Idse Heemskerk

The goal of the Heemskerk lab is to understand how human pluripotent stem cells generate and interpret the chemical and physical signals that allow them to self-organize into spatial structures consisting of multiple cell types in vitro, and, by extension to the embryo, in vivo. By combining quantitative live-cell measurements and engineering tools such as micropatterning with predictive mathematical models we can answer currently intractable questions in developmental and stem cell biology.

Research Areas: Bio-MEMS and Microfluidics, Bio-Micro Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering, Biomechanics, Biomedical Computation and Modeling, Biomedical Imaging, Molecular and Cellular Biomechanics, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine