Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor Zhen Ma Receives NSF CAREER Award

Tuesday, February 4, 2020, By Alex Dunbar
Share
AwardsBioInspiredCollege of Engineering and Computer SciencefacultyNational Science Foundation
engineering professor posing in lab

Zhen Ma

Scientists have long known that some people have stronger heart muscles than others and there are multiple factors that can contribute to heart muscle strength in adults including exercise, genetics and diet. Even with all we know, there are still many questions about the factors that influence the development of shape and function of a heart as an embryo forms—questions that Zhen Ma, professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and his research team hope to answer.

Ma has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for his project titled “Engineering Stem Cell-Based Cardiac Organoids.” Ma’s research centers on using stem cells to study the formation and growth of a heart during embryo development.

“We are determining if we can use stem cells outside the body to study the growth and development of the heart,” said Ma.

The organoid technology that Ma’s team is working on aims to grow and differentiate a collection of stem cells into a specific organ that mimics a very early stage of an organ formation.

“We are investigating how we can use engineering tools to regulate the formation of the cardiac organoids,” said Ma. “And how can we control the structure and functions of a cardiac organoid.”

Ma and his research team will be using the advanced technologies available in his lab including microfabrication, biomaterials and surface modification.

“The main goal for us is being able to control the geometry of a stem cell colony,” said Ma. “By controlling the geometry of a two-dimensional stem cell colony, we want to see how we can regulate the formation of a three-dimensional cardiac organoid. Eventually, we want to study the relationship between the structure and the function of many human mini-hearts grown in our lab.”

Two graduate students in Ma’s lab, Plansky Hoang and Shiyang Sun, are actively working on this project. Ms. Hoang is being supported by American Heart Association with a predoctoral fellowship to use these human cardiac organoids for embryotoxicity drug screening purposes.

Ma says he is grateful for Syracuse University’s strong commitment to research and the necessary support to advance projects like his. The newly-formed BioInspired Institute at Syracuse University is bringing together researchers across STEM disciplines and Ma believes the next few years will bring a series of incredible advancements.

“Syracuse is a cohesive and collaborative environment that has allowed rapid growth in multiple disciplines in biological and biomedical research,” he says.

  • Author

Alex Dunbar

  • Recent
  • 2023-24 Parking Rates Announced
    Friday, May 26, 2023, By News Staff
  • Lutheran Chaplain Announces Retirement
    Thursday, May 25, 2023, By Dara Harper
  • SyracuseCoE Awards $180,000 for 9 Faculty Fellow Projects Supporting Research and Innovation
    Thursday, May 25, 2023, By News Staff
  • From Generation to Generation: Doing Well by Doing Good
    Thursday, May 25, 2023, By Eileen Korey
  • Office of Veteran and Military Affairs Celebrates Graduating Military-Connected Students
    Wednesday, May 24, 2023, By Charlie Poag

More In STEM

Physics and Mathematics Major Chance Baggett ’24 Named an Astronaut Scholar

Chance Baggett, a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying physics and mathematics and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, has been named a 2023-24 Astronaut Scholar by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). Founded…

Aphasia Research Lab Seeks Participants for Stroke Treatment Study

Strokes affect nearly 800,000 individuals in the United States each year. To bring attention to the risk factors for strokes and how to prevent them, the National Stroke Association holds Stroke Awareness Month during the month of May. Those who…

Syracuse Center of Excellence Announces New Co-Chairs of Industry Partners Council

The Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems at Syracuse University (SyracuseCoE) is proud to announce the appointment of Yu Chen and Scott MacBain from Carrier Corporation as the new co-chairs of the SyracuseCoE Industry Partner Council. In…

Expanding Summer Research Opportunities Through SU-STAR Program

When it comes to STEM research, diversity is key. Studies have shown that a STEM workforce representative of the United States population, which brings together expertise from individuals with unique lived experiences and understandings of the world, results in enhanced…

Professor Claudia Miller Awarded Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute Research Professorship

Claudia Miller, professor in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), has been selected for a prestigious research professorship at the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath) in Berkeley, California. She will work on-site at…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.