Associate Professor Yu Suk Choi
Research Profile
Yu Suk’s research focus is in controlling stem cell fate by providing different microenvironments. The fate of stem cells was thought to be primarily dictated by biochemical signals, including cytokines and growth factors, for decades. However, more recent data suggested stem cells also responded to their neighbouring cells and extracellular matrices (ECMs).
Previously, Yu Suk has shown that stem cells from fat (adipose-derived stem cells – ASCs) were able to feel/sense and respond (mechanosense) to matrices that mimicked the stiffness of brain, skeletal muscle or bone and committed to differentiate into each of those tissue lineages, respectively. Intracellularly, stem cells transduce these biophysical/mechanical signals into biochemical signals from cell membrane to nucleus and this process is called mechanotransduction.
Yu Suk's group aims to study how mechanical cues (especially stiffness) control stem cells by focusing on 3 areas:
investigating the intracellular mechanism by which stem cells respond to ECM mechanical cues
developing bio-inspired ECM (2D and 3D biomaterials) as platforms to control stem cell fate
programming stem cells to be used in stem cell therapy, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine