fu-headshot

Jianping Fu, Ph.D.

Professor, Mechanical Engineering
BME/People/Faculty/Affiliate Faculty/Jianping Fu, Ph.D.

email

jpfu@umich.edu

Location

2664 G.G. Brown Addition
2350 Hayward Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125

Phone

(734) 615-7363

Primary Website

Integrated Biosystems and Biomechanics Laboratory

Biography

Additional Title(s)

  • Professor, Cell & Developmental Biology
  • Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Fu received a B.E. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2000 and an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2002. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2007, completing his thesis under the guidance of Dr. Jongyoon Han. From 2007 to 2009, Dr. Fu was an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Christopher S. Chen’s group at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Fu has been at the University of Michigan in the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 2009 to the present, achieving the rank of Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 2020. Additionally, Dr. Fu holds courtesy appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.

Dr. Fu’s current research focuses on mechanobiology, stem cell bioengineering, developmental bioengineering, microfluidics and BioMEMS. Dr. Fu and his co-workers’ research on modeling human development using human stem cells has contributed significantly to the emerging field of “Artificial Embryos”, which was selected by the MIT Technology Review as one of the “10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2018”.

Research Interests

Dr. Fu’s research focuses on stem cell bioengineering, developmental bioengineering, and mechanobiology in the context of understanding early human development and modeling human disease.

Research Areas:

Bio-MEMS and Microfluidics, Bio-Micro Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering, Biomechanics, Molecular and Cellular Biomechanics, Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Education

  • Ph.D.  Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 2002-2007
    • Ph.D. advisor: Jongyoon Han
  • M.S., Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 2000-2002
  • B.E., Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), 1995-2000

Publications

See complete publication list at IBBL Publications.
Selected publications (*corresponding author)

  • Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani, Yi Zheng, Auriana Arabpour, Agnes M. Resto Irizarry, Xufeng Xue, Yue Shao, Cheng Zhao, Nicole Agranonik, Timothy J. Hunt, Jared Faith, Mary Jane Lara, Qiu-Ya Hsu, Sherman Silber, Sophie Petropoulos, Ran Yang, Kenneth R. Chien, Amander T. Clark*, and Jianping Fu*.  Derivation of human primordial germ cell-like cells in an embryonic-like culture.  Nature Communications, in press, 2023.  DOI : 10.1038/s41467-023-43871-2.
  • Yue Liu*, Xufeng Xue, Shiyu Sun, Norio Kobayashi, Yung Su Kim, and Jianping Fu*.  Morphogenesis: in vivo and beyond.  Nature Reviews Physics, in press, 2023.  DOI : 10.1038/s42254-023-00669-x.
  • Nicolas C. Rivron*, Alfonso Martinez-Arias*, Karen Sermon, Christine Mummery, Hans Schöler, James Wells, Jenny Nichols, Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis, Madeline A. Lancaster, Jianping Fu, Janet Rossant, and Kazuto Kato.  Changing the public perception of human embryology.  Nature Cell Biology, in press, 2023.
  • Janet Rossant* and Jianping Fu*.  Why researchers should use human embryo models with caution.  Nature, vol. 622, pp. 22-24, 2023.  DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-03062-x.  
  • Feng Lin, Xia Li, Shiyu Sun, Zhongyi Li, Jianbo Bai, Lin Song, Bo Li*, Jianping Fu, and Yue Shao*.  Mechanically enhanced biogenesis of gut spheroids with instability-driven morphomechanics.  Nature Communications, vol. 14, 6016, 2023.  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41760-2. 
  • Zongyong Ai, Baohua Niu, Yu Yin, Kui Duan, Lifeng Xiang, Gaohui Shi, Lujuan Rong, Sile Wang, Ruize Kong, Tingwei Chen, Yixin Guo, Wanlu Liu, Wenya Li, Junliang Li, Nan Li, Shumei Zhao, Xiaoqing Zhu, Xuancheng Mai, Yonggang Li, Ze Wu, Yi Zheng, Jianping Fu, Weizhi Ji, and Tianqing Li*.  Dissecting peri-implantation epiblast development using human embryos and embryoids.  Cell Research, vol. 33, pp. 661-678, 2023.  DOI: 10.1038/s41422-023-00846-8.
  • Yi Zheng*, Robin Zhexuan Yan, Mutsumi Kobayashi, Lifeng Xiang, Ran Yang, Alexander Goedel, Yu Kang, Xuefeng Xue, Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani, Yue Liu, Agnes M. Resto Irizarry, Weisheng Wu, Yunxiu Li, Weizhi Ji, Yuyu Niu, Kenneth R. Chien, Tianqing Li, Toshihiro Shioda, and Jianping Fu*.  Single-cell analysis of embryoids reveals lineage diversification roadmaps of early human development.  Cell Stem Cell, vol. 29, pp. 1402-1419, 2022.  DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2022.08.009. 
  • Ran Yang, Alexander Goedel, Yu Kang, Chengyang Si, Chu Chu, Yi Zheng, Zhenzhen Chen, Peter J. Gruber, Yao Xiao, Chikai Zhou, Chuen-Yan Leung, Yongchang Chen, Jianping Fu, Weizhi Ji, Fredrik Lanner*, Yuyu Niu*, and Kenneth Chien*.  Amnion signals are essential for mesoderm formation in primates.  Nature Communications, vol. 12, 5126, 2021.  DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.28.118703. 
  • Dennis W. Zhou, Marc Fernández-Yagüe, Nicolas S. Castro, Elijah N. Holland, Eric B. O’Neill, Jeroen Eyckmans, Christopher Chen, Jianping Fu, David D. Schlaepfer, and Andrés J. García*.  Force-FAK signaling coupling at individual focal adhesions coordinates mechanosensing and microtissue repair.  Nature Communications, vol. 12, 2359, 2021.  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22602-5.
  • Sicong Wang, Chien-Wei Lin, Chari L. Cortez, Amber E. Carleton, Craig Johnson, Linnea E. Taniguchi, Ryan F. Townshend, Venkatesha Basrur, Alexey I. Nesvizhskii, Amy W. Hudson, Blake R. Hill, Peng Zou, Jianping Fu*, Deborah L. Gumucio*, Mara C. Duncan*, and Kenichiro Taniguchi*.  Spatially resolved cell polarity proteomics of a human epiblast model.  Science Advances, vol. 7, eabd8407, 2021.  DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd8407.
  • Jianping Fu*, Aryeh Warmflash*, and Lutolf Matthias*.  Stem-cell-based embryo models for fundamental research and translation.  Nature Materials, vol. 20, pp. 132-144, 2021.  DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-00829-9.  (Review)    
  • Jonathon M. Muncie, Nadia M.E. Ayad, Johnathon N. Lakins, Xufeng Xue, Jianping Fu, and Valerie M. Weaver*.  Mechanical tension promotes formation of gastrulation-like nodes and patterns mesoderm specification in human embryonic stem cells.  Developmental Cell, vol. 55, pp. 679-694, 2020.  DOI: 10.1101/2020.02.10.943076.
  • Yuanyuan Zheng, Xufeng Xue, Agnes M. Resto Irizarry, Zida Li, Yue Shao, Yi Zheng, Gang Zhao*, and Jianping Fu*.  Dorsal-ventral patterned neural cyst from human pluripotent stem cells in a biomimetic neurogenic niche.  Science Advances, vol. 5, eaax5933, 2019.  DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax5933.
  • Yi Zheng, Xufeng Xue, Yue Shao, Sicong Wang, Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani, Zida Li, Jonathon M. Muncie, Johnathon N. Lakins, Valerie M. Weaver, Deborah L. Gumucio, and Jianping Fu*.   Controlled modeling of human epiblast and amnion development using stem cells.  Nature, vol. 573, pp. 421-425, 2019.  DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1535-2.
  • Nicolas Rivron*, Martin Pera*, Janet Rossant, Alfonso Martinez Arias, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, Jianping Fu, Suzanne van den Brink, Annelien Bredenoord, Wybo Dondorp, Guido de Wert, Insoo Hyun, Megan Munsie, and Rosario Isasi.  Debate ethics of embryo models from stem cells.  Nature, vol. 564, pp. 183-185, 2018.  (Commentary)
  • Xufeng Xue, Yubing Sun*, Agnes Resto-Irizarry, Ye Yuan, Koh Meng Aw Yong, Yi Zheng, Shinuo Weng, Yue Shao, Yimin Chai, Lorenz Studer, and Jianping Fu*.  Mechanics-guided embryonic patterning of neuroectoderm tissue from human pluripotent stem cells.  Nature Materials, vol. 17, pp. 633-641, 2018.  DOI: 10.1038/s41563-018-0082-9.
  • Yue Shao, Kenichiro Taniguchi, Ryan F. Townshend, Toshio Miki, Deborah L. Gumucio*, and Jianping Fu*.  A pluripotent stem cell-based model for post-implantation human amniotic sac development.  Nature Communications, vol. 8, 208, 2017.  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00236-w. 
  • Yue Shao, Kenichiro Taniguchi, Katherine Gurdziel, Ryan F. Townshend, Xufeng Xue, Koh Meng Aw Yong, Jianming Sang, Jason R. Spence, Deborah L. Gumucio*, and Jianping Fu*.  Self-organized amniogenesis by human pluripotent stem cells in a biomimetic implantation-like niche.  Nature Materials, vol. 16, pp. 419-425, 2017.  DOI: 10.1038/NMAT4829. 
  • Shinuo Weng, Yue Shao, Weiqiang Chen, and Jianping Fu*.  Mechanosensitive subcellular rheostasis drives emergent single-cell tensional homeostasis.  Nature Materials, vol. 15, pp. 961-967, 2016.  DOI: 10.1038/nmat4654.
  • Yubing Sun, Koh Meng Aw Yong, Luis G. Villa-Diaz, Xiaoli Zhang, Weiqiang Chen, Renee Philson, Shinuo Weng, Haoxing Xu, Paul H. Krebsbach, and Jianping Fu*.  Hippo / YAP-mediated rigidity-dependent motor neuron differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells.  Nature Materials, vol. 13, pp. 599-604, 2014.  DOI: 10.1038/nmat3945. 
  • Ankur Singh, Shalu Suri, Ted T. Lee, Jamie M.Chilton, Weiqiang Chen, Jianping Fu, Steven L. Stice, Hang Lu, Todd C. McDevitt, and Andrés J. García*.  Adhesive signature-based, label-free isolation of human pluripotent stem cells.  Nature Methods, vol. 10, pp. 438-444, 2013.  DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2437. 
  • Jianping Fu, Yang-Kao Wang, Michael T. Yang, Ravi A. Desai, Xiang Yu, Zhijun Liu, and Christopher S. Chen*.  Mechanical regulation of cell function with geometrically modulated elastomeric substrates.  Nature Methods, vol. 7, pp.733-736, 2010.  DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1487. 
  • Jianping Fu, Reto B. Schoch, Anna L. Stevens, Steven R. Tannenbaum, and Jongyoon Han*.  A patterned anisotropic nanofluidic sieving structure for continuous-flow separation of DNA and proteins.  Nature Nanotechnology, vol. 2, pp.121-128, 2007.  DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2006.206. 
  • Jianping Fu, Juhwan Yoo, and Jongyoon Han*.  Molecular sieving in periodic free-energy landscapes created by patterned nanofilter arrays.  Physical Review Letters, vol. 97, 018103, 2006.  DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.018103.

Professional Service

Dr. Fu was a member of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Guidelines Working Group from 2019 to 2021 and is currently a member of the ISSCR Publications Committee. He is a council member of the Biomedical Engineering Society Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Special Interest Group (BMES CMBE-SIG). Dr. Fu currently serves as the Associate Editor of npj Regenerative Medicine and is an Editorial or Advisory Board Member of Cell Stem Cell, Biophysical Journal, Cell Regeneration, Mechanobiology in Medicine, and Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. Additionally, Dr. Fu is a Founding Member of the Catalysts Program of EMBO Journal.

Awards

Dr. Fu’s research contributions have earned him recognition through more than 30 institutional, national, and international awards and honors. These include the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2012), the Rising Star Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society (2016), the Analytical Chemistry Young Innovator Award from the American Chemical Society (2020), and the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2022). Dr. Fu is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineers (IAMBE), and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). He is also a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).