Jennifer YOUNG

Assistant Professor, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore

biejly@nus.edu.sg
09-03-07
Level 9 T-Lab
National University of Singapore
5A Engineering Drive 1
Singapore 117411

Laboratory website
Soft Nano-Biomaterials Lab

Affiliations
Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore

Jennifer Young

Principal Investigator

Research Areas

Tissue nanoenvironment, biomaterials, cell-ECM interactions

Research Interests

The Soft Nano-Biomaterials Lab focuses on exploring and recapitulating nanoscale properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM), i.e. the tissue nanoenvironment. Nanoscale properties of the native ECM, particularly the type and distribution of adhesive sites with which cells directly interact, are largely unknown and therefore have rarely been integrated into biomaterials design. Furthermore, as ECM disruption is a major driver of disease progression, knowledge of cell binding domain organization will advance current therapeutic strategies. Thus, the focus of our group is to study tissue architecture at the nanoscale, in particular matrix alterations in diseased states, e.g. cardiac disease and breast cancer. Such properties will guide our biomaterial designs for addressing a number of important biological phenomena, including stem cell differentiation, cancer cell migration and chemoresistance, respiratory disease caused by air pollutants, and cardiac tissue regeneration. High content screening platforms will also be harnessed to study cell-nanoscale ECM interactions in a variety of biological contexts, thereby supporting a wide-reaching understanding of cell behavior in response to nano-ECM properties.

Education

BS in Biomedical Engineering, University of California Davis
PhD in Bioengineering, University of California San Diego

Biography

Jennifer Young was trained as a bioengineer at the University of California Davis (B.S.) and the University of California San Diego (Ph.D.). During her Ph.D. with Prof. Adam Engler, she studied the role of mechanics in cardiac development, and created a hydrogel system capable of mimicking dynamic tissue properties in vitro. Inspired by the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in dictating cell behavior and fate, she joined Prof. Joachim Spatz’s Cellular Biophysics group at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (Heidelberg, Germany) to study the contribution of nanoscale ECM cues to cellular function. Here, she discovered that variations in nanoscale ligand presentation alone affect chemoresistance in breast cancer cells, which has great implications in cancer treatment strategies. Her work at the MBI and NUS BME will continue to identify nanoscale ECM properties and unravel their contribution to cellular behavior in a diverse set of biological environments.

Selected Publications

1. Elnathan, R., Barbato, M.G., Guo, X., Mariano, A., Wang, Z., Santoro, F., Shi, P., Voelcker, N.H., Xie, X., Young, J.L.†, Zhao, Y., Zhao, W., Chiappini, C. (2022). Biointerface design for vertical nanoprobes. Nature Reviews Materials, 7: 953-973. †corresponding author
2. Singh, J.P. and Young, J.L.† (2021): The cardiac nanoenvironment: form and function at the nanoscale. Biophysical Reviews: 1-12. †corresponding author
3. Di Russo, J., Young, J.L., Wegner, J.W.R., Steins, T., Kessler, H., Spatz, J.P. (2021): Integrin ⍺5β1 nano-presentation regulates keratinocyte collective migration independent of substrate rigidity. eLife: 10:e69861
4. Elnathan, R., Holle, A.W., Young, J.L., George, M.A., Heifler, O., Goychuk, A., Frey, E., Kemkemer, R., Spatz, J.S., Kosloff, A., Patolsky, F., Voelcker, N.H. (2021); Optically Transparent Vertical Silicon Nanowire Arrays for Live-Cell Imaging. Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 19 (1): 1-6.
5. Yu, L. Hou, Y., Xie, W., Camacho, L.C., Cheng, C., Holle, A.W., Young, J.L., Trappmann, B., Zhao, W., Melzig, M.F., Cavalcanti-Adam, E.A., Zhao, C., Spatz, J.P., Wei, Q., Haag, R. (2020) Ligand Diffusion Enables Force‐Independent Cell Adhesion via Activating α5β1 Integrin and Initiating Rac and RhoA Signaling. Advanced Materials. 32 (29): 2002566.
6. Young, J.L., Hua, X., Somsel, H., Reichart, F., Kessler, H., Spatz, J.P. (2020): Integrin Subtypes and Nanoscale Dimensionality Influence Drug Resistance in Breast Cancer Cells. Nano Letters. 20 (2): 1183-1191.
7. Major, L.G.*, Holle, A.W.*, Young, J.L.*, Hepburn, M.S., Jeong, K., Chin, I.L., Sanderson, R.W., Jeon, J.K., Aman, Z.M., Kennedy, B.F., Hwang, Y., Han, D-W., Hyun, W.H., Guan, K-L., Spatz, J.P., Choi, Y.S. (2019): Volume adaptation controls stem cell mechanotransduction. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 11 (49): 45520-45530. *equal contribution
8. Di Russo, J., Young, J.L., Balakrishnan, A., Benk, A., Spatz, J.P. (2019): NTA-Co3+-His6 versus NTA-Ni2+-His6 mediated E-Cadherin Surface Immobilization Enhances Cellular Traction. Biomaterials. 192: 171-178.
9. Holle, A.W., Young, J.L., Van Vliet, K.J., Kamm, R.D., Discher, D.E., Janmey, P.A., Spatz, J.P. and Saif, M.T. (2018): Cell–Extracellular Matrix Mechanobiology: Forceful Tools and Emerging Needs for Basic and Translational Research. Nano Lett. 18 (1): 1-8.
10. Hadden, W.J.*, Young, J.L.*, Holle, A.W.*, McFetridge, M.L., Kim, D.Y., Wijesinghe, P., Taylor-Weiner, H., Wen, J.H., Lee, A.R., Bieback, K., Vo, B-N., Sampson, D.D., Kennedy, B.F., Spatz, J.P., Engler. A.J., and Choi, Y.S. (2017): Stem cell migration and mechanotransduction on linear stiffness gradient hydrogels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 114 (22): 5647-5652. *equal contribution

Full publication list available at Google Scholar

Current Lab Interns

1. Shashaank Abhinav Venkatesh, BME FYP intern
2. Germaine Teo Qi En, BME FYP intern
3. Neville Ho Zi Hergn, BME FYP intern
4. Yock Leng Lee, BME FYP intern (co-supervised with Lin JieRong Esther, IMRE)
5. Chin Hao Lee, BME FYP intern (co-supervised with Chii Jou Chan, MBI)

Lab Alumni

1. Yuting Lu, BME Master’s intern 2023
2. Sammueal Ong Jun Kai, BME UROP intern 2023
3. Swathi Kumar, BME UROP intern 2023
4. Lakshmi Sujeesh, BME intern 2023
5. Shutong Liu, BME UROP intern 2023
6. Venkat Daita, SERIUS international (USA) intern 2023
7. Wangari Mbuthia, SERIUS international (USA) intern 2023
8. Mansimar Kaur, MUST international (India) intern 2023
9. Gabriel Tan Wei En, BME FYP intern 2023
10. Maarten Van Zon, International (Netherlands) Master’s intern 2023
11. Prerana Cheekoty, High School intern 2022
12. Rachel Goh Si Ning, BME FYP intern 2022
13. Keer Zhang, International (China) FYP intern 2022
14. Ashley Koenig, SERIUS international (USA) intern 2022
15. Cara Klinger, SERIUS international (USA) intern 2022
16. Jessica Wu, MUST international (USA) intern 2022
17. Tricia Peh Jie Ee, FYP intern 2022
18. Nurhannan Bte Mohamed Fauzi, FYP intern 2022
19. Xin Yi Chua, MUST intern 2021 and BME FYP intern 2022
20. Nafeesah Bte Mohamed Ibrahim, Intern 2021