About Me

Hi there! I’m Jinxiong Cheng 👋 I am a Bioengineering Ph.D. student at the University of Pittsburgh, expected to graduate in 2028.

I develop microfluidic, automated imaging, and computational platforms for high-throughput single-cell analysis. My research focuses on cancer cell migration, tumor heterogeneity, and therapeutic responses, with the goal of advancing cancer drug discovery and improving our understanding of tumor progression.

I am looking for a summer 2027 internship, and am open to research collaborations. If our interests overlap — microfluidics, single-cell analysis, or machine learning for drug discovery — I would be glad to hear from you.

Email me View CV (PDF)

Ph.D. in Bioengineering University of Pittsburgh

2023 – 2028 (expected) Advisor: Prof. Yu-Chih Chen

B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering SUSTech

2019 – 2023 Advisor: Prof. Xingyu Jiang

Visiting Undergraduate Researcher University of Toronto

2022.09 – 2022.12 Mentor: Prof. Aaron Wheeler

Research Interests

Single-Cell Migration

Understanding heterogeneity in cancer cell migration and metastatic potential.

Microfluidic Drug Screening

Developing high-throughput, low-cell-consumption platforms for therapeutic discovery.

Tumor Models and Quantitative Imaging

Combining 3D tumor models, automated microscopy, and computational analysis to study treatment response.

News

2025.10: My critical review paper has been accepted in Lab on a Chip!
2025.07: My first paper has been accepted in Cell Reports Methods!
2023.09: I started my Ph.D. journey in the Chen Lab at the University of Pittsburgh!
2022.09: I joined the Wheeler Lab at the University of Toronto as a visiting undergraduate researcher.
2020.09: I joined the Jiang Group at SUSTech as an undergraduate researcher.

Publications

Cancer Letters 2026

Graphical abstract: a high-throughput drug screening workflow feeding single-cell morphology analysis, contrasting a polyploid giant cancer cell with a non-PGCC, ending in a high-content screening data plot

High-throughput drug screening for targeting polyploid cancer cells with an interactive web portal

Hsiao-Chun Chen, Li-Ju Wang, Chien-Hung Shih, Huikang Ye, Ying-Ju Lai, Jinxiong Cheng, Yuan Zhang, Yushu Ma, Tiffany Habib, Shailrajsinh H Jhala, Hsi-Chun Wang, Yu-Chiao Chiu, Yu-Chih Chen

Cancer Letters, 218289 (2026)

Lab on a Chip 2025

Graphical abstract: a cloud lab linking protocol management, single-cell microfluidics, AI hypothesis generation and robotic operation around a central chip

Transforming microfluidics for single-cell analysis with robotics and artificial intelligence

Jinxiong Cheng, Rajiv Anne, Yu-Chih Chen

Lab on a Chip, 25(23), 6100–6125 (2025)

Cell Reports Methods 2025

Graphical abstract: a 3D-printed plug added to a 384-well microfluidic migration assay to cut dead volume and enrich cells, applied to single-cell migration and neuron axon guidance

3D-printed plugs enhance cell usage efficiency for single-cell migration and neuron axon guidance assays

Jinxiong Cheng, Edwin C Rock, Mishal Rao, Hsiao-Chun Chen, Yushu Ma, Kun-Che Chang, Yu-Chih Chen

Cell Reports Methods, 5(8) (2025)

Analytical Chemistry 2025

Graphical abstract: empirical screening by single-cell morphological analysis under a microscope paired with deep-learning virtual screening to find inhibitors of polyploid giant cancer cells

High-Throughput Empirical and Virtual Screening To Discover Novel Inhibitors of Polyploid Giant Cancer Cells in Breast Cancer

Yushu Ma, Chien-Hung Shih, Jinxiong Cheng, Hsiao-Chun Chen, Li-Ju Wang, Yanhao Tan, Yuan Zhang, Daniel D Brown, Steffi Oesterreich, Adrian V Lee, Yu-Chiao Chiu, Yu-Chih Chen

Analytical Chemistry, 97, 5498–5506 (2025)

Lab on a Chip 2024

Graphical abstract: a convolutional neural network predicting cancer spheroid viability from label-free microfluidic images

Deep learning unlocks label-free viability assessment of cancer spheroids in microfluidics

Chun-Cheng Chiang, Rajiv Anne, Pooja Chawla, Rachel M Shaw, Sarah He, Edwin C Rock, Mingxin Zhou, Jinxiong Cheng, Yi-Nan Gong, Yu-Chih Chen

Lab on a Chip, 24(12), 3169–3182 (2024)

Biosensors 2024

Graphical abstract: a vascularized tumour microenvironment in hydrogel transferred onto a tumour-microenvironment-on-chip and then a concentration gradient generator platform for drug screening

Tumor Microenvironment Based on Extracellular Matrix Hydrogels for On-Chip Drug Screening

Xiaoyan Liu, Jinxiong Cheng, Yingcan Zhao

Biosensors, 14(9), 429 (2024)

ACS Nano 2024

Graphical abstract: the near-infrared dye TTVP inserting into a neuronal membrane and lighting up, with multiscale imaging from single neurons to a whole mouse brain

Coupling Nanoscale Precision with Multiscale Imaging: A Multifunctional Near-Infrared Dye for the Brain

Xiaoyan Liu, Yao Chen, Chen Hang, Jinxiong Cheng, Dinglu Peng, Ying Li, Xingyu Jiang

ACS Nano, 18(33), 22233–22244 (2024)

Nano Letters 2022

Graphical abstract: polystyrene nanoplastics varied by size, ligand and concentration, screened by high-content analysis of neurons, then traced in mice for biodistribution, neuroinflammation and behaviour

Bioeffects of inhaled nanoplastics on neurons and alteration of animal behaviors through deposition in the brain

Xiaoyan Liu, Yingcan Zhao, Jiabin Dou, Qinghong Hou, Jinxiong Cheng, Xingyu Jiang

Nano Letters, 22(3), 1091–1099 (2022)

Honors and Awards

Outstanding Graduate SUSTech2023.05
Guangdong “Climbing Program” Special Funds for the Cultivation of College Students’ Scientific and Technological Innovation2022.10
First-class Outstanding Students Scholarship SUSTech2021.09
Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program National Level · Team Leader2021.05

Education

Ph.D. in Bioengineering University of Pittsburgh · Pittsburgh, United States2023.09 – present
B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering Southern University of Science and Technology · Shenzhen, China2019.09 – 2023.06
High School Diploma Hefei No.8 High School · Hefei, China2016.09 – 2019.06

Internships

Visiting Undergraduate Researcher, The Wheeler Lab University of Toronto · Toronto, Canada — Mentor: Prof. Aaron Wheeler2022.09 – 2022.12

Services

Journal Reviewer Biomaterials Research · ACS Omega · Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) · Biotechnology Journal · Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Teaching Assistant BIOENG 1220 Biotransport Phenomena · University of Pittsburgh2024 & 2025 Fall