Chen Lab's Research

Our research focuses on 3D bioprinting and biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. We explore new knowledge of cell-material interactions in the full range of physical dimensions (from nano- to micro- to meso-scale), time span (from femtoseconds to months), and biological dimensions (from molecular to cellular to tissue). Our group not only investigates the fundamental scientific issues, such as cell interactions with micro and nano-environments, biomaterials science, and biomechanics, but also solves the technological and translational issues associated with tissue/organ repair and regeneration.

Press and interviews about our work have appeared in NIH Director’s Blog, NIH Research Matters, NSF News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, EurekAlert!, The Economic Times, Yahoo News, CNBC News, ABC News, etc. Our research has resulted in many patents/provisional patents. Some of them were licensed to companies (e.g. Allegro 3D, Inc.) with significant economic impact.

Specific Research Topics are:
1. 3D Printing and Bioprinting with Artificial Intelligence
2. Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering
3. Biomaterials and Nanomaterials
4. Organ/Tissue-on-a-Chip

Our 3D Printing Stem Cell Research

Group Highlights

More Group Photos

Dr. Shaochen Chen

Zable Endowed Chair, Aiiso Yufeng Li Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering, UC San Diego

Dr. Chen's CV

Spotlight

Our lab leads a $26M award from ARPA-H to bioprint a patient-specific liver. Read more
Dr. Chen makes Clarivate's international list of Highly Cited Researchers, 2025.
Our 3D bioprinted ventricular wall model is a part of this Nature paper. Check out our video.
Our paper, "High Cell Density and High Resolution 3D Bioprinting for Fabricating Vascularized Tissues", is now published in Science Advances
Dr. Chen is elected to the US National Academy of Inventors. Read more.
Dr. Chen is elected to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts for his pioneering work in 3D printing, bioprinting and tissue engineering (2021).
Our work on "Biomimetic 3D-Printed Scaffolds for Spinal Cord Injury" is now published in Nature Medicine. It was featured on the NIH Director's Blog in June 2019.