Research Interests

• Biomaterials
• Drug delivery
• Nanotechnology
• Regenerative engineering

Biography

Dr. Meng Deng is an Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Materials Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. His research interests include biomaterials, drug delivery, nanotechnology, and regenerative engineering. He received a B.E. in Chemical Engineering in 2004 from Tsinghua University, China and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 2010. His postdoctoral research with Dr. Cato Laurencin at the University of Connecticut Health Center was focused on development of osteoinductive materials for bone regeneration. He also worked in the laboratory of Professor Robert Langer at MIT as a visiting scientist on rational design of biomaterials. He was the recipient of Young Scientist Award from the 9th World Biomaterials Congress.

Dr. Deng’s research is based on the convergence of materials science, micro/nano-scale engineering, and cell biology/medicine to develop cell-instructive biomaterials for cell engineering and musculoskeletal regenerative engineering. His research program spans from basic science to translational technology. Specifically, his laboratory focuses on the three thrust areas: (1) cell engineering – understanding cellular processes and researching effective methods to modulate cell function (e.g., via controlled drug delivery); (2) advanced biomaterials – rational design of new polymers and composites by exploiting synthetic chemistry and study of cell-material interactions, and (3) regenerative engineering – development of effective bioengineered systems with cell-instructive cues for regeneration of complex tissues and tissue interfaces. There are natural synergies among all the three research areas.

Dr. Deng serves as associate editor for Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology and on the editorial board of Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine. He is also founder of Adipo Therapeutics, a company that develops bioengineered nanoparticles to induce adipocyte browning for treatment of obesity-related diseases.

Postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to contact Dr. Deng about research opportunities in the lab. His website is regenerativematter.com.