Chengyi Tu, Ph.D.

Dr. Chengyi Tu received multidisciplinary training in stem cell differentiation, tissue engineering, omics analysis, and cardiac biology. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied how biophysical and biochemical cues influence stem cell differentiation and maturation into cardiovascular lineages. He then completed postdoctoral training at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, focusing on modeling cardiomyopathies using engineered heart tissues, particularly diseases that are difficult to model using conventional approaches. At Stanford, Dr. Tu developed the first in vitro model of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (TIC) using a novel engineered tissue platform. This work uncovered a previously unknown mechanism of tachycardia-induced cardiac dysfunction and opened new directions for therapeutic discovery. Dr. Tu is now an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine at UTSW, with a secondary appointment in Biomedical Engineering.

We are a multidisciplinary research lab that applies engineering techniques and stem cell technologies to create in vitro biomimic models for human heart disease. We use human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patients to generate cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). This methodology allows us to understand how patient genetics drives cardiac disorders in a dish. Moreover, iPSC-CMs can be utilized to create 3D engineered heart tissues (EHTs), which more closely mimic the environment of the human heart. In addition, biophysical and biochemical stimulations can be applied further to simulate the complex pathophysiological niche of a diseased heart. This patient-specific preclinical model enables us to elucidate the pathogenesis of both acquired and genetic cardiomypathies and test for candidate therapeutics.

Tu Lab @ Division of Cardiology, Internal Medicine