Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death globally, with thrombosis playing a central role in their pathogenesis. Current antithrombotic therapies, while effective, often carry significant bleeding risks due to their inability to differentiate between pathological and physiological blood clotting. This presentation introduces our integrated approach that combines fundamental mechanobiology with translational engineering to address critical clinical needs in cardiovascular medicine, potentially transforming how we diagnose, monitor, and treat thrombotic disorders.

First, using our single-cell biomechanical nanotools such as Biomembrane Force Probe (BFP), we present insights into thrombosis mechanobiology, particularly focusing on the role of von Willebrand Factor (VWF) and other mechanoreceptors (GPIbα, integrin αIIbβ3 and PIEZO1 ion channels) in distinguishing between “good” and “bad” mechanical forces in thrombosis. These helped uncover new therapeutic targets for force-sensitive antithrombotic strategies. Second, we demonstrate a personalized vessel-on-chip platform that recreates patient-specific blood vessel geometries and flow conditions, enabling precise evaluation of thrombotic risk and drug responses. Finally, we introduce novel point-of-care microtechnologies for rapid blood coagulation testing, including an AI-powered platform called SmartClot, which promises to revolutionize home-based coagulation monitoring. These innovations represent a significant advancement toward more effective and safer antithrombotic treatments, with potential applications ranging from preventive care to personalized medicine.

Professor Lining Arnold Ju PhD GAICD FHEA

Snow Fellow, Australian Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow and Australian Academy of Science John Booker Medal, The University of Sydney, School of Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Ju received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, USA in 2013. From 2014 to 2019, he joined the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, then Heart Research Institute, Sydney as an Australian Heart Foundation Postdoc Fellow. In early 2020, Dr. Ju became an independent PI at the University of Sydney (USYD)’s new School of Biomedical Engineering and started up the Mechanobiology and Biomechanics Laboratory (MBL).

Dr. Ju works at the biomedical engineering and mechanobiology. His team has pioneered multiple biomechanical nanotools, including multi-parametric thrombus profiling microfluidics (Nature Materials 2019; Nature Communications 2024), patient-specific vessel-on-a-chip platform (Advanced Materials 2025; Science Advances 2025), single-cell biomembrane force probes (Nature Communications 2018), 4D hemodynamic modeling (Nature 2021; Blood 2025) and fluorescent micropipette aspiration assays (Nature Communications 2024). His novel understanding of the mechanics behind blood clot formation has profound implications for diagnosing and preventing thrombosis in heart attacks and strokes. His vision is to build novel platforms that integrate advanced biomanufacturing, high-throughput biomechanical phenotyping, and generative AI towards rapid and intelligent biosensing technologies for aging, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, vaccine and autoimmune related thrombotic risks.