Ke Cheng, PhD
Director,Stem Cell Manufacturing Laboratory, Heart Institute
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Institute Affiliation
Academic Appointments
| Assistant Professor, Medicine |
Awards and Activities
| AHA ATVB Early Career Investigator Finalist | 2012 |
| AHA 2010 Scientific Session Travel Grant | 2010 |
| Georgia State Senate Resolution 1341 | 2009 |
| Assistant Editor: Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine | Current |
| Editorial Board: World Journal of Stem Cells | Current |
| Editorial Board: Open Biotechnology Journal | Current |
| Vice president, Association of Chinese Professionals (ACP) | 2006 - 2008 |
| Member, Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE) | 2008 |
| Member, American Heart Association (AHA) | 2010 |
Research Focus
Cardiac stem cells, targeted stem cell delivery, magnetic targeting, biomaterials for cardiac tissue engineering
Research Contributions
Leader in magnetically-targeted delivery of stem cells into the heart; discovery of active vascular expulsion as a new mechanism of cell trafficking across vascular walls; development of smart nanomaterials to home endogenous stem cells for heart repair.
Current investigations include:
I study cardiac regenerative medicine by using patient-derived stem cells, biomaterials, micro-RNAs and bioengineering approaches. Translational research is a major focus of the lab. In phase I/II clinical studies, we are testing the safety and efficacy of cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) for treating ischemic heart diseases. In animal models, we are testing the capability of the following agents to treat myocardial infarction: 1) more potent cell-therapy products derived from the original CDC mixture; 2) biomaterials derived from patient's own tissues; 3) micro-RNAs involved in heart protection; 4) nano theranostic agents that can tag injured myocardium and engage it with circulating stem cells; 5) magnetic targeting for better cell engraftment and efficacy.
Selected Publications
- Cheng K, Li TS, Malliaras K, Davis DR, Zhang Y, Marbán E: Magnetic targeting enhances engraftment and functional benefit of iron-labeled cardiosphere-derived cells in myocardial infarction. Circ. Res., 106(10): 1570-81, 2010
- Marbán E, Cheng K: Heart to heart: The elusive mechanism of cell therapy. Circulation, 121(18): 1981-4, 2010
- Cheng K, Lai Y, Kisaalita WS: Three-dimensional polymer scaffolds for high throughput cell-based assay systems. Biomaterials, 29(18): 2802-12, 2008
- Cheng K, Kisaalita WS: Exploring cellular adhesion and differentiation in a micro-/nano-hybrid polymer scaffold. Biotechnol. Prog., 26(3): 838-46
- Li TS, Cheng K, Lee ST, Matsushita S, Davis D, Malliaras K, Zhang Y, Matsushita N, Smith RR, Marbán E: Cardiospheres recapitulate a niche-like microenvironment rich in stemness and cell-matrix interactions, rationalizing their enhanced functional potency for myocardial repair. Stem Cells, 28(11): 2088-98, 2010
- Li TS, Cheng K, Malliaras K, Matsushita N, Sun B, Marbán L, Zhang Y, Marbán E: Expansion of human cardiac stem cells in physiological oxygen improves cell production efficiency and potency for myocardial repair. Cardiovasc. Res., 89(1): 157-65, 2010
