Our Projects
The mission of the Mei lab is to advance the clinical translation of cardiac regenerative medicine by engineering next-generation human cardiac organoids, developing synthetic biology-enhanced therapeutic platforms, and integrating AI-guided design and digital-twin technologies. Through the convergence of stem cell biology, biomaterials engineering, immunogenineering, extracellular vesicle therapeutics, and computational modeling, we aim to create transformative solutions that restore heart function and enable precise cardiovascular care.
Human Cardiac Organoid Engineering
The Mei Lab engineers human cardiac organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells to recreate the multicellular architecture and functional properties of native myocardium. These organoids incorporate key cardiac lineages and are enhanced through advanced bioengineering strategies. including electrically conductive silicon nanowires to improve electromechanical coupling, microenvironmental conditioning to support survival under ischemic stress, and developmental cues informed by human fetal heart single-cell atlases to guide maturation. We further integrate AI-guided design tools to optimize structural, metabolic, and electrophysiological fidelity.
Organoids for Regenerative Cell Therapy
We develop human cardiac organoids as a therapeutic platform to improve the survival, integration, and function of transplanted cardiomyocytes in injured hearts. By integrating clinical samples, multi-omics datasets, and computational modeling, we develop digital-twin frameworks that simulate organoid behavior and cell-state transitions following implantation. In parallel, we are engineering synthetic-biology enhanced organoids capable of overcoming key barriers to allogenic transplantation. Combined with nanowired constructs that enhance conductive integration and engineering of extracellular vesicles, our regenerative platform aims to deliver off-the-shelf therapies that restore myocardial structure and function without requiring systemic immunosuppression.
Organoids for Disease Modeling
Human cardiac organoids also serve as physiologically relevant platforms for modeling cardiovascular disease and predicting patient-specific responses. We develop infarct organoids that recapitulate the metabolic, structural, and electrophysiological consequences of ischemic injury, along with systems that model fibrosis, arrhythmogenesis, and cardiotoxicity from oncology therapies. These platforms support mechanistic discovery, therapeutic screening, and biomarker identification, advancing precision medicine strategies for cardiovascular care.