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
  • University Musicians, West Point Band to Perform Together This Weekend As Part of Events Around Military Appreciation Day
    Friday, September 22, 2023, By Christine Weber
  • Turning Young Enthusiasts Into Scientific Researchers
    Friday, September 22, 2023, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • Languages Unlock Opportunities for English for Lawyers Alumna
    Thursday, September 21, 2023, By Hope Alvarez
  • Fall 2023 Career Week: Helping Students Achieve Professional Goals
    Thursday, September 21, 2023, By Gabrielle Lake
  • A Commitment to Arts and Sciences Excellence
    Thursday, September 21, 2023, By Dan Bernardi

More In STEM

Turning Young Enthusiasts Into Scientific Researchers

Miguel Guzman ’24, a native of Lima, Peru, is a senior biotechnology major in the College of Arts and Sciences with an entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises minor in the Whitman School of Management. His research centers on developing bio-enabled protein…

Center for Sustainable Community Solutions and Environmental Finance Center Announces New Director

The College of Engineering and Computer Science is pleased to announce the transition of Melissa Young into a new role as director of the Center for Sustainable Community Solutions-Environmental Finance Center (CSCS-EFC) at Syracuse University. CSCS-EFC is housed within the…

Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Attends UN Session on Reducing Plastic Pollution

Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Svetoslava Todorova attended the second session of the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Negotiations Committee on Plastics this summer in Paris, France. Todorova was invited as an academic expert based on her research on the environment,…

Experts Say Federal Agency or Global Organization Should Govern AI, New Survey Co-sponsored by Two University Institutes Finds

A new survey co-sponsored by two Syracuse University institutes finds that a majority of computer science experts at top U.S research universities want to see the creation of a new federal agency or global organization to govern artificial intelligence (AI)….

Q&A With School of Information Studies Dean Andrew Sears: Seeing Countless Opportunities in the Ever-Changing Tech World

In the rapidly changing world of technology, School of Information Studies Dean Andrew Sears knows it’s hard to predict how technology and the iSchool will evolve if you look too far into the future. But, he knows if you pay…

Subscribe to SU Today

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

Connect With Us

  • X
  • 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.