Dr Youhua Tan Associate Professor, Programme Coordinator (MSc in BME)
Explores the roles of mechanical factors in tumor progression and metastasis

Location ST406
Phone +852 3400 8897
mail youhua.tan@polyu.edu.hk

Open Platform for University Scholars
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Biography Dr. Tan received the Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Science and Technology of China in 2005 and his PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering from both City University of Hong Kong and University of Science and Technology of China in 2010. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2011-2015. Since July 2015, Dr. Tan joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at PolyU as Assistant Professor. Dr. Tan’s research interest includes cell mechanics and mechanobiology, especially the fundamental roles of mechanical forces in tumor metastasis. His research has been supported by many external grants, including 2 Hong Kong Research Grant Council General Research Fund (GRF), 1 Hong Kong Research Grant Council Collaborative Research Fund (CRF; Co-PI), 2 National Natural Science Foundation of China General Programme (NSFC), and 2 Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission Basic Research (STIC).




Research Interests
Mechanobiology
Mechano-oncology
Tumour Metastasis
Cell Mechanics
Cancer Stem Cell.



Academic and Professional Experiences Ph.D. in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Sep 2005 – Jun 2010
Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, China, Sep 2001 – Jun 05 Previous academic positions held:

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, Mar 2011 – Jun 2015
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Jul 2010 – Feb 2011 Present academic position:

Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Jul 2015 – current




Research Output

Selected Research Output
Ying Xin, Xi Chen, Xin Tang, Keming Li, Mo Yang, William Chi-Shing Tai, Yiyao Liu,Youhua Tan#(2019) Mechanics and actomyosin-dependent survival and chemoresistance of suspended tumor cells in shear flow,Biophysical Journal, 116, 1803-1814 (8 out of 8).
Yueting Peng, Zhongyuan Chen, Yu Chen, Shun Li, Ying Jiang, Hong Yang, Chunhui Wu, Fengming You, Chuan Zheng, Jie Zhu,Youhua Tan, Xiang Qin, Yiyao Liu (2019) ROCK isoforms differentially modulate cancer cell motility by mechanosensing the substrate stiffness,Acta Biomaterialia, 88, 86-101 (10 out of 13).
Jing Jin, Kai Tang, Ying Xin, Tianlong Zhang,Youhua Tan#(2018) Hemodynamic shear flow regulates biophysical characteristics and functions of circulating breast tumor cells reminiscent of brain metastasis,Soft Matter, 14, 9528-9533 (5 out of 5).
Tang Xin, Jin Jing, Huang Shiying, Xin Ying,Tan Youhua#(2018) Blood shear stress selects metastasis-initiating cells with metastatic advantages,Biophysical Journal, 114, 325a (5 out of 5).
Tan, Y.*,Tajik, A.*, Chen, J.*, Jia, Q., Chowdhury, F., Wang, L., Chen, J., Zhang, S., Hong, Y., Yi, H., Wu, D.C., Zhang, Y., Wei, F., Poh, Y-C., Seong, J., Singh, R., Lin, L-J., Do?anay, S., Li, Y., Jia, H., Ha, T., Wang, Y., Huang, B., Wang, N. (2014). Matrix softness regulates plasticity of tumor-repopulating cells via H3K9 demethylation and Sox2 expression,Nature Communications5, 4619 (1 out of 24).
Wang, R., Chow, YT., Chen S., Ma, D., Luo, T.,Tan, Y.#,Sun D.# (2018) Magnetic force-driven in Situ selective intracellular delivery,Scientific Reports, 8, 14205 (6 out of 7).
Tan, Y.*,Wood, AR.*,Jia, Q.*,Zhou, W.,Luo, J.,Yang, F.,Chen, J.,Chen, J.,Sun, J.,Seong, J.,Tajik, A.,Singh, R.,Wang, N. (2017) Soft matrices downregulate FAK activity to promote growth of tumor-repopulating cells,Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications483, 456 (1 out of 13).
Liu, J.*,Tan, Y.*,Zhang, H., Zhang, Y., Xu, P., Chen, J., Poh, Y-C., Wang, N., Huang, B. (2012). Soft fibrin gels promote selection and growth of tumorigenic cells.NatureMaterials11, 734-741 (2 out of 9).
Tan, Y.,Kong, C-W., Chen, S., Cheng, S.H., Li, R.A., Sun, D. (2012). Probing the mechanobiological properties of human embryonic stem cells in cardiac differentiation by optical tweezers.Journal of Biomechanics45, 123-128 (1 out of 6).
Tan, Y., Fung, T-K., Wan, H., Wang, K., Leung, A.Y.H., Sun, D. (2011). Biophysical characterization of hematopoietic cells from normal and leukemic sources with distinct primitiveness.Applied Physics Letters99, 083702 (1 out of 6).




Grants
Research Grant Council General Research Scheme (RGC GRF) 2019: The resistance of suspended circulating tumor cells to fluid shear stress in hematogenous dissemination through Piezo1-YAP/TAZ-p73 signaling, 01/01/2021-31/12/2024, HK$ 873,995, Project# 15214320, PI.
Research Grant Council Collaborative Research Fund (RGC CRF) 2019: Multi-scale spatiotemporal single-cell in-situ analysis: Mechanism and biomedical applications, 01/05/2020-30/04/2021, HK$ 2,349,052, Project# C5011-19G, Co-PI.
National Natural Science Foundation of China General Program (NSFC) 2019: Blood shear stress regulates the survival of suspended tumor cells, 01/01/2020-31/12/2023, RMB 630,000, Project# 11972316, PI.
Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission Basic Research (STIC) 2017: Mechanical regulation of cancer stem cells and tumor progression and metastasis inhepatocellular carcinoma, 01/01/2018-31/12/2020, RMB 2,000,000, Project# 20170248, PI.
Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission Basic Research--Exploration (STIC) 2017: Regulation of metastatic potential of cancer stem cells inhepatocellular carcinoma by cell mechanics, 01/06/2017-31/05/2019, RMB 400,000, Project# JCYJ25987, PI.
Project of Strategic Importance, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU Internal Grant) 2017: Biomechanical and Multiomics Characterization of Ocular Tissues during Myopic Development, 02/05/2017-01/05/2020, HK$ 4,074,000, Project# 1-ZE1A, Co-PI.
Research Grant Council Early Career Scheme (RGC ECS) 2016: Cell mechanics regulate tumorigenic potential of soft cancer stem-like cells in hepatocellular carcinoma, 01/01/2018-31/12/2020, HK$ 750,000, Project# 25209417, PI.
National Natural Science Foundation of China General Program (NSFC) 2016: Low cell stiffness regulates high tumorigenic and metastatic potential of hepatocellular carcinoma tumor-repopulating cells, 01/01/2017-31/12/2020, RMB 600,000, Project# 11672255, PI.
Dean's Reserve for Intra-Faculty Collaboration Research, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU Internal Grant) 2016: Mechanical Regulation of Cancer Metastatic Potential and Tropism, 01/08/2016-31/01/2018, HK$ 400,000, Project# 1-ZVJ8, PI.