Professor DONG Cheng joined The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in May 2023. He is Associate Vice President (Mainland Research Advancement) and Chair Professor of Cell Engineering and ImmunoMedicine in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He also serves as the Director of PolyU Shenzhen Research Institute (SZRI).

Professor Dong obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.  He further received his higher degrees from Columbia University, USA, including Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, as well as Master of Philosophy degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree, both in Bioengineering and Engineering Mechanics.  Professor Dong joined the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) USA in 1992, served as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, and Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, respectively. He also served as Department Head of Biomedical Engineering at Penn State during 2011-22.

Professor Dong is a Member of the United States National Committee on Biomechanics; a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE); a Council Member of the International Society of Biorheology; a past Chair of the BMES Cellular & Molecular Bioengineering Special Group; and a past Secretary of the US national Biomedical Engineering Council of Chairs. He is a Managing Editor for Frontiers in Bioscience; an Associate Editor for BMES Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, Molecular and Cellular Biomechanics; and an Editorial Member of the Journal of Medical Biomechanics and Journal of Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Faculty Career Award from the US National Science Foundation; Faculty Research Award from the American Cancer Society; Y.C. Fung Investigator Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Melville Medal and Best Journal Paper Award from ASME; and Harold Lamport Young Investigator Award from BMES.

A major focus of Professor Dong's research is to elucidate cellular functions in the circulatory system related to cell adhesion and migration, and study micro-hemodynamics, cellular biomechanics, inter-/intra-cellular signaling, cancer immunology and metastases. In particular, he investigates how fluid dynamics, adhesion kinetics and tumor microenvironment change leukocyte and endothelial immune functions which subsequently affect tumor cell extravasation and metastasis. In recent years, Professor Dong focuses on cell engineering and adaptive immunotherapies, using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immune cell mediated nanoparticle, drug, antibody or miRNA deliveries that target either brain tumors across the blood-brain barrier or inflammatory responses in regenerative tissues.

My research areas mainly focus on the interface of human immune cell functions and cancer / inflammatory microenvironments, including cell engineering and adaptive immunotherapies that target either brain tumors across the blood-brain barrier or inflammatory responses in regenerative tissues. Research interests include (but not limited to):

• Cell Signaling
• Cell Engineering
• Regenerative Tissue Engineering
• Nanotechnologies
• Cancer and Inflammatory Microenvironment
• Immunotherapies

Link:

https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/bme/people/academic-staff/prof-dong-cheng/