IBB Seminar
"The PIEZO1 Mechanosensing Axis: From Fundamental Membrane Mechanoprotection to Microfluidic and POCT Innovations in Thrombo-Oncology" - Lining Arnold Ju, University of Sydney
Lining Arnold Ju
Professor, Snow Fellow and Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow at the University of Sydney; Professor (Sabbatical) at University of Cambridge
ABSTRACT
The plasma membrane serves as the critical interface where cells endure and respond to their physical environment. We recently revealed that the PIEZO1 mechanosensing axis actively safeguards membrane integrity through a hierarchical, two-layer mechanoprotective mechanism. This involves rapid architectural buffering followed by a calcium-dependent positive feedback loop engaging Calmodulin and Filamin A to reinforce cortical stability. This fundamental discovery in mechanoprotection serves as the blueprint for our translational innovations in "Thrombo-protective Oncology." By engineering a microfluidic "CAT-on-chip" to recapitulate venous shear stress, we discovered that metastatic cancer cells exploit a strikingly similar mechanobiological network to trigger pathological clotting. Specifically, tumor-induced hypercoagulation is driven by a Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK)-Calmodulin (CaM) axis, which structurally "decrypts" Tissue Factor (TF) by disengaging it from cytoskeletal Filamin A. To translate these microfluidic discoveries into clinical practice, we developed "SmartClot", an AI-driven Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) platform that rapidly stratifies cancer-driven thrombotic risk using blood diffusion kinetics. This seminar will highlight how decoding fundamental nanoscale mechanosensing paves the way for next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.
BIO
Professor Lining Arnold Ju (PhD, GAICD, FHEA) is a Snow Fellow, Australian Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow, and recipient of the Australian Academy of Science John Booker Medal. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University in 2013 and now directs the Mechanobiology and Biomechanics Laboratory (MBL) at the University of Sydney's School of Biomedical Engineering.
Ju’s research operates at the intersection of fundamental mechanobiology and biomedical engineering. His team recently decoded the PIEZO1 mechanosensing axis and has pioneered multiple biomechanical nanotools, including multi-parametric thrombus profiling microfluidics ("CAT-on-chip") and patient-specific vessel-on-a-chip platforms. His novel understanding of the mechanics behind blood clot formation has directly driven the development of point-of-care testing (POCT) technologies, such as the machine learning-assisted SmartClot diagnostic tool. His overarching vision integrates advanced biomanufacturing, high-throughput microfluidic phenotyping, and generative AI to create intelligent biosensing technologies to predict and prevent cardiovascular and cancer-associated thrombotic risks.
Andrés García, faculty host