Research Expertise and Interest
bioengineering, biomaterials engineering, bioinspired materials, regenerative medicine, stem cell engineering, microphysiological systems, organs on a chip, drug screening and discovery
Research Description
Professor Healy is a professor in the Department of Bioengineering, and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is a thought leader and innovator working at the interface between stem cells and materials science to develop dynamic engineered systems to explore both fundamental biological phenomena and new applications in translational medicine. His group currently conducts research in the areas of: bioinspired stem cell microenvironments to control stem cell lineage specification and self-organization into microtissues or organoids; bioinspired systems for regenerative medicine; biological interfaces; and, microphysiological systems for drug development and environmental toxicity screening.
In the News
Cold-hearted science: Supercooling technique advances preservation of human tissue
UC Berkeley accelerates bio-preservation research as part of $26M NSF center
Engineered hot fat implants reduce weight gain in mice
Scientists at UC Berkeley have developed a novel way to engineer the growth and expansion of energy-burning “good” fat, and then found that this fat helped reduce weight gain and lower blood glucose levels in mice.
Researchers Create Model of Early Human Heart Development From Stem Cells
UC Berkeley researchers, in collaboration with scientists at the Gladstone Institutes, have developed a template for growing beating cardiac tissue from stem cells, creating a system that could serve as a model for early heart development and as a drug-screening tool to make pregnancies safer.