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Overview

Lab overview image
Driven by curiosity, we develop new tools to uncover the biophysical regulation of development and disease.

The STAR Lab specializes in the design and construction of new tools to map biophysical properties (mechanical and electrical) in biological tissues. Numerous hypotheses invoke tissue biophysical properties as a key parameter that regulates morphogenesis and disease progression. However, current methods are insufficient to test these hypotheses due to either low spatiotemporal resolution in mapping these properties or the ability to map only one property at a time, missing the intricate interplay between these properties.

Using multidisciplinary approaches in bioengineering, gene editing, multi-omics, advanced imaging, and machine learning, we aim to unlock potentially generalized biophysical mechanisms underlying tissue morphogenesis and malformation, ultimately leading to the discovery of diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Whole embryo stiffness mapping
Whole embryo stiffness mapping
Tissue stiffness mapping of a beating embryonic heart
Stiffness mapping of the beating embryonic heart
Durotaxis in vivo
Durotaxis in vivo
Min Zhu profile photo

Min Zhu, PhD

Professor
Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems
Dalian University of Technology

Selected Distinctions:

Fellowships and Scholarships

  • Restracomp Fellowship (2022)
  • Medicine by Design Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2020)
  • NSERC CREATE Fellowship (2020)
  • Weber and Mariano Graduate Scholarship in Biomedical Engineering (2018)

Awards and Prizes

  • Andrew Sass-Kortsak Award (2025)
  • Best Presentation Award, Canadian Developmental Biology Conference (2025)
  • Exceptional Trainee Award, SickKids (2024)
  • Hilde Mangold Postdoctoral Symposium Award, Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting (2022)
  • Best Poster Award, EMBO Workshop: Limb Development and Regeneration (2019)

Research and Travel Grants

  • SickKids PI Prep Seed Grant (2025)
  • SDB Meeting Travel Grant (2025)
  • RTC Travel Grant (2025)
  • Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting Travel Grant (2022)
Google Scholar
  1. M Zhu*, K Zhang*, EC Thomas, R Xu, B Ciruna, S Hopyan, Y Sun, "Tissue stiffness mapping by light sheet elastography," Science Advances (2025).
  2. CC Pasiliao, EC Thomas, TM Yung, M Zhu, H Tao, Y Sun, S Goyal, S Hopyan, "A thermodynamic perspective on mammalian neural crest ingression," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025).
  3. M Zhu, B Gu, EC Thomas, Y Huang, YK Kim, H Tao, TM Yung, X Chen, K Zhang, EK Woolaver, MR Nevin, X Huang, R Winklbauer, J Rossant, Y Sun, S Hopyan, "A fibronectin gradient remodels mixed phase mesoderm," Science Advances (2024).
  4. W Tang, X Chen, X Wang, M Zhu, G Shan, T Wang, W Dou, J Wang, J Law, Z Gong, S Hopyan, X Huang, Y Sun, "Indentation induces instantaneous nuclear stiffening and unfolding of nuclear envelope wrinkles," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023).
  5. W Dou, A Daoud, X Chen, T Wang, M Malhi, Z Gong, F Mirshafiei, M Zhu, G Shan, X Huang, J Maynes, Y Sun, "Ultrathin and Flexible Bioelectronic Arrays for Functional Measurement of iPSC-Cardiomyocytes under Cardiotropic Drug Administration and Controlled Microenvironments," Nano Letters (2023).
  6. B Gu*, B Bradshaw*, M Zhu*, Y Sun, S Hopyan, J Rossant, "Live imaging YAP signalling in mouse embryo development," Open Biology (2022).
  7. KD Fenelon, E Thomas, M Samani, M Zhu, H Tao, Y Sun, H McNeill, S Hopyan, "Transgenic force sensors and software to measure force transmission across the mammalian nuclear envelope in vivo," Biology Open (2022).
  8. K Goodwin, JM Jaslove, H Tao, M Zhu, S Hopyan, CM Nelson, "Patterning the embryonic pulmonary mesenchyme," iScience (2022).
  9. K Zhang, M Zhu, S Hopyan, Y Sun, "Existing and potential application of elastography for measuring the viscoelasticity of biological tissues in vivo," Frontiers in Physics (2021).
  10. M Zhu, H Tao, M Samani, M Luo, X Wang, S Hopyan, Y Sun, "Spatial mapping of tissue properties in vivo reveals a 3D stiffness gradient in the mouse limb bud," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020).
  11. M Zhu*, K Zhang*, H Tao, S Hopyan, Y Sun, "Magnetic micromanipulation for in vivo measurement of stiffness heterogeneity and anisotropy in the mouse mandibular arch," Research (2020).
  12. H Tao, JP Lambert, NA Hahn, D Li, M Zhu, K Lau, K Sturgeon, V Puviindran, X Zhang, W Gong, X Chen, G Anderson, DJ Garry, M Henkelman, Y Sun, A Iulianella, Y Kawakami, AC Gingras, CC Hui, and S Hopyan, "IRX3/5 regulate mitotic chromatid segregation and limb bud shape," Development (2020).
  13. A Rao-Bhatia, M Zhu, WC Yin, S Coquenlorge, X Zhang, J Woo, Y Sun, CH Dean, A Liu, CC Hui, RA Shivdasani, H McNeill, S Hopyan, TH Kim, "Hedgehog-Activated Fat4 and PCP pathways mediate mesenchymal cell clustering and villus formation in gut development," Developmental Cell (2020).
  14. H Tao, M Zhu, K Lau, OKW Whitley, M Samani, X Xiao, XX Chen, NA Hahn, W Liu, M Valencia, M Wu, X Wang, KD Fenelon, CC Pasiliao, D Hu, J Wu, S Spring, J Ferguson, EP Karuna, RM Henkelman, A Dunn, H Huang, HYH Ho, R Atit, S Goyal, Y Sun, S Hopyan, "Oscillatory cortical forces promote three dimensional cell intercalations that shape the murine mandibular arch," Nature Communications (2019).
  15. X Wang, C Ho, Y Tsatskis, J Law, Z Zhang, M Zhu, C Dai, F Wang, M Tan, S Hopyan, H McNeill, Y Sun, "Intracellular manipulation and measurement with multipole magnetic tweezers," Science Robotics (2019).
  16. X Chen, S Wanggou, A Bodalia, M Zhu, W Dong, JJ Fan, WC Yin, HK Min, M Hu, D Draghici, W Dou, F Li, FJ Coutinho, H Whetstone, MM Kushida, PB Dirks, Y Song, CC Hui, Y Sun, LY Wang, X Li, X Huang, "A feedforward mechanism mediated by mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 and tissue mechanics promotes glioma aggression," Neuron (2018).
  17. X Wang, H Liu, M Zhu, C Cao, Z Xu, Y Tsatskis, K Lau, C Kuok, T Filleter, H McNeill, CA Simmons, S Hopyan, Y Sun, "Mechanical stability of the cell nucleus - roles played by the cytoskeleton in nuclear deformation and strain recovery," Journal of Cell Science (2018).
  18. L Wang, W Dou, M Malhi, M Zhu, H Liu, J Plakhotnik, Z Xu, Q Zhao, J Chen, S Chen, R Hamilton, CA Simmons, JT Maynes, Y Sun, "Microdevice platform for continuous measurement of contractility, beating rate, and beating rhythm of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-cardiomyocytes inside a controlled incubator environment," ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2018).