The SHIN Lab

To understand cellular physiology in light of various pathological conditions for the diagnostic and therapeutic applications, this research team has focused on the development of various two- and three-dimensional disease models in pathophysiologically relevant microenvironments in vitro.

In order to fully appreciate the optimized process of the neuro-rehabilitation in stroke patients, it is critical to understand how brain and muscle cells communicate with each other and respond to exogenous therapeutic interventions. We thrive on generating functionally suitable cell-based disease models in vitro for the brain and muscle tissues by modulating both physical and biochemical microenvironmental factors. We quantify the functional states of the cells based on gene/protein level assays as well as stress assessment tools such as traction force microscopy (TFM) and monolayer stress microscopy (MSM).

In our body, intrinsic electric fields are generated in physiological or pathological circumstances, which actively regulate the cellular phenotypes and their functionality in vivo. We developed the electric stimulator to investigate the effects of exogenous electric field on the recovery of the neuronal functions following the brain injuries caused by TBI or stroke.