Michael Mak
Stony Brook University, NY·Biomedical Engineering
Most tissues in the body are built on a scaffold of protein fibers called the extracellular matrix (ECM), and the shape and arrangement of that scaffold send physical signals that guide how cells behave. Reproducing these signals in the lab is hard, and most lab-grown tissues rely on artificial materials that cells do not encounter in the body.
- Fields
Biomedical Engineering
Biophysics
Engineering
- Topics
bioprinting
biofabrication
tissue engineering
- Grants
- 2 known grants, through Jun 2031
What they work on
- Develop biofabrication methods that tune the architecture of natural, unmodified collagen I across scales, from fiber networks to whole-tissue geometry, to build realistic engineered tissues and mini-organs.
- Determine how matrix fiber architecture, collagen bundle organization, tissue geometry and compressive forces drive state transitions in cancer cells, including the emergence of invasive and drug-resistant behavior.
- Examine how complex physical matrix cues shape stem cell-derived tissue development, with emphasis on orthopedic and cardiovascular tissues, studying responses from cytoskeletal remodeling to multicellular dynamics.
- Bioprint customizable vascular conduits from fully natural, cell-laden materials using a new fast printing method suitable for repairing single ventricle heart defects.
- Build a functional inner vessel lining in bioprinted conduits using immune-compatible iPSC-derived endothelial cells, then mature the conduits and test them by implantation in humanized rats.
More about the research
The research builds realistic tissues and mini-organs from natural, unmodified materials such as collagen I, the main structural protein of connective tissue. It uses these tissues for two purposes: to learn how physical cues push cells into new states, and to make living replacement blood vessels for children born with heart defects.
Why it matters
Children with single ventricle heart defects often need surgically implanted conduits that can narrow and fail over time. Living, immune-compatible, custom-printed vessels could offer longer-lasting, off-the-shelf options. More realistic lab-grown tissues may also help researchers study how tumors become invasive or drug-resistant, and help guide the growth of stem-cell-derived bone and vascular tissues for regenerative medicine.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Mark Grimes
University of Montana, MT·Biomedical Engineering
Test whether seeding human neural crest stem cells in 3D hydrogel scaffolds with extracellular matrix components identified in organoids makes craniofacial cartilage faster and more reproducibly than self-organizing organoids.
Quinton Smith
University of California-Irvine, CA·Biomedical Engineering
Test how paracrine signals and mechanical cues guide early cell fate decisions, using micropatterned induced gastrulation models of human induced pluripotent stem cells confined to defined geometries.
Brenda Ogle
University of Minnesota, MN·Biomedical Engineering
Identify growth factors secreted by epicardial progenitor cells that boost proliferation of hiPSC-derived heart muscle cells, using gene editing and high-throughput proteomics in a 3D-printed layered cardiac tissue.
The school
Stony Brook University: 32 labs on PI Pages, $319M a year on research, 289 research doctorates a year.
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