Yun Chen
· Associate ProfessorJohns Hopkins University · Mechanical Engineering
Active 2003–2024
About
Yun Chen is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, focusing her research on developing tools to measure key parameters in mechanobiology, understanding the fundamental biophysical mechanisms that contribute to diseases, and applying this knowledge to clinical applications. Her work emphasizes uncovering the causality of biophysical properties in diseased cells and tissues, which are often regarded as consequences rather than causes of disease. Since joining Hopkins in fall 2015, she has led a research group dedicated to understanding how altered biophysics in biological systems contribute to pathological processes and to developing treatments based on these insights. Her research includes developing measurement tools to quantitatively characterize biophysical phenomena such as axial stiffness of twisted DNA strands, force generation profiles, and viscoelasticity of cancer cells compared to normal cells, as well as identifying mechanisms underlying these differences for diagnosis and treatment purposes. Her group’s work has been published in prominent journals, and she has secured patents for biophysical treatments and attracted industrial investment for research projects and licensing. Her long-term vision involves expanding her research to incorporate quantum mechanics in cell biology studies. Chen received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she specialized in applying dynamic, multi-scaled imaging to decipher complex biophysical and biochemical behaviors of molecules, cells, and tissues.
Research topics
- Radiology
- Medicine
- Surgery
- Internal medicine
Selected publications
Gastroenterology · 2023 · 109 citations
1st authorCorresponding- Medicine
- Radiology
- Surgery
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided choledochoduodenostomy with a lumen-apposing metal stent (EUS-CDS) is a promising modality for management of malignant distal biliary obstruction (MDBO) with potential for better stent patency. We compared its outcomes with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with metal stenting (ERCP-M). METHODS: In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, we recruited patients with MDBO secondary to borderline resectable, locally advanced, or unresectable peri-ampullary cancers across 10 Canadian institutions and 1 French institution. This was a superiority trial with a noninferiority assessment of technical success. Patients were randomized to EUS-CDS or ERCP-M. The primary end point was the rate of stent dysfunction at 1 year, considering competing risks of death, clinical failure, and surgical resection. Analyses were performed according to intention-to-treat principles. RESULTS: From February 2019 to February 2022, 144 patients were recruited; 73 were randomized to EUS-CDS and 71 were randomized to ERCP-M. The mean (SD) procedure time was 14.0 (11.4) minutes for EUS-CDS and 23.1 (15.6) minutes for ERCP-M (P < .01); 40% of the former was performed without fluoroscopy. Technical success was achieved in 90.4% (95% CI, 81.5% to 95.3%) of EUS-CDS and 83.1% (95% CI, 72.7% to 90.1%) of ERCP-M with a risk difference of 7.3% (95% CI, -4.0% to 18.8%) indicating noninferiority. Stent dysfunction occurred in 9.6% vs 9.9% of EUS-CDS and ERCP-M cases, respectively (P = .96). No differences in adverse events, pancreaticoduodenectomy and oncologic outcomes, or quality of life were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Although not superior in stent function, EUS-CDS is an efficient and safe alternative to ERCP-M in patients with MDBO. These findings provide evidence for greater adoption of EUS-CDS in clinical practice as a complementary and exchangeable first-line modality to ERCP in patients with MDBO. CLINICALTRIALS: gov, Number: NCT03870386.
Endoscopy · 2021 · 90 citations
1st authorCorresponding- Medicine
- Radiology
- Surgery
BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is the standard in the diagnosis of solid pancreatic lesions, in particular when combined with rapid onsite evaluation of cytopathology (ROSE). More recently, a fork-tip needle for core biopsy (FNB) has been shown to be associated with excellent diagnostic yield. EUS-FNB alone has however not been compared with EUS-FNA + ROSE in a large clinical trial. Our aim was to compare EUS-FNB alone to EUS-FNA + ROSE in solid pancreatic lesions. METHODS: A multicenter, non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial involving seven centers was performed. Solid pancreatic lesions referred for EUS were considered for inclusion. The primary end point was diagnostic accuracy. Secondary end points included sensitivity/specificity, mean number of needle passes, and cost. RESULTS: = 0.008]). EUS-FNB alone cost on average 45 US dollars more than EUS-FNA + ROSE. CONCLUSION: EUS-FNB alone is non-inferior to EUS-FNA + ROSE and is associated with fewer needle passes, shorter procedure time, and excellent histological yield at comparable cost.
Langenbeck s Archives of Surgery · 2021 · 69 citations
- Medicine
- Surgery
- Radiology
Frequent coauthors
- 126 shared
Vivek Kumbhari
- 112 shared
Majidah Bukhari
Lancaster University
- 94 shared
Saowanee Ngamruengphong
Johns Hopkins Hospital
- 87 shared
Mouen A. Khashab
- 85 shared
Mouen A. Khashab
- 80 shared
Alan Barkun
- 56 shared
Vikesh K. Singh
Johns Hopkins University
- 46 shared
Myriam Martel
Awards & honors
- National Science Foundation Trailblazer Award
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Trailblazer Award
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Facu…
- NSF Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award
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