Gonghao Wang (Billy)

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014

BASc, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, University of Toronto, 2009

My research focuses on innovating novel high-throughput microfluidic devices for cell sorting based on variations in cell mechanical properties such as size, stiffness and viscoelasticity. Cell mechanical properties are indicators to the state of cells. Investigation of cell mechanical properties provides the insight into the onset and progression of human diseases. Some human diseases such as malaria, sickle cell anemia, and cancers are known to cause significant changes in cellular mechanical properties. Hence, there is a need to develop techniques and devices to continuously characterize and separate cells based on differences in mechanical properties rapidly and with high sensitivity, specificity and throughput. Microfluidic cell sorters are platforms that can utilize these newly developed biomechanical markers to expand biomedical capabilities for improvements in cell state detection and characterization.