Professor Joyce Wong
Biomedical Engineering
Utilizing microscopic manufacturing and her extensive knowledge of biomaterials, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Joyce Wong has focused her research on early detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Professor Wong is making strides toward creating minimally invasive techniques to provide better and more comprehensive care for patients with varying types of cardiovascular disease.
Q. Can you tell me more about the research you are currently engaged in?
A. There are mainly two aspects to my research—one is early detection and the other is treatment. For the early detection, we’re developing image contrast agents, which are used in conjunction with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and ultrasound. For this we make microparticles or nanoparticles and entrap in them contrast agents that will light up on an MRI or ultrasound scan. The goal is to have these particles target specific biomarkers of plaques with a high probability of rupturing, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. In collaboration with researchers in the department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, as well as the departments of Physiology and Biophysics on our medical campus, we are currently testing these contrast agents in a unique model system in which we can precisely control the timing of plaque ruptures.
The second aspect is more about treatment, which consists of two parts—basic and applied research. For the basic research we are seeking to understand the underlying biology and the progression of the disease. We achieve this by developing model systems that mimic the architecture of a blood vessel. Using this well-controlled system, we can ask very specific questions about different stages of cardiovascular disease. The complexity of this model ranges from the simple, such as cells in a petri dish, all the way up to the very complex, in which we engineer a blood vessel. We use the latter model for intravascular pharmacology to screen drugs to help treat the disease more effectively.
A major challenge we are facing right now is targeted delivery, whether it be for imaging purposes or for treatment. There are specific biomarkers in the blood vessels we want to target, but complications can arise because those biomarkers may exist everywhere in the body. What we’re trying to figure out is whether there is a higher concentration of specific biomarkers or local physical changes, such as flow conditions, that would enhance the targeting of detection agents and drugs to problem areas. Ultimately, the goal is to develop accurate agents for early detection of cardiovascular disease. However, for cases in which diagnosis comes at a later stage of the disease, we would like to create healthy blood vessels that could be grafted into patients to improve their chances of recovering with minimal long-term damage
Q. How did you get interested in this particular area of research?
A. I have been researching the cell-biomaterial interface ever since my PhD work, which is how I first got involved. I became interested specifically in cardiovascular disease while studying for my PhD, when my father suffered a heart attack. Fortunately he was successfully treated with angioplasty, but cardiovascular disease remains the number-one cause of death in the Western world; thus it was clear that research in this area would have the most impact.
Q. You currently have undergraduates assisting you with your research—what sort of work do they do for you?
A. Well, it varies depending on what stage they are at in their education. If they are first coming in and they have never had any lab experience, we start them out slowly and introduce them to the laboratory; then as they continue they’ll be more involved in a specific project. For example, I have a Beckman Scholar in my lab who is currently using a combination of biomaterials engineering and molecular and cell biology techniques to understand how vascular smooth muscle cells respond in environments that mimic cardiovascular disease. These are the cells that can grow out of control following blood vessel injury resulting from the angioplasty process. Many times undergraduates work closely with either one of my postdoctoral research associates or a graduate student. I have also been fortunate to have undergraduate students work with me over the summer.