L., Margolis, E.A., Ryan, T.J., Coisman, B.J., Price, G.M., Wong, K.H.K. & Tien, J., Design principles for lymphatic drainage of fluid and solutes from collagen scaffolds. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A 106, 106-114 (2018). [PDF]

55. Li, X., Xu, J., Nicolescu, C.T., Marinelli, J.T. & Tien, J., Generation, endothelialization, and microsurgical suture anastomosis of strong 1-mm-diameter collagen tubes. Tissue Eng. A 23, 335-344 (2017). [PDF]

54. Piotrowski-Daspit, A.S., Simi, A.K., Pang, M.-F., Tien, J. & Nelson, C.M. A three-dimensional culture model to study how fluid pressure and flow affect the behavior of aggregates of epithelial cells. In Mammary Gland Development (Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 1501) (eds. Martin, F., Stein, T. & Howlin, J.), pp. 245-257 (Humana Press, New York, NY, 2017). [PDF]

53. Piotrowski-Daspit, A.S., Tien, J. & Nelson, C.M., Interstitial fluid pressure regulates collective invasion in engineered human breast tumors via Snail, vimentin, and E-cadherin. Integr. Biol. 8, 319-331 (2016). [PDF + Supporting Information]

52. Linville, R.M., Boland, N.F., Covarrubias, G., Price, G.M. & Tien, J., Physical and chemical signals that promote vascularization of capillary-scale channels. Cell. Mol. Bioeng. 9, 73-84 (2016). [PDF]

51. Tien, J., Li, L., Ozsun, O. & Ekinci, K.L., Dynamics of interstitial fluid pressure in extracellular matrix hydrogels in microfluidic devices. J. Biomech. Eng. 137, 091009 (2015). [PDF]

50. Ozsun, O., Thompson, R.L., Ekinci, K.L. & Tien, J., Non-invasive mapping of interstitial fluid pressure in microscale tissues. Integr. Biol. 6, 979-987 (2014). [PDF]

49. Tien, J., Microfluidic approaches for engineering vasculature. Curr. Opin. Chem. Eng. 3, 36-41 (2014). [PDF]

48. Chan, K.L.S., Khankhel, A.H., Thompson, R.L., Coisman, B.J., Wong, K.H.K., Truslow, J.G. & Tien, J., Crosslinking of collagen scaffolds promotes blood and lymphatic vascular stability. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A 102, 3186-3195 (2014). [PDF]

47. Tien, J. & Nelson, C.M., Microstructured extracellular matrices in tissue engineering and development, an update. Ann. Biomed. Eng. 42, 1413-1423 (2014). [PDF]

46. Wong, K.H.K., Truslow, J.G., Khankhel, A.H. & Tien, J. Biophysical mechanisms that govern the vascularization of microfluidic scaffolds. In Vascularization: Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (ed. Brey, E.M.), pp. 109-124 (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2014). [PDF]

45. Truslow, J.G. & Tien, J., Determination of vascular permeability coefficients under slow lumenal filling. Microvasc. Res. 90, 117-120 (2013). [PDF]

44. Wong, K.H.K., Truslow, J.G., Khankhel, A.H., Chan, K.L.S. & Tien, J., Artificial lymphatic drainage systems for vascularized microfluidic scaffolds. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A 101, 2181-2190 (2013). [PDF]

43. Tien, J., Wong, K.H.K. & Truslow, J.G. Vascularization of microfluidic hydrogels. In Microfluidic Cell Culture Systems (eds. Bettinger, C.J., Borenstein, J.T. & Tao, S.L.), pp. 205-221 (Elsevier, Oxford, U.K., 2013). [PDF]

42. Tien, J., Truslow, J.G. & Nelson, C.M., Modulation of invasive phenotype by interstitial pressure-driven convection in aggregates of human breast cancer cells. PLoS One 7, e45191 (2012). [Corrected PDF + Supporting Information]

41. Leung, A.D., Wong, K.H.K. & Tien, J., Plasma expanders stabilize human microvessels in microfluidic scaffolds. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A 100, 1815–1822 (2012). [PDF]

40. Wong, K.H.K., Chan, J.M., Kamm, R.D. & Tien, J., Microfluidic models of vascular functions. Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng. 14, 205–230 (2012). [PDF]

39. Truslow, J.G. & Tien, J., Perfusion systems that minimize vascular volume fraction in engineered tissues. Biomicrofluidics 5, 022201 (2011). [PDF]

38. Price, G.M. & Tien, J. Methods for forming human microvascular tubes in vitro and measuring their macromolecular permeability. In Biological Microarrays (Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 671) (eds. Khademhosseini, A., Suh, K.-Y. & Zourob, M.), pp. 281-293 (Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, 2011). [PDF]

37. Price, G.M., Wong, K.H.K., Truslow, J.G., Leung, A.D., Acharya, C. & Tien, J., Effect of mechanical factors on the function of engineered human blood microvessels in microfluidic collagen gels. Biomaterials 31, 6182-6189 (2010). [PDF]

36. Wong, K.H.K., Truslow, J.G. & Tien, J., The role of cyclic AMP in normalizing the function of engineered human blood microvessels in microfluidic collagen gels. Biomaterials 31, 4706-4714 (2010). [PDF] [Movie]

35. Truslow, J.G., Price, G.M. & Tien, J., Computational design of drainage systems for vascularized scaffolds. Biomaterials 30, 4435-4443 (2009). [PDF]

34. Price, G.M. & Tien, J. Subtractive methods for forming microfluidic gels of extracellular matrix proteins. In Microdevices in Biology and Engineering (eds. Bhatia, S.N. & Nahmias, Y.), pp. 235-248 (Artech House, Boston, MA, 2009). [PDF]

33. Price, G.M., Chu, K.K., Truslow, J.G., Tang-Schomer, M.D., Golden, A.P., Mertz, J. & Tien, J., Bonding of macromolecular hydrogels using perturbants. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 6664-6665 (2008). [PDF + Supporting Information] [Movies]

32. Price, G.M., Chrobak, K.M. & Tien, J., Effect of cyclic AMP on barrier function of human lymphatic microvascular tubes. Microvasc. Res. 76, 46-51 (2008). [PDF]

31. Golden, A.P. & Tien, J., Fabrication of microfluidic hydrogels using molded gelatin as a sacrificial element. Lab Chip 17, 720-725 (2007). [PDF]

30. Nelson, C.M. & Tien, J., Microstructured extracellular matrices in tissue engineering and development. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 17, 518-523 (2006). [PDF]

29. Chrobak, K.M., Potter, D.R. & Tien, J., Formation of perfused, functional microvascular tubes in vitro. Microvasc. Res. 71, 185-196 (2006). [PDF] [Movies]

28. Tien, J., Golden, A.P. & Tang, M.D. Engineering of blood vessels. In Microvascular Research: Biology and Pathology, Vol. 2 (eds. Shepro, D. & D'Amore, P.A.), pp. 1087-1093 (Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 2006). [PDF]

27. Tang, M.D., Golden, A.P. & Tien, J., Fabrication of collagen gels that contain patterned, micrometer-scale cavities. Adv. Mater. 16, 1345-1348 (2004). [PDF]

26. Gray, D.S., Tien, J. & Chen, C.S., High conductivity elastomeric electronics. Adv. Mater. 16, 393-397 (2004). [PDF]

25. Chen, C.S., Tan, J.L. & Tien, J., Mechanotransduction at cell-matrix and cell-cell contacts. Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng. 6, 275-302 (2004). [PDF]

24. Tang, M.D., Golden, A.P. & Tien, J., Molding of three-dimensional microstructures of gels. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 12988-12989 (2003). [PDF]

23. Gray, D.S., Tien, J. & Chen, C.S., Repositioning of cells by mechanotaxis on surfaces with micropatterned Young's modulus. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A 66, 605-614 (2003). [PDF]

22. Tan, J.L., Tien, J., Pirone, D.M., Gray, D.S., Bhadriraju, K. & Chen, C.S., Cells lying on a bed of microneedles: an approach to isolate mechanical force. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 1484-1489 (2003). [PDF]

21. Clark, T.D., Ferigno, R., Tien, J., Paul, K.E. & Whitesides, G.M., Template-directed self-assembly of 10-μm-sized hexagonal plates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124, 5419-5426 (2002). [PDF]

20. Tien, J., Nelson, C.M. & Chen, C.S., Fabrication of aligned microstructures with a single elastomeric stamp. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 1758-1762 (2002). [PDF]

19. Tien, J. & Chen, C.S., Patterning the cellular microenvironment. IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. 21, 95-98 (2002). [PDF]

18. Tan, J.L., Tien, J. & Chen, C.S., Microcontact printing of proteins on mixed self-assembled monolayers. Langmuir 18, 519-523 (2002). [PDF]

17. Tien, J. & Chen, C.S. Microarrays of cells. In Methods of Tissue Engineering (eds. Atala, A. & Lanza, R.), pp. 113-120 (Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 2001).

16. Bowden, N., Tien, J., Huck, W.T.S. & Whitesides, G.M. Mesoscale self-assembly: the assembly of micron- and millimeter-sized objects using capillary forces. In Supramolecular Organization and Materials Design (eds. Jones, W. & Rao, C.N.R.), pp. 103-145 (Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, 2001).

15. Clark, T.D., Tien, J., Duffy, D.C., Paul, K.E. & Whitesides, G.M., Self-assembly of 10-μm-sized objects into ordered three-dimensional arrays. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 123, 7677-7682 (2001). [PDF]

14. Gracias, D.H., Tien, J., Breen, T.L., Hsu, C. & Whitesides, G.M., Forming electrical networks in three dimensions by self-assembly. Science 289, 1170-1172 (2000). [PDF]

13. Dike, L.E., Chen, C.S., Mrksich, M., Tien, J., Whitesides, G.M. & Ingber, D.E., Geometric control of switching between growth, apoptosis, and differentiation during angiogenesis using micropatterned substrates. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. Anim. 35, 441-448 (1999). [PDF]

12. Deng, T., Tien, J., Xu, B. & Whitesides, G.M., Using patterns in microfiche as photomasks in 10-μm-scale microfabrication. Langmuir 15, 6575-6581 (1999). [PDF]

11. Breen, T.L., Tien, J., Oliver, S.R.J., Hadzic, T. & Whitesides, G.M., Design and self-assembly of open, regular, 3D mesostructures. Science 284, 948-951 (1999). [PDF]

10. Lahiri, J., Isaacs, L., Tien, J. & Whitesides, G.M., A strategy for the generation of surfaces presenting ligands for studies of binding based on an active ester as a common reactive intermediate. Anal. Chem. 71, 777-790 (1999). [PDF]

9. Tien, J., Breen, T.L. & Whitesides, G.M., Crystallization of millimeter-scale objects with use of capillary forces. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, 12670-12671 (1998). [PDF]

8. Huck, W.T.S., Tien, J. & Whitesides, G.M., Three-dimensional mesoscale self-assembly. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, 8267-8268 (1998). [PDF]

7. Marzolin, C., Terfort, A., Tien, J. & Whitesides, G.M., Patterning of a polysiloxane precursor to silicate glasses by microcontact printing. Thin Solid Films 315, 9-12 (1998). [PDF]

6. Tien, J., Xia, Y. & Whitesides, G.M. Microcontact printing of SAMs. In Self-Assembled Monolayers of Thiols (Thin Films, vol. 24) (ed. Ulman, A.), pp. 227-254 (Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1998).

5. Xia, Y., Venkateswaran, N., Qin, D., Tien, J. & Whitesides, G.M., Use of electroless silver as the substrate in microcontact printing of alkanethiols and its application in microfabrication. Langmuir 14, 363-371 (1998). [PDF]

4. Mrksich, M., Dike, L.E., Tien, J., Ingber, D.E. & Whitesides, G.M., Using microcontact printing to pattern the attachment of mammalian cells to self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiolates on transparent films of gold and silver. Exp. Cell Res. 235, 305-313 (1997). [PDF]

3. Tien, J., Terfort, A. & Whitesides, G.M., Microfabrication through electrostatic self-assembly. Langmuir 13, 5349-5355 (1997). [PDF]

2. Xia, Y., Tien, J., Qin, D. & Whitesides, G.M., Non-photolithographic methods for fabrication of elastomeric stamps for use in microcontact printing. Langmuir 12, 4033-4038 (1996). [PDF]

1. Shaw, G.L. & Tien, J., Energy levels of quark atoms. Phys. Rev. D 47, 5075-5078 (1993). [PDF]

FUNDING

Engineering Vascularized Models of Obesity Progression (BU Dean’s Catalyst Award)

Persufflation of Composite Tissue Transplants (DoD/Army W81XWH-17-1-0571)

(Re)vascularization of Decellularized Scaffolds (NIH/NIBIB R03 EB024660)

Engineered Invasive Human Breast Tumors with Integrated Capillaries and Lymphatics (NIH/NCI U01 CA214292)

In Vivo Microsurgical Anastomosis of Prevascularized Tissues (NIH/NIBIB R03 EB018851)

Development and Clinical Validation of Algorithms for Non-Invasive Mapping of Vascular Permeability (BU/BWH Partnership Program)

Non-Invasive Measurement of Vascular Cell Adhesion to Biomaterials (BU Dean’s Catalyst Award)

Active Biomaterials (BU Materials Science and Engineering Innovation Grant)

Effect of Interstitial Pressure on Epithelial Invasion from Human Mammary Ducts (DoD/Army W81XWH-09-1-0565)

Engineering Functional Lymphatic Networks In Vitro (NIH/NHLBI R21 HL092335)

Synthesis and Characterization of Patterned Microvascular Networks (NIH/NIBIB R01 EB005792)

Self-Assembly of Mesostructured Biomaterials (NIH/NIBIB R21 EB003157)

In Vitro Synthesis of a Microvascular Network (NIH/NIBIB R21 EB002228)

Use of Microfabrication and Self-Assembly in Tissue Engineering (Whitaker Foundation RG-02-0344)

Dynamic Substrates for Cell Culture (BU Special Program for Research Initiation Grants)

Self-Assembly of Gels (BU Provost’s Innovation Fund)

Response of Endothelial Cells to Cell-Cell Contact (NIH/NHLBI F32 HL010486)

LINKS

How to join our research program:

· Postdoctoral fellows:

Interested postdoctoral candidates should send us a detailed cover letter, CV, and a list of three professional references. We look for candidates with a robust track record of publication and innovation.

· Graduate students:

Graduate students must apply through one of the doctoral programs listed below—we are especially interested in applicants with a strong quantitative background and excellent technical skills:

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry

Division of Materials Science and Engineering

Late Entry Accelerated Program (LEAP) in Biomedical Engineering

MD/PhD program at Boston University School of Medicine

· Undergraduate students:

Undergraduate students should send us a brief explanatory letter, transcript, and description of any prior research experience. We seek students who learn quickly, work hard, and have impeccable ethics.

Resources at BU:

Core facilities (lithography, imaging, and materials characterization) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering

Core facilities (flow cytometry, microarrays, transgenics, etc.) at the Medical Center

Core facilities (lithography, SEM) in the Photonics Center

Library catalog

Collaborators:

Celeste Nelson, Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University

Kamil Ekinci, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University

Matt Layne, Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine

Databases and analytical software:

PubMed

ISI Web of Knowledge (here, for BU users)