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Chris Yang

Dr Chris Yang

Senior Lecturer

School of Engineering

Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

Dr Xin Yang is leading the Medical Ultrasound and Sensor Laboratory (MUSL) at School of Engineering, Cardiff University to develop novel technologies for cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as healthcare technologies for other diseases. Two examples of ongoing research in Dr Yang's lab as follows, more can be found by clicking the Publications tag.

1. Acoustic Bio-chips for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Globally, about 1 in 6 deaths is due to cancer, and more than 10 million deaths are caused by cancers each year. Cancer spreading, or metastasis, is responsible for about 90% of cancer deaths. Metastasis is a process that cancer cells from the primary tumour migrate to surrounding tissues and to distant organs to form spreading tumours (Fig. 1).

Dr Yang’s lab has developed a novel biochip (Fig. 2) to capture the cancer cells that are travelling through the body for spreading cancers. The cancer cells are introduced into a micro-channel (blue pipes in Fig. 2) in which acoustic waves sent by a pair of interdigital transducers (yellow electrodes in Fig. 2) are producing a force on the cells. The force can push the cancer cells to a sheath channel to be collected. Clinician can trace the primary tumour and monitor treatment outcomes by analysing the collected cancer cells.

2. Acoustic Culturing Stem Cells

Stem cells have been shown to improve the symptoms of patients with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's Diseases. As shown in Fig. 3, patient skin or blood cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can differentiate into disease-relevant cell-types to faithfully study disease biology. In Dr Yang’s lab, acoustic culturing has been developed and applied in the differentiation, in order to mediate and control the process for personalised stem cell therapies.

https://img.alicdn.com/imgextra/i4/61099665/O1CN01I0ZAes2LGcbHCugdg_!!61099665.jpg

The above two example projects are only the snapshot of the research in Dr Yang’s lab, there are a number of PhD students, postdocs and visiting academics in his lab working on a variety of cutting edge research, with the aim of developing innovative technologies to tackle cancer and other diseases.

Dr Yang welcomes PhD candidates from Engineering/Computer Science/Physics/Chemistry/Biology/Medicine to join the Medical Ultrasound and Sensor Laboratory to work on following areas: 

  • Cancer early diagnostics
  • Cancer immunotherapy
  • Stem cell therapy
  • Lab-on-a-chip
  • Acoustics
  • Fluid mechanics
  • Ultrasound
  • Medical imaging
  • Microfluidics
  • Bio-sensors
  • Medical electronics
  • Medical Engineering

Publication

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2006

2005

Articles

Books

Conferences

Research

Funded projects:

2017-2018

Yang X (PI)

EPSRC

First Grant

£124,998

A lab-on-a-chip for characterising and sorting cancer cells

2019-2022

Theobald P (PI) Yang X (CoI)

Soe S (CoI)

EPSRC

£341,832

(Cardiff)

£393,630

(Glasgow)

Growth and Remodelling in the Porcine Heart-- Pushing Mathematics through Experiments

2018-2020

Yang X (PI)

The Royal Society

International Exchanges

£12,000

The Analysis of Mechanical Factors and Response in Tumour Microenvironment of Metastasis

2019-2020

Eunju Shin (PI) 

Yang X (CoI)

Wellcome Trust

ISSF3 Cross Disciplinary Award

£48,399

Using surface acoustic waves to efficiently generate pure neuronal populations from stem cells to generate insight into human brain disorders

2020-2021

William Gray (PI)

Yang X (CoI)

EPSRC IAA

£10,207

Developing an enhanced gel model to study device performance for cell and drug delivery to brain

2019-2020

Yang X (PI)

IREGene Pharmaceutics Ltd.

£10,000

Development of Acoustofluidic Devices for Early Cancer Diagnostics

2019

Yang X (PI)

GCRF IAA

£29,607

A smartphone-based acoustofluidic chip for point-of-care diagnosis of dengue virus in Malaysia

2019

Yang X (PI)

National Epitaxy Facility Pump Priming

£2,000

Gallium Nitride for Nano and Microelectromechanical Systems (GaN N/MEMS)

2019

Yang X (PI) Clayton A (CoI)

GCRF

£49,895

An Acoustic Microfluidic Chip for Malaria Detection and Treatment in India

2019

Yang X (supervisor)

Roman Mikhaylov

EPSRC Industrial Strategy Innovation

£10,971

Acoustofluidic separation of exosomes for precision medicine

2018-2019

Clayton A (PI)

Yang X (CoI)

Wellcome Trust

ISSF3 Cross Disciplinary Award

£46,746

Using thermal acoustic waves to fractionate nanovesicle subpopulations for liquid biopsy utility

2018

Yang X (PI)

Clayton A (CoI)

GCRF IAA

£24,416

PCBSAW: A Printed Circuit Board Based Surface Acoustic Wave Biochip for Low Cost Early Cancer Diagnostics

2018-2021

Yang X (PI) Clayton A (CoI)

Xie Z (CoI)

EPSRC DTP

£65,000

Acoustic Separation of Cancer-derived Extracellular Vesicles for Cancer Early Diagnostics

2018

Pagliara S (PI)

McArdle C (CoI)

Tosh D (CoI)

Yang X (CoI)

GW4 Building Communities Programme

Initiator Fund

£8,840

Microfluidics and modelling for investigating cellular heterogeneity

2018-2019

Yang X (PI)

Clayton A (CoI) Shen M (CoI) Evans W (CoI)

EPSRC IAA

£49,850

An Acoustic Chip for Separating Circulating Tumour Biomarkers for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Monitoring

2017

Yang X (PI)

Votruba M (CoI)

Cardiff Institute of Tissue Engineering and Repair

£1,520

Near-infrared light irradiation device for early treatment of retinal

neurodegenerative conditions

2017-2019

Yang X (PI)

Cardiff Incoming Visiting Fellowship Scheme & International Collaboration Fund

£9,725

Targeting metastasis-initiating cells to reduce Cancer mortality

2017-2020

Yang X (PI) Shen M (CoI)

EPSRC DTP

£65,000

An Ultrasonic System-on-a-chip for Early Cancer Diagnosis

2016-2017

Yang X (PI) Wells P (CoI)

EPSRC IAA

£6,681

An ultrasonic point-of-care sensor for circulating tumour cell detection

2016

Yang X (PI), Hicks Y (CoI) Nokes L (CoI) McCarthy M (CoI)

Globus Medical, Inc.

£6,020

MRI Characterisation of the Lumbar Spine in Lower Trunk Rotation

2016

Yang X (PI)

Cardiff Institute of Tissue Engineering and Repair

£1,995

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous laser ablation of ventricular septum in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

2015

Yang X (PI)

Biogae Renewable Energy Co. Ltd.

£5,287

Engineering solutions for the enhancement of methane content in biogas

2014

Yang X (PI) Nokes L (CoI)

Welsh Arthritis Research Network

£5,000

The Anatomical Effects of Rotation on the Cervical and Lumbar Soine: An MRI Study

2014

Yang X (PI)

Wellcome Trust

£2,000

Classification of leg swelling using ultrasound elastography

2014

Yang X (PI)

Welsh European Funding

£1,000

Microwave Sensors for Cancer Detection

 

 

PhD students:

Title                                                                                                 

Student

Status

Degree

Acoustic Interactions with Cells

Povilas Dumcius

Current

PhD

Acoustic Investigation of the Mechanism of Cancer Metastasis

Victory Akhimien

Current

PhD

Lab-on-GaN for Manipulating Cancer Exosomes for Cancer Early Diagnostics

Mercedes Stringer Martin

Current

PhD

Numerical and Experimental Acoustic Microfluidics for Detection of Circulating Tumour Cells

Hanlin Wang

Current

PhD

The Development of Acoustofluidic Lab-on-a-chip for Early Cancer Detection

Fangda Wu

Current

PhD

The Development of Novel Acoustic Microfluidic Chip for Separating Cancer-derived Exosomes

Roman Mikhaylov

Current

PhD

Ultrasound Diagnostics of Vulnerable plaque

Sarah Alithey

Graduated

PhD

A Novel Technique in Detecting Cancers In 3d Imaging.

Al Qazzaz Salma

Current

PhD

Optimising the Quantitative Analysis in Functional Pet Brain Imaging.

Alzamil Yasser Zamil Abdullah

Current

PhD

Quantitative Assessment of The Efficacy Of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy In The Management Of Achilles Tendinopathy. Specialisation - Medical Physics.

Al Omairi Baida Ajeal Badir

Graduated

PhD

A Robust Technique for Detecting Abdominal Aortic Calcification Using Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry

Karima M A Elmasri

Current

PhD

Use Of High Frequency Techniques In Medical Diagnostics

Ehtaiba Mabrouka Haiba A

Graduated

PhD

 

Biography

Dr Xin Yang is currently holding the following roles in the school:

  • Director of Medical Ultrasound and Sensors Laboratory (MUSL)
  • Head of International, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Coordinator of CU-HZAU iCDT on Biomedical and Bioenergy Engineering
  • Postgraduate Research Admissions Tutor EEE
  • Head of Healthy Living and Ageing Research Theme

Dr Yang is also an adjunct professor at Lanzhou Jiaotong University, China, and a member of the Peer Review College, EPSRC.

He graduated from Beijing Jiaotong University, China in 2005 with BEng of Biomedical Engineering, and then MSc in Medical Electronics & Physics from Queen Mary, University of London. Dr Yang was awarded a PhD in Medical Engineering from Cardiff University in 2011, on the research of Doppler ultrasound in neovascularisation quantification. He was the CEO of Beijing BJ Device Instrumentation Ltd. between 2007 and 2009. Dr Yang was the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Research Fellow at the Queen's Medical Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, working on developing Doppler ultrasound techniques for pre- and clinical applications between 2011 and 2012.

Dr Yang started his current position in Cardiff University since 2013 and was awarded his EPSRC First Grant in 2016 on the subject of a lab-on-a-chip for characterising and sorting cancer cells. He has been awarded a number of research grants funded by the EPSRC, the Royal Society, GCRF, Wellcome Trust and industries, covering the research areas of point-of-care cancer diagnostics, medical ultrasound, acoustofluidics, tumour microenvironment, and microfluidics. His current research focus is to develop acoustofluidic techniques to diagnose/treat cancers and other diseases. He has published tens of refereed journal papers on the above subjects, and published eight books as the principal author in the subject of electronics and microcontrollers.

Supervisions

Current supervision

Sarah Allithey

Sarah Allithey

Research student

Roman Mikhaylov

Roman Mikhaylov

Research student

Hanlin Wang

Hanlin Wang

Research student