Single Cell Technologies
This cluster focuses on the development of methods and technologies to probe a single cell.
This goal of this cluster is to build a synergistic scientific and technological platform to investigate one of the most critical building blocks of any biological system – a cell. Through the convergence of biology, computational approaches and engineering, the cluster addresses fundamental biological questions on cellular heterogeneity by developing integrated approaches and technologies to isolate, preserve, characterize and expand rare cells. This approach will enable investigation of basic biological components of single cells at a higher resolution and holds the promise of transforming the study, diagnosis and treatment of every disease. The cluster builds upon an existing ecosystem of UM investigators with complementary research excellence and active collaborations from engineering, physical sciences, life sciences and the medical school.
Recent Publications
Three-dimensional (3D) adipose tissue organoids for disease modeling. Lipid (red), actin (green), nucleus (blue).
Cell in an engineered scaffold
Related Press Releases & Articles
- October 31, 2018 / Article
Recent BI Publications
Recent publications from BI Research Groups
- October 23, 2018 / Article
Call for Nominations for BI Innovator Awards
The Biointerfaces Institute seeks nominations for its inaugural round of BI Innovator Awards.
The goal of the Innovator Award is to recognize faculty, graduate student and postdoctoral researchers who are active contributors to the interdisciplinary research, innovation and translational ecosystem at BI.
- October 22, 2018 / Award
Sunitha Nagrath wins ACS Award
Sunitha Nagrath is the recipient of the 2018 Analytical Chemistry Young Innovator Award. The award honors the contributions of an individual who has demonstrated exceptional technical advancement and innovation in the field of microfluidics or nanofluidics in his or her early career.
- October 3, 2018 / Article
Sunitha Nagrath publishes work on new microfluidic Carpet Chip
The article entitled “Profiling Heterogeneous Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) Populations in Pancreatic Cancer Using a Serial Microfluidic CTC Carpet Chip” appears in Advanced Biosystems.
- June 22, 2018 / Award
Max Wicha named 2019 Henry Russel Lecturer
The Henry Russel Lectureship is awarded annually to a faculty member with exceptional achievements in research, scholarship or creative endeavors, as well as an outstanding record of teaching, mentoring and service.
- May 1, 2018 / Award
Congratulations Microposter Winners
Thank you to all of the poster presenters who attended the BIRG 2nd Microposter Session and congratulations to our winners!
- April 3, 2018 / Article
Carlos Aguilar wins Non-Tenured Faculty Award from 3M
Carlos Aguilar is one of the recipients of the 2018 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Awards. Awarded by 3M Corporation, this award recognizes junior faculty who demonstrate outstanding research, experience, teaching and academic leadership.
- February 5, 2018 / Award
Two BI research fellows awarded MICHR Award
Patricia Schnepp, PhD and Vishwanath Sankarasubramanian, PhD receive Postdoctoral Translational Scholars Program (PTSP) Awards from MICHR.
- January 10, 2018 / Press Release
Carlos Aguilar joins BI
Carlos Aguilar, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and his research group recently joined BI. The Nano-Omic-Bio-Engineering Lab (NOBEL) is working on developing new approaches and tools to understand and investigate skeletal muscles.
- September 27, 2017 / Article
Findings on Circulating Tumor Cells published in Cell Systems
A research article from Sunitha Nagrath’s lab, in collaboration with the Keller, Wicha and Simeone groups, entitled “High-Throughput Microfluidic Labyrinth for Label-free Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells” was published in Cell Systems.
- September 25, 2017 / Press Release
Nagrath identifying new cancer targets
In work started during his time at Rice University, Deepak Nagrath continues to research cancer cell metabolism and how cancer cells interact. Learning how the cells communicate could lead to new targets for more effective treatments than those currently is use.
- September 21, 2017 / Press Release
Labyrinth chip developed by Nagrath and Wicha used in clinical trial
Currently being used in a breast cancer clinical trial to isolate cancer cells in blood, Sunitha Nagrath and Max Wicha led the development of a hydrodynamic maze called the labyrinth chip. With its innovative design, the labyrinth chip allows researchers to capture cells for molecular analysis so they can know what to target with treatments.
- September 1, 2017 / Article
Deepak Nagrath reports findings on the role of Nitric Oxide in Cancer
“Nitric Oxide: The Forgotten Child of Tumor Metabolism” appears in Trends in Cancer
- August 30, 2017 / Press Release
Blood test being used to predict lung cancer prognosis
The Single Cell Analysis Core, led by co-directors Evan Keller and Sunitha Nagrath, is using blood tests to isolate cancer cells to better understand the disease. In what they hope to become routine practice, “liquid biopsies” are being analyzed to provide an early determination of whether patients may need additional treatment.
- March 1, 2017 / YouTube Video
Catching Cancer Cells
Sunitha Nagrath discusses microfluidic devices developed in her lab to capture cancer cells and their promise to develop liquid biopsy approaches to diagnosing cancer.
Our Single Cell Technologies Researchers
Cell and Tissue Engineering
Learn MoreAdvanced Materials and Drug Delivery
Learn MoreNeural Engineering
Learn MoreNanotechnology
Learn More
Joerg Lahann
Professor of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research Focus: Advanced Materials and Drug Delivery, Single Cell Technologies Contact Information:lahann@umich.eduResearch in the Lahann Lab focuses on surface engineering, advanced polymers, biomimetic materials, engineered stem cell microenvironments, drug delivery, and nano-scale self-assembly.
Carlos Aguilar
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Research Focus: Single Cell Technologies, Cell and Tissue Engineering Contact Information:caguilar@umich.eduAguilar’s NOBEL lab develops, optimizes and applies innovative technologies such as integrative genomic assays and high-throughput sequencing, micro/nanofabricated devices, genome editing and computational modeling to its primary area of focus, which is skeletal muscle.
Deepak Nagrath
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Research Focus: Single Cell Technologies, Cell and Tissue Engineering Contact Information:dnagrath@umich.eduThe Nagrath lab focuses on both experimental and theoretical aspects of Cellular and Molecular Tissue Engineering, Metabolic Engineering, and Biomedicine with emphasis on clinical applications. Our research interests lie in the systems biology of metabolic diseases, specifically cancer.
Evan Keller
Professor ofUrology and Pathology; Associate Professor of Comparative Pathology Research Focus: Single Cell Technologies, Cell and Tissue Engineering Contact Information:etkeller@umich.eduThe Keller Group focuses on the biology of cancer metastasis and explores genes that regulate metastasis and the interaction between the bone microenvironment and cancer cells. Researchers perform translational studies to enable movement of research findings into clinics.
Max Wicha
Madeline and Sidney Forbes Professor of Oncology Research Focus: Cell and Tissue Engineering, Single Cell Technologies Contact Information:mwicha@umich.eduWicha researchers study the biology of stem cells in the normal mammary gland and breast cancers by isolating and characterizing normal and malignant mammary stem cells and the changes in these key cells during carcinogenesis.
Nicholas Kotov
Joseph B. and Florence V. Cejka Professor of Engineering; Professor of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research Focus: Nanotechnology, Single Cell Technologies Contact Information:kotov@umich.eduResearch in the Kotov Group focuses on self-organization of nanocolloids, layer-by-layer assembly, ultrastrong nanocomposites, tissue engineering with nanomaterials, nanoscale drugs, and implantable biomedical devices.
Sunitha Nagrath
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Research Focus: Single Cell Technologies, Cell and Tissue Engineering Contact Information:snagrath@umich.eduThe Nagrath lab research focuses on developing integrated nano- and microfluidic technologies for understanding cell trafficking in cancer through isolation, characterization, and the study of circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood of cancer patients.