THE FENG LAB
where mechanics fuels immune power
Welcome to the Feng lab
We are a lab in a droplet
We are a lab on a particle
We use microfluidics to decode how immune cells feel mechanical forces — and how we can turn that knowledge into therapy.
Lab / Research Overview
Mechanoimmunology is still in its infancy. Currently, we still lack a systematic view of how immune cells sense and respond to mechanical cues, and how to use the principle of mechanoimmunology to solve the challenges in the current immunotherapy.
Using the high-throughput microfluidic platforms, we aim to systematically investigate T-cell mechanoimmunology across scales, from the molecular level to the tissue level. Understanding T-cell mechanosensing across scales will aid in understanding biology, developing better computational tools, and creating new therapies.
Molecular Level
T cell uses the catch bond to discriminate the pathogenic antigens from similar self-molecules
Cellular Level
Mechanosensing drives acuity of T-cell killing towards the infected/cancerous cells
What we do is important
Engineered TCR therapies are limited by off-target toxicity. Traditional biochemical approaches struggle with subtle antigenic differences. We propose a mechanoimmunology solution: T cells use mechanical force to discriminate antigens. By systematically characterizing mechanical properties—cell stiffness, ECM composition, force-sensitive binding—we will engineer T cells with enhanced specificity, unlocking safer and more effective cancer immunotherapies.
Contact us
Office location:
328 ISEC
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Email: yi.feng@northeastern.edu
Lab location:
4th floor ISEC
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115