1. Tissue Trauma Management

These projects focus on resolving critical clinical needs in acute hemorrhaging and structural tissue degradation. The first stream of our research develops biomaterials in forms of sprayable powders, adhesive gels, and sponges to achieve ultrafast hemostasis, independent of a patient's innate clotting factor status. The second stream develops injectable, highly adhesive hydrogels tailored for articular cartilage repair. These biomaterials physically anchor to wet tissue surfaces under dynamic mechanical loads, supporting cellular infiltration and sealing cartilage defects to halt the onset of post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

2. Biolubrication and Early OA

This research cluster addresses boundary-wear disorders by developing biomimetic macromolecular lubricants to protect friction-vulnerable soft tissues. For joint health, it targets osteoarthritis by utilizing injectable hydrogels and nanolubricants that mimic synovial fluids to arrest cartilage erosion. For oral health, it focuses on treating dry mouth by engineering hybrid saliva substitutes that relieve mucosal friction. This theme also integrates early diagnostic frameworks, combining personalized, real-time patient gait analysis with ex vivo tissue fatigue mechanics to catch microstructural joint degradation before irreversible structural wear occurs.

3. Soft Matter Physics

These projects serves as the foundational material science pipeline that powers our lab's biomedical applications. It focuses on the fundamental design, self-healing mechanics, and multi-scale characterization of complex macromolecular systems. As illustrated, this theme encompasses three distinct engineering areas: Conductive materials, which explore electronic/strain-sensing behaviors and dynamic networks; 3D Bioprinting, focusing on the rheology and formulation of specialized colloidal hydrogel inks; and studying Nanoparticle Fate in Biological Environments, which tracks how advanced nano-architectures interact with cellular systems. This foundational work feeds directly into our lab's sustainable and translational biomaterial designs.