Biography

2017- Principal Investigator, Wuhan University, China

2010.11-2016.11 Postdoc Researcher, Emory University, US.  Advisors: Prof. Khalid Salaita & Tim Lian

2004-2010 Ph.D. in Chemistry, Xiamen University, China  Advisor: Prof. Bin Ren

2000-2004 BS in Chemistry, Xiamen University, China

Research

Cells are the fundamental units of biological systems, and various proteins inside and outside the cell work with the precision of mechanical parts, enabling cells to navigate complex physiological environments and fulfill their biological functions. Our laboratory is primarily engaged in developing and utilizing novel photonic and biophysical tools to study the physical principles underlying cellular movement processes (from single molecules to living cells) and to explore the significance of these physical principles in biology. Specifically, we focus on how cells perceive and transmit mechanical cues throughout their life cycle and how they utilize these mechanical signals to regulate their own functions. We are an interdisciplinary team spanning chemistry, biomedical engineering, and physics, among other fields. Our ultimate goal is to provide new insights and methodologies for medical research, such as tumor cell metastasis and tumor immunity.

Representative  Publications

1. Wenxu Wang^#, Wei Chen^#, Chaoyang Wu^#, Chen Zhang, Jingjing Feng, Pengxiang Liu, Yuru Hu, Hongyun Li, Feng Sun, Kai Jiang, Xinghua Zhang & Zheng Liu^*, Hydrogel-based molecular tension fluorescence microscopy for investigating receptor-mediated rigidity sensing. Nature Methods,  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-023-02037-0 (2023)  

2. Feng Sun, Hongyun Li, Yuru Hu, Mengsheng Zhang, Wenxu Wang, Wei Chen^*, and Zheng Liu^* Exploring Mechanical Responses of Cells to Geometric Information Using Micropatterned DNA-Based Molecular Tension Probes. ACS Nano, 17, 18584 (2023)  

Highlight by C&EN News: Chemistry in Pictures: Cells getting bent out of shape

3. Yuru Hu, Hongyun Li, Wenxu Wang, Feng Sun, Chaoyang Wu, Wei Chen^*, Zheng Liu^*, Molecular Force Imaging Reveals that Integrin-dependent Mechanical Checkpoint Regulates Fcγ Receptor-mediated Phagocytosis in Macrophages. Nano Letters, 23, 5562 (2023)

4. Liang Wang, Wei Chen*, Hongyun Li, Chaohui Xiong, Feng Sun, Xiaoqing Liu, Yuru Hu, Wenxu Wang, Wenqun Zhong, Zheng Liu^*, Exploring integrin-mediated force transmission during confined cell migration by DNA-based tension probes. Analytical Chemistry, 94, 4570 (2022)

5. Hongyun Li, Chen Zhang, Yuru Hu, Pengxiang Liu, Feng Sun, Wei Chen, Xinghua Zhang, Jie Ma, Wenxu Wang, Liang Wang, Piyu Wu, Zheng Liu^*, A Reversible shearing DNA probe for visualizing mechanically strong receptors in living cells. Nature Cell Biology, 23, 642–651 (2021)