RESEARCH

We use a tiny vibrating sensor called an SMR—a micrometer-scale fluid channel inside a resonator—to measure a cell’s buoyant mass (how heavy it is in fluid). When a cell passes through, the resonant frequency shifts, and we read that as mass. Our measurements are ultra-sensitive (better than 10 femtograms), which is like detecting a change smaller than 0.1% of a typical cell. 

With feedback-controlled flow and added optics, our SMR systems can also track other physical traits—volume, stiffness, surface tension, and even metabolic signatures—one cell at a time. These tools support both basic cell biology and medical applications.

We also build custom optical biochips to see the 3D shape of living cells without harming them. This platform can track cells whether they are alone or packed in a tight layer. A key advantage is that this chip can study cells while they are stuck to a surface (adhered), which is their natural state in a tissue. 

This allows us to study how cells behave as a group and form structures. We use this to explore physical cell changes during diseases, from cancer spread (metastasis) to neuroinflammation. Our goal is to find new "physical biomarkers"—unique shapes or mechanical traits that reveal a cell's health and guide better treatments

Our high-precision tools generate rich, complex datasets. We use AI and computational modeling to find hidden patterns and infer how a cell's physical state (like mass, stiffness, density and shape) changes over time. Our goal is to move beyond simple correlations and build predictive models of cell behavior and diversity. 

We also develop our own custom AI models that sort and classify individual cells. This reveals cellular heterogeneity—the subtle but critical differences within a group of seemingly identical cells. This helps exaplin why, for example, some cancer cells do not respond, while others respond.