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Dr Yinghong Zhou

Senior Research Fellow

School of Dentistry
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
yinghong.zhou@uq.edu.au

Overview

Dr Yinghong Zhou leads the Translational ImmunoEngineering for Regenerative Dentistry research team at the School of Dentistry. Her research interests extend across several transdisciplinary research projects, all with the central theme of biomedical engineering and bone/periodontal tissue regeneration. Her high-quality research leads the field in (a) hypoxia-mimicking bioscaffolds for bone regeneration (field-weighted citation impact=13.15), (b) trace element-mediated biomineralization (recognised by the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) Young Investigator Award, given only to two emerging researchers in the whole Asia-Pacific region in 2021), and (c) immunoengineering approaches for periodontal regeneration (introduced into the tertiary learning sector as the world-first Master of Philosophy (Materiobiology) Program at QUT). Dr Zhou has been awarded prestigious fellowships including the Endeavour Research Fellowship (2017), NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (2016-2020), and the BridgeTech Industry Fellowship (2021).

Research Interests

  • In vitro modelling to mimic cellular crosstalk in periodontitis
    The prevalence of periodontitis (infection-induced inflammatory gum disease) remains relatively high today, reaching to over 50% of the global population. If left untreated, the disease can trigger systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Till date, the exact interplay between the oral microbiome, immune cells and the surrounding microenvironment remains unclear in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. In vitro platforms can be ideal to systematically pair up key factors in periodontal pathophysiology which is helpful in further understanding of the disease progression and their associated systemic influences. However, the re-creation of heterogenous microenvironments that can support cultures of both oral microbiome (in lower oxygen tension) and the neighbouring macrophages/periodontal ligament cells (in normal oxygen tension) within the same platform without relying on highly specialised equipment remains a key engineering challenge today. Our team has previously formulated functionalise-able hydrogels to locally control the oxygen level which could be used as a medium to support co-culture of bacteria and macrophages/periodontal ligament cells whilst mimicking the heterogenous oxygen level within the oral cavity. This project aims to establish the framework on tuning and characterising the hydrogels’ capability to support the culture of gram-negative anaerobic bacteria critical to periodontal pathogenesis such as Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg).
  • Immunoengineered titanium implants towards soft tissue integration
    Peri-implantitis is a site-specific infectious disease that causes an inflammatory process in soft tissues, and bone loss surrounding dental implants. The long-term success of titanium (Ti) dental implants therefore relies on a superior transmucosal “seal” to prevent bacteria invasion and subsequent inflammation. It is known that the Ti implant surface topography and chemistry play a key role in controlling the long-standing connective tissue seal. Yet, none of the existing surface coating systems takes into consideration of the initial blood clot formation and immune cell-material interactions. This project, therefore, aims to develop a new generation of multifunctional surface coatings on Ti implants that can fight off bacteria, orchestrate blood clot formation and regulate immune responses to achieve optimal soft tissue integration.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy of Biomedical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology

Publications

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Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

  • Development of an oral biofilm-oral epithelial cells co-culture model based on jammed-packed microgel

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Novel nanomaterials of cerium-doped ZIF-62 periodontal tissue regeneration

    Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Featured Publications

Book Chapter

  • Clinical usage of dental stem cells and their derived extracellular vesicles

    Zhou, Yinghong, Xu, Tian, Wang, Cong, Han, Pingping and Ivanovski, Sašo (2023). Clinical usage of dental stem cells and their derived extracellular vesicles. Stem cell in medicine. (pp. 297-326) San Diego, CA, United States: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2023.03.005

  • Engineered adult stem cells: current clinical trials status of disease treatment

    Han, Pingping, Moran, Corey Stephan, Liu, Chun, Griffiths, Rebecca, Zhou, Yinghong and Ivanovski, Sašo (2023). Engineered adult stem cells: current clinical trials status of disease treatment. Progress in molecular biology and translational science. (pp. 1-1) San Diego, CA, United States: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2023.02.007

  • The development of extracellular vesicle-integrated biomaterials for bone regeneration

    Zhou, Yinghong and Xiao, Yin (2020). The development of extracellular vesicle-integrated biomaterials for bone regeneration. Biomimicked biomaterials: advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. (pp. 97-108) edited by Heung Jae Chun, Rui L. Reis, Antonella Motta and Gilson Khang. Singapore: Springer . doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-3262-7_7

  • Interaction between mesenchymal stem cells and immune cells in tissue engineering

    Huang, Rong, Zhou, Yinghong and Xiao, Yin (2019). Interaction between mesenchymal stem cells and immune cells in tissue engineering. Encyclopedia of biomedical engineering. (pp. 249-256) edited by R. Narayan. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-801238-3.99877-5

  • Mesenchymal stem cells and nano-structured surfaces

    Zhou, Yinghong, Chakravorty, Nishant, Xiao, Yin and Gu, Wenyi (2013). Mesenchymal stem cells and nano-structured surfaces. Stem Cell Nanotechnology: Methods and Protocols. (pp. 133-148) edited by Turksen, K. New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/7651_2013_30

Journal Article

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Development of an oral biofilm-oral epithelial cells co-culture model based on jammed-packed microgel

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Novel nanomaterials of cerium-doped ZIF-62 periodontal tissue regeneration

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

bone tissue engineering, regenerative dentistry, biomaterials

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

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Links

ORCID: 0000-0001-9757-7735

Scopus ID: 37082507300

Google Scholar ID: 5fE_x9gAAAAJ

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