Degrees:

• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, 1998
• M.S., Chemical Engineering, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, 1995
• B.S., Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 1992

Areas of research:

• Biomedical nanotechnology
• Stem cell technology  
• Tissue engineering
• Biosensors
• Nanomedicine

Description of research:

Dr. Xie's research interfaces between stem cell biology and nanotechnology to try and understand stem cell fate decisions and develop stem cell-based platform for tissue regeneration, therapeutic screening and drug development. The convergence of engineering and cellular/molecular biology has led to emerging approaches to integrate biologically active components, such as cells, proteins and DNAs into micro-/nanofabricated devices. These bioengineered systems present exciting opportunities to serve as vehicles for biomedical and biopharmaceutical applications.  

Control of Embryonic Stem Cell Fate Using Nanoengineered Microenvironment:

Embryonic stem cells have great potential as unlimited cell sources to treat many major human diseases including cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, diabetes and cancer. Embryonic stem cell maintenance and differentiation are governed by unique local microenvironment. A key challenge in stem cell research is to develop an in vitro system that accurately recapitulates functions of the in vivo microenvironment. Our goal is to engineering an in vivo-like stem cell microenvironment to control stem cell expansion and differentiation. The integration of 3-D cues, drug delivery, microfluidics, and nanotechnology will provide a valuable microsystem for better understanding stem cell- microenvironment interaction and efficiently differentiating embryonic stem cells. It will not only set a stage for further understanding stem cell fate decision, but also allow us to develop techniques and strategies for drug development, therapeutic screening, tissue repair and regenerative medicine.

Construction of 3-D Tissue Network for Drug Discovery and Development:

Drug screening and analysis represents a crucial step for drug discovery and development. Current drug discovery efforts are hampered by the lack of high-throughput model systems in which pharmaceutical candidates can be screened. 3-D cell-based assays are considered a screening approach that bridges conventional 2-D culture and expensive, ethically provoking animal models. Incorporation of 3-D multiple cell types into multi-phenotypic arrays can realize organ specific response detection. Our goal is to develop a 3-D stem-cell based platform that will allow the simultaneous, comprehensive and high-throughput assessment of drug candidates' actions on multiple cell types.  The 3-D multiple cell based tissue network will provide functional information and predict synergistic effects of drug candidates, which is lacking in drug discovery and development.

Nanoporous Membrane-Based Biosensors:

Cell-based biosensors have gained more attention in recent years because they can offer functional information. Our goal is to develop cell-based biosensors for anti-cancer drug testing and cytotoxicity assays using nanoporous membrane-encapsulated cells as sensor element. In addition to providing a high throughput anti-cancer drug screening testbed, cell encapsulation-based biosensors provide a platform that can be widely used in drug testing, environmental monitoring and even bio-warfare agent detection.

Selected Peer-reviewed publications:

Y. Xie, J, Castracane. High voltage electric field driven micro-/nanofabrication of polymeric drug delivery systems. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine, 28(1): 23-30, 2009

Y. Xie, Y. Yang, X. Kang, R. Li, L.I. Volakis, X. Zhang, L.J. Lee, L. James, D.A. Kniss. Bioassembly of three-dimensional embryonic stem cell-scaffold complexes using compressed gases. Biotechnology Progress, 25(2): 535-542, 2009

X. Zhang, Y. Xie, C.G. Koh, L.J. Lee. A novel 3-D model for tissue engineering and regeneration medicine. Biomedical Microdevice, 11(4): 795-799, 2009

C.G. Koh, X. Kang, Y. Xie, Z. Fei, J. Guan, B. Yu, X. Zhang, L.J. Lee. Delivery of Polyethylenimine/DNA Complexes Assembled in a Microfluidics Device. Molecular Pharmaceutics 6(5): 1333-1342, 2009

G. Lv, Z. Sun, S. Li, W. Yu, Y. Xie, Y. Zhang, H. Xie, X. Li, W. Wang, X. Ma.  Permeability changes of cell-contained microcapsules visualized by confocal laser scanning microscope.  Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 90A(3): 773-78, 2009 

Y. Zhang, W. Wang, Y. Xie, W. Yu, G. Lv, X. Guo, Y. Xiong, X. Ma. Optimization of microencapsulated recombinant CHO cell growth, endostatin production, and stability of microcapsule in vivo. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 84B(1): 79-88, 2008

G. Lv, Z. Sun, N. Li, S. Li, Y. Zhang, Y. Xie, W. Yu, W. Wang, X. Ma. Design a chemically defined/medically approved medium for cell transplantation according to the metabolic characteristics of microencapsulated cells and the process of encapsulation. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 39(1): 157-163, 2008 

Z. Fei, S. Wang, Y. Xie, B. E. Henslee, C. G. Koh, L. J. Lee. Gene transfection of mammalian cells using membrane sandwich electroporation.  Analytical Chemistry, 79 (15): 5719 -5722, 2007

Y. Zhang, W. Wang, Y. Xie, W. Yu, H. Teng, X. Liu, X. Zhang, X. Guo, J. Fei, X. Ma. In vivo culture of encapsulated endostatin-secreting Chinese hamster ovary cells for systemic tumor inhibition. Human Gene Therapy, 18 (5): 474-481, 2007

C. Lu, Y. Xie, Y. Yang, M. Cheng,  C. Koh, Y. Bai, L. J. Lee, Y. Juang. New valve and bonding designs for microfluidic biochips containing proteins. Analytical Chemistry, 79(3): 994-1001, 2007

X. Kang, Y. Xie, H. M. Powell, L. J. Lee, M. A. Belury, J. J. Lannutti, D. A. Kniss.  Adipogenesis of murine embryonic stem cells in a three-dimensional culture system using electrospun polymer scaffolds. Biomaterials, 28(3): 450-458, 2007

Y. Yang, D. Liu, Y. Xie, L. J. Lee, D. L. Tomasko. Low temperature fusion of polymeric nanostructures using carbon dioxide. Advanced Materials, 19(2): 251-254, 2007

Y. Yang, Y. Xie, X. Kang, L. J. Lee, D. A. Kniss. Assembly of three-dimensional cell-scaffold complexes using carbon dioxide. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 128: 14040-14041, 2006

W. Wang, X. Liu, Y. Xie, H. Zhang, W. Yu, Y. Xiong, W. Xie, X. Ma.  Microencapsulation using natural polysaccharides for drug delivery and cell implantation. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 16(32): 3252-3267, 2006

Y. Xie, X. Kang, W. E. Ackerman IV, B. H. Rovin, M. B. Landon, D. A. Kniss. Differentiation-dependent regulation of the cyclooxygenase cascade during adipogenesis suggests a complex role for prostaglandins. Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, 8: 83-93, 2006

J. Ma, W. Qi, Y. Xie, W. Wang, W. Yu, X. Ma. K562 cell growth activity and metabolism characteristics in APA microencapsulated culture and modeling study. Journal of Biotechnology, 125(2): 242-251, 2006

X. Zhang, W. Wang, Y. Xie, Y. Zhang, X. Wang, X. Guo, X. Ma.   Proliferation, viability, and metabolism of human tumor and normal cells cultured in microcapsule. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 134(1): 61-76, 2006

W. Qi, Y. Zhang; J. Ma, X. Guo, Y. Xie, W. Wang, X. Ma.  Optimization of the cell seeding density and modeling of cell growth and metabolism using the modified Gompertz model for microencapsulated animal cell culture.  Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 93(5): 885-895, 2006

X. Kang, Y. Xie, D. A. Kniss.  Adipose tissue model using three-dimensional cultivation of preadipocytes seeded onto fibrous polymer scaffolds.  Tissue Engineering, 11(3/4): 458-468, 2005

W. Qi, W. Yu, Y. Xie, X. Ma.  Optimization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture in alginate-chitosan-alginate microcapsule. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 25: 151-157, 2005

X. Zhang, W. Wang, W. Yu, Y. Xie, X. Zhang, Y. Zhang, X. Ma. Development of an in vitro multicellular tumor spheroid model using microencapsulation and its application in anticancer drug screening and testing. Biotechnology Progress, 21: 1289-1296, 2005

L. R. Dunn-Albanese, W. E. Ackerman, Y. Xie, J. D. Iams, D. A. Kniss.  Reciprocal expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-g and cyclooxygenase-2 in human term parturition.  American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 190 (3): 809-816, 2004

Y. Xie, T. Sproule, Y. Li, H. Powell, J. J. Lannutti, D. A. Kniss. Nanoscale modifications of PET polymer surfaces via oxygen plasma discharge yield minimal changes in attachment and growth of mammalian epithelial and mesenchymal cells in vitro. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 61(2): 234-245, 2002

D. A. Kniss, Y. Xie, Y. Li, S. Kumar, E. A. Linton, P. Cohen, P. Fan-Harvard, C. W. G. Redman, I. L. Sargent.  ED₂₇ trophoblast-like cells isolated from first-trimester chorionic villi are genetically identical to HeLa cells yet exhibit a distinct phenotype.  Placenta, 23(1): 32-43, 2002

Y. Xie, S.-T. Yang, D. A. Kniss. Three-dimensional cell-scaffold constructs promote efficient gene transfection: implications for cell-based gene therapy.  Tissue Engineering, 7(5): 585-598, 2001