Regenerative Medicine

Research Description

Dr. Cheng's basic science research is in the areas of tissue engineering and bladder physiology. He is currently partnering with Arun Sharma to develop a tissue engineered replacement for bladder tissue that restores regular urinary function while avoiding the issues associated with bowel augmentation. Two major focuses of this research are scaffolding for cells and source of stem cells in bladder engineering.

Select Publications

• Johnson EK, Jacobson DL, Finlayson C, Yerkes EB, Goetsch AL, Leeth EA, Cheng EY. Proximal Hypospadias-Isolated Genital Condition or Marker of More? The Journal of urology. August 2020.

• Johnson EK, Rosoklija I, Cheng EY. U.S. News & World Report Rankings for Pediatric Urology: A Critical Examination of Methodology and Utility for Our Specialty. The Journal of urology. March 2020.  

• Finlayson C, Rosoklija I, Aston CE, Austin P, Bakula D, Baskin L, Chan YM, Delozier AM, Diamond DA, Fried A, Greenfield S, Kolon T, Kropp B, Lakshmanan Y, Meyer S, Meyer T, Nokoff N, Mullins LL, Palmer B, Perez MN, Poppas DP, Reddy P, Reyes KJS, Schulte M, Sharkey CM, Yerkes E, Wolfe-Christensen C, Wisniewski AB, Cheng EY. Baseline characteristics of infants with atypical genital development: Phenotypes, diagnoses, and sex of rearing. Journal of the Endocrine Society. January 2019.

Research Description

Bladder dysfunction from obstruction or denervation is the cause of kidney failure in many pediatric patients. Dr. Gong leads research to determine mechanisms behind pathologic bladder degeneration. His goal is to develop therapeutic agents that can prevent loss of bladder function and promote regeneration of healthy bladder tissue in children affected by posterior urethral valves or neurogenic bladder.

Select Publications

• Tassone NM, Li B, Patel MS, Devine MY, Firmiss PR, Gould AD, Kochan KS, Stubbee RA, Bowen DK, Dettman RW, Gong EM. Stem cell antigen/Ly6a protects against bladder fibrosis in mice. American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology. December 2019.

• Morrison CD, Shannon R, Rosoklija I, Nettey OS, Superina R, Cheng EY, Gong EM. Ureteral Complications of Pediatric Renal Transplantation. Journal of Urology. April 2019.

• Li B, Liu DB, Gong EM. Robot-assisted laparoscopic transplant-to-native ureteroureterostomy of an intraperitoneal renal allograft. Journal of Pediatric Urology. August 2018.

Research Description

The primary research focus of the lab is urologic regenerative medicine, specifically tissue engineering utilizing nanomolecules and novel synthetic biomaterials in bladder regeneration models. We study the regenerative applications of combining novel elastomeric scaffolds with an array of stem and progenitor cell populations in order to recapitulate the native bladder environment.

For more information, see the faculty profile of Arun Sharma, PhD, or the Sharma Laboratory pages.

Selected Publications

• Chan YY, Bury MI, Yura EM, Hofer MD, Cheng EY, Sharma AK. The current state of tissue engineering in the management of hypospadias. Nature Reviews Urology. March 2020.

• Sharma A. Stem cells to help the heart. Science. March 2020.

• Iannaccone PM, Galat V, Bury MI, Ma YC, Sharma AK. The utility of stem cells in pediatric urinary bladder regeneration. Pediatric Research, January 2018.

For a complete list of publications, refer to Northwestern Scholars.