Hang Zhou

CRIG member
Hang Zhou


Doctoral fellow – Tissue engineering and Biomaterials Group, Department of Human Structure and Repair (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences - UGent)
Principal investigator: prof. Ruslan Dmitriev (PhD)
 

Research focus

Intestinal organoids derived from stem cells serve as powerful in vitro models containing multiple cell types that replicate tissue architecture and function. While metabolism's established role in energy production is well understood, its emerging function as a developmental regulator remains poorly characterized, particularly regarding cell-specific metabolic dynamics. Current methods for studying single-cell metabolism require sample fixation or disrupt the native cellular environment, limiting continuous analysis. We address this gap by developing a novel live imaging method integrating Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) with machine learning. Using fluorescent tracers for selective cell labeling, validated through immunofluorescence and single-cell sequencing, we perform metabolic profiling via FLIM imaging of mitochondrial potential and endogenous metabolic markers and analyze glucose metabolism in crypt regions. Through development of an automated analysis pipeline for tracking specific cell populations, this approach enables comprehensive single-cell metabolic analysis in living intestinal organoids.
 

Biography

I am a PhD student from MSCA-Doctoral Network: flIMAGIN3D, focusing on the living imaging of organoid metabolism using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM)
 

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