Xu Han

My research integrates thermal physics, biomedical engineering, cryobiology, glycobiology, regenerative medicine, and translational biotechnology through two interconnected research platforms.

The first has established a new approach to cryobiology based on nanoscale cubic-ice formation and biocompatible molecular assembly. Unlike conventional cryopreservation, which relies on toxic cell-permeating cryoprotectants and liquid-nitrogen infrastructure, this platform uses specially structured polysaccharides to enable long-term preservation of living cells and complex tissues in conventional −80°C freezers.

The technologies have been extended to cell therapies, blood banking, corneas, corneal stroma, skin, retinal tissues, for direct transplantation or transfusion, as well as broader regenerative medicine applications. Successful in vivo studies have demonstrated transplantation or therapeutic efficacy of cryopreserved corneas, corneal stroma, skin, NK cells, and red blood cells. Multiple technologies are advancing toward FDA review, while research-grade products have been commercially distributed through Fisher Scientific.

Mechanistic investigations arising from this work uncovered a second platform based on thermally driven polysaccharide–glycocalyx molecular assembly and glycoengineering. My laboratory investigates how specially structured polysaccharides reorganize cell-surface proteoglycans at the nanoscale to regulate endocytosis, mechanotransduction, barrier formation, and tissue regeneration.

This emerging platform enables glycoengineering of both donor and recipient cells and tissues, with applications spanning therapeutic cargo delivery, transplantation, regenerative wound healing, cancer therapeutics, tissue engineering, organoid manufacturing, and BBB-on-chip modeling. Ongoing studies further investigate glycocalyx-dependent extracellular-vesicle communication along the placenta–brain and gut–brain axes.

Together, these programs connect fundamental molecular mechanisms with engineering, transplantation, regenerative medicine, therapeutic delivery, and clinical translation, while creating new technologies with potential for regulatory advancement and commercialization.

My educational approach emphasizes individualized, one-on-one mentorship and trainee-specific curriculum development. Rather than applying a standardized training pathway, I develop individualized curricula around each student's scientific background, innovation, and career objectives, with defined milestones for scientific development, technology translation, entrepreneurship, and grant preparation.

In the Translational Biotechnology Graduate Capstone Program at Wake Forest University, this approach guides students from initial concepts through scientific and technical problem-solving, business-model development, prototype production, and SBIR/STTR proposal preparation.

This individualized mentorship has enabled a trainee to develop and complete a full SBIR proposal during the Capstone program, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating scientific training with entrepreneurship and translational research.

I have provided extensive national service in scientific peer review, participating in more than 40 funding-agency review panels and activities, including more than 30 NIH study section panels spanning cell and molecular biology, cardiovascular and hematological sciences, endocrinology, metabolism, reproduction, vision research, immunotherapy, and translational medicine.

My service also includes NSF Engineering Research Center on-site review committees and grant review for the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).