Chii Jou (Joe) CHAN

Assistant Professor, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore

dbschii@nus.edu.sg
10-03F
Level 10 T-Lab
National University of Singapore
5A Engineering Drive 1
Singapore 117411

Curriculum Vitae

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Laboratory website
Mammalian Development and Tissue Hydraulics Laboratory

Affiliations
Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore

Chii Jou (Joe) Chan

Principal Investigator

Research Areas

Mammalian oogenesis, embryogenesis, tissue hydraulics, mechanochemical feedback in tissue self-organisation

Research Interests

Our research aims to address the following questions in developmental biology: How are tissue size and shape precisely controlled during early mammalian development? Conversely how is tissue geometry sensed and transmitted to the cellular level to impact cellular/molecular functions? How are mechanics and biochemical signalling integrated across multiple scales to ensure robust morphogenesis and patterning?

Research from the Chan Lab.

To address these fundamental questions, we focus on understanding mammalian oogenesis, the formation of eggs (oocytes) that provide the bulk genetic and cytoplasmic materials for successful reproduction. The growth of functional oocytes is characterised by their correct size and number, which are tightly controlled during oogenesis. However the underlying mechanisms, particularly how the mechanics of the oocyte microenvironment can influence its development, remain poorly understood. In our lab, we will develop biomechanical tools to map out the mechanical interactions between the oocyte, its surrounding somatic cells and the ovarian tissue.  We will also utilise advanced deep tissue imaging techniques to study follicle dynamics in vivo. Eventually we will combine these insights with synthetic biomimetics, biophysical and genetic manipulations, and mathematical modelling to understand the mechanical and molecular mechanisms regulating oogenesis.

An important, albeit understudied aspect is the role of tissue hydraulics in development. We have recently shown that luminal pressure plays a critical role in regulating the tissue size and cell fate specification of mouse blastocysts (Nature 2019, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1309-x). In mammalian oogenesis, a similar process occurs where a fluid-filled cavity emerges at the antral follicle stage. Our lab will study the dynamics and mechanisms of luminogenesis, and investigate how luminal pressure and signalling collectively influence the oocyte development.  Another aspect where hydraulics may play a role in oogenesis is the formation of germline cysts in the fetal ovaries. How these interconnected germ cells undergo death and cyst breakup prior to birth remains unknown. We hypothesize that this process may be driven by pressure-induced fluid exchange between the germ cells, and will test this hypothesis using quantitative imaging, biophysics and developmental genetics.

The ultimate goal of the lab is to extend these understanding to other mammalian species and identify common principles underlying oogenesis. A quantitative understanding of the mechanical aspects of oogenesis will deepen our understanding of reproductive biology and ageing and have important implications for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Teaching

LSM2234 – Introduction to Quantitative Biology
LSM3236 – Pattern Formation and Self-organisation in Biology
LSM4252 – Reproductive Biology
Consultation hours: Friday 2-4pm

Education

B.A., M.Sc. (First Class Honours), University of Cambridge, UK
M.Phil., University of Cambridge, UK
Ph.D., University of Cambridge, UK

Biography

Chii Jou (Joe) Chan was trained in theoretical soft matter physics at the University of Cambridge (B.A., M.Phil.). For his Ph.D. with Prof. Jochen Guck at Cambridge and TU Dresden (Germany), he studied the mechanical and optical properties of living cells and nuclei, using biomechanical tools (optical stretcher, microfluidics) and biophotonics. Inspired by how physical forces shape early development of living organisms, he joined the group of Dr. Takashi Hiiragi as an EIPOD fellow at EMBL Heidelberg (Germany), where he made a major discovery in hydraulic regulation of mouse embryo size and cell fate specification. His interdisciplinary productivity is reflected in the diversity of his collaborators (cell and developmental biologists, experimental biophysicists, theorists) across the world. Joe was awarded the Singaporean Teaching and Academic Research Talent (START) Inauguration Grant from the MOE and NUS, and will launch his research group at MBI and NUS Department of Biological Sciences in Jan 2021.

Recent Publications

1. Lin S-Z, Tomida K, Ng BH, … & Chan CJ. Dual curvature sensing governs cell orientation and curvotaxis. bioRxiv. (2026)
2. Jaeschke A, Hepburn MS, Mowla A, Eckert H, Kennedy BF, Chan CJ. Protocol to study murine ovarian elasticity and composition in situ by integrating quantitative micro-elastography with light microscopy. STAR Protocols. (2026)
3. Ng BH, Biswas A, Tomida K, Leong KW, … & Chan CJ. Theca cell mechanosensing and regulation of follicular extracellular matrix during ovarian follicle development. bioRxiv. (2026)
4. Biswas A, Lou YT, Ng BH, … & Chan CJ. Surface mechanics and compressive stress impact mammalian follicle development. Nat. Communications. (2025)
5. Chan CJ. Editorial for special issue: Environmental control of oogenesis and ovulatory dynamics. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology. (2025)
6. Jaeschke A, Hepburn MS, Mowla A, Kennedy BF, Chan CJ. Three-dimensional quantitative micro-elastography reveals alterations in spatial elasticity patterns in murine ovaries during ageing. Communications Biology. (2025)
7. Leong KW, Lou Y, … & Chan CJ. Critical phenomenon underlies de novo luminogenesis during mammalian follicle development. bioRxiv. (2025)
8. Tomida K., Ong HT., Young JL., Chan CJ. Capturing ovarian dynamics through spatial profiling of the mechano-microenvironment. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology. (2025)
9. Wohland T., Saunders T.E., Chan CJ. Developmental biophysics. Biophysical Journal. (2025)
10. Turley J, Leong KW, Chan CJ. Novel imaging and biophysical approaches to study tissue hydraulics in mammalian folliculogenesis. Biophysical Reviews. (2024)
11. Jaeschke A, Hepburn MS, Mowla A, Kennedy BF, Chan CJ. Three-dimensional quantitative micro-elastography reveals alterations in spatial elasticity patterns of follicles and corpora lutea in murine ovaries during ageing. bioRxiv. (2024)
12. Biswas A, Lou YT, Ng BH, Tomida K, Darpe S, Wu Z, Lu TB, Bonne I, Chan CJ. Theca cell mechanics and tissue pressure regulate mammalian ovarian folliculogenesis. bioRxiv. (2024)
13. Hepburn M, Jaeschke A, Mowla A, Chan CJ, Kennedy BF. Three-dimensional characterization of murine ovary elasticity using quantitative micro-elastography. Optical Elastography and Tissue Biomechanics XI. (2024), PC128440B
14. Bevilacqua C, Gomez JM, Fiuza U-M, Chan CJ, Wang L, Hambura S, Eguren M, Ellenberg J, Diz-Muñoz A, Leptin M, Prevedel R. High-resolution line-scan Brillouin microscopy for live-imaging of mechanical properties during embryo development. Nature Methods. (2023)
15. Biswas A, Ng BH, Prabhakaran V, Chan CJ. Squeezing the eggs to grow: The mechanobiology of mammalian folliculogenesis. Front. Cell Dev. Biol. (2022)
16. Chan CJ, Hirashima T. Tissue Hydraulics in Reproduction. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology (2022)
17. Chan CJ, Bevilacqua C, Prevedel R. Mechanical mapping of mammalian follicle development using Brillouin microscopy. Comm. Biology (2021) 4 (1133)
18. Yang Q, Xue S-L, Chan CJ, Rempfler M, Vischi D, Gutierrez F M, Hiiragi T, Hannezo E, Liberali. Cell fate coordinates mechano-osmotic forces in intestinal crypt morphogenesis.  Nature Cell Biology (2021).
19. Roffay C*, Chan CJ*, Guirao B, Hiiragi T, Graner F. Inferring cell junction tension and pressure from cell geometry. Development (2021) 148 (18) dev192773.
20. Bevilacqua C, Hambura S, Wang L, Chan CJ, Eguren M, Gomez Elliff JM, Diz-Muñoz A, Prevedel R. High-resolution line-scanning Brillouin microscopy for fast and low phototoxicity live-imaging of mechanical properties in biology. Elastography and Tissue Biomechanics VIII (2021), 11645
21. Chan CJ, Hiiragi T. Integration of luminal pressure and signalling in tissue self-organisation. Development (2020) 147 (5), 1-10
22. Ryan AQ, Chan CJ, Graner F, Hiiragi T. Lumen expansion facilitates epiblast-primitive endoderm fate specification during mouse blastocyst formation. Developmental Cell (2019) 51, 1-14.
23. Chan CJ, Costanzo M, Ruiz-Herrero T, Mönke G, Petrie R, Bergert M, Diz-Munoz A, Mahadevan L, Hiiragi T. Hydraulic control of mammalian embryo size and cell fate. Nature (2019) 571:112-116
24. Chan CJ, Heisenberg C-P, Hiiragi T. Coordination of morphogenesis and cell fate specification in development. Current Biology. (2017) 27(18):R1024-R1035.
25. Chan CJ, Hiiragi T. Keeping in touch to differentiate. Developmental Cell (2017) 43(2):113-114
26. Chan CJ, Li W, Cojoc G, Guck J, Volume transitions of isolated cell nuclei induced by rapid temperature increase. Biophysical Journal (2017) 112(6):1063-1076
27. Schürmann M, Scholze J, Müller P, Guck J, Chan CJ. Cell nuclei have lower refractive index and mass density than cytoplasm. Journal of Biophotonics (2016) 9(10): 1068-1076.
28. Chan CJ, Ekpenyong AE, Golfier S, Li W, Chalut KJ, Otto O, Elgeti J, Guck J, Lautenschläger F. Myosin II activity softens cells in suspension. Biophysical Journal (2015) 108(8): 1856–1869
29. Schürmann M, Scholze J, Müller P, Chan CJ, Ekpenyong AE, Chalut KJ, Guck J. Refractive index measurements of single, spherical cells using digital holographic microscopy. Methods in Cell Biology (2015) 125:143-159.
30. Chan CJ, Whyte G, Boyde L, Salbreux G, Guck J. Impact of heating on passive and active biomechanics of suspended cells. Interface Focus (2014) 4, 20130069.
31. Chalut KJ, Höpfler M, Lautenschläger F, Boyde L, Chan CJ, Ekpenyong AE, Martinez-Arias A, Guck J. Chromatin decondensation and nuclear softening accompany Nanog downregulation in embryonic stem cells. Biophysical Journal (2012) 103(10): 2060-2070.
32. Chan CJ, Terentjev EM. Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics of liquid crystals: relaxation, viscosity and elasticity. Journal of Physics A (2007) 40 R103-R148 Topic Review.
33. Chan CJ, Terentjev EM. Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics of nematic liquids. IMA Volumes in Mathematics and Its Applications, Modeling of Soft Matter (2005) 141:27-84.