About Us
At IBBL, we celebrate diversity - of thought, culture, and discipline - as the foundation of innovation. Our multicultural, interdisciplinary team brings together unique perspectives, united by curiosity, inclusivity, and a shared passion for discovery. We foster a supportive and adventurous environment where everyone is encouraged to grow, challenge ideas, and enjoy the scientific journey together.
Our research sits at the nexus of engineering and biology. By combining micro/nanoengineering, synthetic biology, mechanobiology, and stem cell and developmental biology, we explore fundamental questions in human development, physiology, and disease. From mechanobiology research to embryo modeling studies, our work is driven by the creativity and dedication of our students and fellows - past and present - whose contributions have shaped IBBL’s impact. Please visit our Current Members and Alumni pages.
To learn more about IBBL research, please explore our Research page. Our work has also been featured in several media reports, including Nature Technology Feature 2017, Nature News 2019, Nature News Feature 2021, Nature Outlook 2021, Nature News Feature 2024, Nature Technology Feature 2025, MIT Technology Review 2017, and MIT Technology Review 2019.
Group Members
Meet the lab (from left to right): Chongjian (CJ) Gao, Fangyi Cheng, Zhaoyi Xu, Zhuowei Zhou, Shiyu Sun, Yung Su (Justin) Kim, Zheng (Zac) Zhong, Jeyoon (Jey) Bok, Norio Kobayashi, and Jianping Fu. (see Members)
Outreach
The first cell culture method that produces a full model of the early stages of the human central nervous system. This model has a transformative potential to advance our knowledge of brain development and developmental brain diseases. Video recorded for X. Xue, et al. Nature, 2024.
Jianping Fu and Deborah Gumucio discuss their microfluidic platform for reliably producing stem cell colonies that mimic early stages of human development in order to investigate infertility and other big questions in maternal and child health. Video recorded for Y. Zheng, et al. Nature, 2019.
Video recorded for our MCubed sponsored project, "Microfluidic systems immunology for transformative diagnostics for infants". Collaborative interdisciplinary team science to address complex clinical challenges.
Selected Recent Publications
A controllable human spinal cord model with full dorsoventral patterning
Jeyoon Bok, et al.
Nature Communications, in press, 2026.
Neural progenitors as a novel pathogenic mechanism in microcephaly
Rami Yair Tshuva, et al.
bioRxiv, DOI: 10.1101/2025.08.12.669854, 2025. [Link]
A transgene-free, human peri-gastrulation embryo model with trilaminar embryonic disc-, amnion- and yolk sac-like structures
Shiyu Sun, et al.
Nature Cell Biology, in press, 2025. [Link]
Mechanochemical waves in focal adhesions during cell migration
Marc A. Fernández-Yagüe, et al.
Science Advances, vol. 11, eadw6425, 2025. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Human gastroids to model regional patterning in early stomach development
Xia Li, et al.
Nature, vol. 646, pp. 893-902, 2025. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Deep manifold learning reveals hidden developmental dynamics of a human embryo model
Kejie Chen, et al.
Science Advances, vol. 11, eadr8901, 2025. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Bioengineering innovations for neural organoids with enhanced fidelity and function
Yubing Sun, et al.
Cell Stem Cell, vol. 32, pp. 689-709, 2025. [PDF]
A comprehensive human embryo reference tool using single-cell RNA-sequencing data
Cheng Zhao, et al.
Nature Methods, vol. 22, pp. 193-206, 2025. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Bioengineering embryo models
Xufeng Xue, Yue Liu, and Jianping Fu
Nature Reviews Bioengineering, vol. 3, pp. 11-29, 2025. [PDF]
Criteria for standardization of stem-cell-based embryo models
Alfonso Martinez Arias, et al.
Nature Cell Biology, vol. 26, pp. 1625-1628, 2024. [PDF]
A human pluripotent stem cell-based somitogenesis model using microfluidics
Yue Liu, et al.
Cell Stem Cell, vol. 31, pp. 1113-1126, 2024. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Towards developing human organs via embryo models and chimeras
Jun Wu and Jianping Fu
Cell, vol. 187, pp. 3194-3219, 2024. [PDF]
A patterned human neural tube model using microfluidic gradients
Xufeng Xue, et al.
Nature, vol. 628, pp. 391-399, 2024. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Morphogenesis beyond in vivo
Yue Liu, et al.
Nature Reviews Physics, vol. 6, pp. 28-44, 2024. [PDF]
Derivation of human primordial germ cell-like cells in an embryonic-like culture
Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani, et al.
Nature Communications, vol. 15, 167, 2024. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Changing the public perception of human embryology
Nicolas C. Rivron, et al.
Nature Cell Biology, vol. 25, pp. 1717-1719, 2023. [PDF]
Why researchers should use human embryo models with caution
Janet Rossant and Jianping Fu
Nature, vol. 622, pp. 22-24, 2023. [PDF]
Dissecting peri-implantation development using cultured human embryos and embryo-like assembloids
Zongyong Ai, et al.
Cell Research, vol. 33, pp. 661-678, 2023. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Single-cell analysis of embryoids reveals lineage diversification roadmaps of early human development
Yi Zheng, et al.
Cell Stem Cell, vol. 29, pp. 1402-1419, 2022. [PDF | Supplemental Materials]
Stem-cell-based embryo models for fundamental research and translation
Jianping Fu, Aryeh Warmflash, and Lutolf Matthias
Nature Materials, vol. 20, pp. 132-144, 2021. [PDF]
Amnion signals are essential for mesoderm formation in primates
Ran Yang, et al.
Nature Communications, vol. 12, 5126, 2021. [PDF]
Spatially resolved cell polarity proteomics of a human epiblast model
Sicong Wang, et al.
Science Advances, vol. 7, eabd8407, 2021. [PDF]
Controlled modeling of human epiblast and amnion development using stem cells
Yi Zheng, et al.
Nature, vol. 573, pp. 421-425, 2019. [PDF]
More Publications...
|
|
