Core Faculty Members

Prof. WANG, Dongan (王東安), PhD, FRSC

Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Professor (by Courtesy), Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, CUHK
Foreign Adjunct Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet (KI, Sweden)

E-mail: donganwang@cuhk.edu.hk
Location: SINO538A | Tel: 39435404

Dr. Dong-An Wang is a Professor of Department of Biomedical Engineering in Chinese University of Hong Kong since 2024. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. from Zhejiang University, China. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Since joining Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Dr. Wang had been appointed as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor (with tenure) in School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering. As a Professor, Dr. Wang joined Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong in 2018.

Dr. Wang has authored nearly 200 research and scholarly publications and numerous patents. The publications include those published in Nature Materials, Advanced Materials, etc., some of which are editorially quoted by Science, Nature Materials, etc. Dr. Wang has been conferred with Best Paper Award by Elsevier and European Federation for Pharmaceutical Science, and Biomaterials Science Prize by Royal Society of Chemistry. Dr. Wang is a Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry. Dr. Wang is ranked as the Top 2% of the World's Most Highly Cited Scientists by Stanford University.

Dr. Wang used to be Assoc Chair of School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore; Acting Head of Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong; and, Head of Research at Karolinska Institutet Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine. Dr. Wang is currently a Professor (by Courtesy) at Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (CUHK) and a Foreign Adjunct Professor (in Biomedical Engineering) at Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. Dr. Wang is a member of Biology & Medicine Panel, Research Grants Council (RGC), Hong Kong.

Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), CUHK, 2024-
Professor (by Courtesy), Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, CUHK，2025-
Foreign Adjunct Professor (in BME), Department of Neuroscience, KI, 2024-
Project PI, Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Restorative Medicine, InnoHK, 2024-

Professor, Department of BME, City University of Hong Kong (CityU), 2018-2024
Assoc Prof (with tenure), School Chemical & Biomedical Engineering (SCBE), NTU, 2010-2018
Assist Prof, SCBE, Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore), 2005-2010

Acting Head, Department of BME, CityU, 2022-2023
Head of Research (Sideline Post), KI Ming Wai Lau Centre of Reparative Medicine, 2020-2023
Program Director, Bioengineering, SCBE, NTU, 2016-2018
Associate Chair (Graduate Studies), SCBE, NTU, 2010-2014

Postdoctoral Fellow, Tissue Engineering, Johns Hopkins University (US)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Gene Therapy, Univ of Tennessee Health Sci Centre (US)

Ph.D., Polymer Biomaterials, Zhejiang University (CN)
B.Eng., Polymer Materials, Zhejiang University (CN)

Dr. Wang’s research focuses on biomaterials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and molecular pharmaceutics with specialties of functional biomaterials for tissue engineering and therapeutic cell delivery; nucleic acid delivery for therapeutic engineering; applications of stem cells for translational medicine; and engineered biomimetic tissue platforms for in vitro drug evaluation.

2020~ Top 2% of World's Most Highly Cited Scientists (Biomed Engineering, by Stanford Univ)

2019 Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, UK, 676587)

2017 Biomaterials Science Poster Prize by Royal Society of Chemistry

2013 Runners-Up, 2012 Materials Today Cover Competition, by Elsevier & Carl Zeiss

2011 Best Paper Award 2011 by European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Elsevier

2009 Nanyang Award for Excellence in Teaching (2008), NTU, Singapore

Liu, B.H., Zhang, Z., Mu, Y.L., Ma, L., Zhou, H.Q., Wang, D.A.*, “Biophysical-inspired Interpenetrated Fibrillar and Reticular Collagen Scaffold with Vascular Endothelial Cell Membrane Incorporation for Guided In Situ Spleen Tissue Regeneration”, Advanced Materials, (2025), 2501574.

Zhang, Z., Huang, Y., Hu, X., Mu, Y.L., Zhou, H.Q., Ma, L., Liu, B.H., Yao, H., Jiang, X.Y., Wang, D.A.*, “In situ implantation of type II collagen-based double-layer scaffolds for Articular Osteochondral Regeneration comprising hyaline cartilage and vascularized subchondral bones”, Bioactive Materials, (2025), 50 (2025) 8: 364-381.

Wang, G.Q., Wang, J.F., Wang, X.P., Meng, Y.Y.Feng, X.Z., Liu, G.L., Wang, D. A.*, Fan, C.J.*, “Porous materials with water-triggered instant transformation to robust hydrogel adhesives for rapid hemostasis of high-pressure hemorrhages”, Advanced Functional Materials, 35 (2025) 17, 2419456.

Zhou, H.Q., Zhang, Z., Mu, Y.L., Yao, H., Zhang, Y., Wang, D.A.*, “Harnessing Nanomedicine for Cartilage Repair: Design Considerations and Recent Advances in Biomaterials”, ACS Nano, 18 (2024), 16: 10667-10687.

Jin, M., Liu, B.H., Zhang, Z., Mu, Y.L., Ma, L., Yao, H., Wang, D.A.*, "Catechin-functionalized cationic lipopolymer based multicomponent nanomicelles for lung-targeting delivery", Advanced Materials, 36 (2024), 2302985.

Hu, X., Jin, M., Sun, K., Zhang, Z., Wu, Z.L., Shi, J.L., Liu, P.L., Yao, H., Wang, D.A.*, “Type II collagen scaffolds repair critical-sized osteochondral defects under induced conditions of osteoarthritis in rat knee joints via inhibiting TGF-β-Smad1/5/8 signaling pathway”, Bioactive Materials, 35 (2024) 5: 416-428.

Liu, B.H., Jin, M., Ma, C., Zhang, Z., Ma, L., Zhang, Y., Wang, D.A.*, “An Engineered Lymph Node Comprising Porous Collagen Scaffold with Hybridized Biological Signals Embedded in B Cell Membrane Coatings”, Biomaterials, 304 (2024): 122420.

Zhou, H.Q., Mu, Y.L., Ma, C., Zhang, Z., Tao, C., Wang, D.A.*, “Rejuvenation of hyaline cartilaginous phenotype via 3D culture of dedifferentiated chondrocytes in a type II collagen-based scaffold: A mechanism study using chondrocyte membrane nanoaggregates as a coating of antagonist”, ACS Nano, 18 (2024) 3: 2077-2090.

Wang, G.Q., Meng, X.Y., Wang P.Y., Wang, X.P., Liu, G.L., Wang, D.A.*, Fan, C.J.* “A catechol bioadhesive for rapid hemostasis and healing of traumatic internal organs and major arteries”, Biomaterials, 291 (2022) 12: 121908.

Ling, Y., Zhang, W.Y., Wang, P.Y., Xie, W.H., Yang, W., Wang, D.A.*, Fan, C.J.* “Three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel serves as a platform to identify potential markers of chondrocyte dedifferentiation by combining RNA sequencing”, Bioactive Materials, 6 (2021) 9: 2914-2926.

Tao, C., Nie, X.L., Zhu, W.Z., Iqbal, J., Xu, C.J., Wang, D. A.*, “Autologous cell membrane coatings on tissue engineering xenografts for suppression and alleviation of acute host immune responses”, Biomaterials, 258 (2020): 120310.

Nie, X.L., Chuah, Y.J., Zhu, W.Z., He, P.F., Peck, Y., Wang, D. A.*, “Decellularized Tissue Engineered Hyaline Cartilage Graft for Articular Cartilage Repair”, Biomaterials, 235 (2020): 119821.

Fu, J. Y., Wang, D. A.*, “In Situ Organ-Specific Vascularization in Tissue Engineering”, Trends in Biotechnology, 36 (2018) 8: 834-849.

Zhu, W. Z., Peck, Y., Iqbal, J., Wang, D. A.*, “A novel DOPA-albumin based tissue adhesive for internal medical applications”, Biomaterials, 147 (2017): 99-115.

Leong, W. Y., Wang, D. A.*, “Cell-laden Polymeric Microspheres for Biomedical Applications”, Trends in Biotechnology, 33 (2015), 11: 653-666.

Peck, Y., Ng, L. Y., Goh, J. Y. L, Gao, C. Y., Wang, D. A.*, “A three-dimensionally engineered biomimetic cartilaginous tissue model for osteoarthritic drug evaluation”, Molecular Pharmaceutics, 11 (2014), 7: 1997-2008

Lau, T. T., Ho, L. W., Wang, D. A.*, “Hepatogenesis of murine induced pluripotent stem cells in 3D micro-cavitary hydrogel system for liver regeneration”, Biomaterials, 34 (2013), 28: 6659-6669.

Lau, T. T., Lee, L. Q. P., Vo, B. N., Su, K., Wang, D. A.*, “Inducing ossification in an engineered 3D scaffold-free living cartilage template”, Biomaterials, 33 (2012), 33: 8406-8417.

Su, K., Lau, T. T., Leong, W.Y., Gong, Y.H., Wang, D. A.*, “Creating a Living Hyaline Cartilage Graft Free of Non-Cartilaginous Constituents: An Intermediate Role of Biomaterial Scaffold”, Advanced Functional Materials, 22 (2012), 5: 972-978.

Wang, C. M., Varshney, R. R., Wang, D. A.*, “Therapeutic Cell Delivery and Fate Control in Hydrogels and Hydrogel Hybrids”, In: “Therapeutic Cell Delivery for in situ Regenerative Medicine”, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 62 (2010), 7-8: 699-710.

Varshney, R. R., Zhou, R. J., Hao, J. H., Yeo, S. S., Chooi, W. H., Fan, J. B., Wang, D. A.*, “Chondrogenesis of Synovium-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Gene-Transferred Co-Culture System”, Biomaterials, 31 (2010), 26: 6876-6891.

Zhang, F., Yao, Y. C., Hao, J. H., Zhou, R. J., Liu, C. Z., Gong, Y. H., Wang, D. A.*, “A dual-functioning adenoviral vector encoding both transforming growth factor-β3 and shRNA silencing type I collagen: construction and controlled release for chondrogenesis”, Journal of Controlled Release, 142 (2010), 1: 70-77.

Wang, C. M., Adrianus, G. N., Sheng, N., Toh, S. K., Gong, Y. H., Wang, D. A.* “In vitro performance of an injectable hydrogel / microsphere based immunocyte delivery system for localised anti-tumour activity”, Biomaterials, 30 (2009), 36: 6986-6995.

Shi, X. T., Wang, Y. J., Varshney, R. R., Ren, L., Zhang, F., Wang, D. A.*, “In Vitro Osteogenesis of Synovium Stem Cells Induced by Controlled Release of Bisphosphate Additives from Microspherical Mesoporous Silica Composite”, Biomaterials, 30 (2009), 23-24: 3996-4005.

Wang, C. M., Gong, Y. H., Zhong, Y., Yao, Y.C., Su, K., Wang, D. A.*, “The control of anchorage-dependent cell behavior within a hydrogel / microcarrier system in an osteogenic model”, Biomaterials, 30 (2009), 13: 2259-2269.

Liu, Y., Ramanath, H. S., Wang, D. A.*, “Tendon Tissue Engineering Using Scaffold Enhancing Strategies”, Trends in Biotechnology, 26 (2008), 4: 201-209.

Wang, D. A., Varghese, S., Sharma, B., Strehin, I., Fermanian, S., Gorham J., Fairbrother, H.D, Cascio B, Elisseeff, J.H.*, “Multifunctional Chondroitin Sulphate for Cartilage Tissue-Biomaterial Integration”, Nature Materials, 6 (2007), 5: 385-392.

Wang, D. A., Williams, C. G., Yang, F., Elisseeff, J. H.*, "Enhancing the Tissue-Biomaterial Interface: Tissue-initiated Integration of Biomaterials", Advanced Functional Materials, 14 (2004), 12: 1152-1159.

Wang, D. A., Williams,CG, Li, Q, Sharma, B, Elisseeff, JH*, "Synthesis and characterization of a novel degradable phosphate-containing hydrogel", Biomaterials, 24 (2003), 22: 3969-3980.

Wang, D. A., Narang, A. S., Kotb, M., Gaber, A. O., Miller, D. D., Kim, S. W., Mahato, R. I.*, "Novel Branched Poly(ethylenimine)-Cholesterol Water-Soluble Lipopolymers for Gene Delivery", Biomacromolecules, 3 (2002),6:1197-1207.

Wang, D. A., Ji, J., Gao, C.Y., Yu, G. H., Feng, L. X.*, "Surface Coating of Stearyl Poly (ethylene oxide) Coupling-polymer on Polyurethane Guiding Catheters with Poly(ether urethane) Film Building Additive for Biomedical Applications", Biomaterials, 22 (2001), 12: 1549-1562.

Wang, D. A., Ji, J., Feng, L.X.*, "Surface analysis of poly(ether urethane) blending stearyl polycethylene oxide coupling polymer", Macromolecules, 33 (2000), 22: 8472-8478.