Alfred Yu

Therapeutics and Theranostics Co-Leader; Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Research interests: nanodroplets and nanoparticles as agents for ultrasound imaging contrast enhancement and drug carriers for therapeutic ultrasound

Biography

Alfred Yu is a Professor working in the area of biomedical engineering at the University of Waterloo. He is the Director of the NSERC CREATE Program on Next-Generation Innovations in Ultrasonics. Prof. Yu obtained his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Calgary, and he received his M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Prof. Yu started his academic career at the University of Hong Kong, where he was the founding PI of HKU Biomedical Ultrasound Laboratory. He relocated his research group to Waterloo in 2015 to help spearhead Waterloo ECE department’s biomedical engineering research portfolio.

Professor Yu is a Fellow of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM). His research has been recognized by various prestigious prizes, including the IEEE Ultrasonics Early Career Investigator Award, the Frederic Lizzi Award, and the Ontario Early Researcher Award. He is now an Associate Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, & Frequency Control, an Editorial Board Member of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, and the Past-Chair of the Medical Ultrasound Group of IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium. He is also a Board Director of the International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound, an AdCom Member of the IEEE UFFC Society, and a Member of the AIUM Technical Standards Committee.

Education

  • PhD, Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 2007

  • MASc, Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 2004

  • BS, Electrical Engineering, University of Calgary, 2002

Alfred Yu

Research

Professor Yu’s Laboratory on Innovative Technology in Medical Ultrasound (LITMUS) is broadly interested in nanotechnology for biomedical ultrasound applications.

LITMUS presently strives to design:

  • Novel nanodroplets and nanoparticles that can serve as dual-purpose agents for 1) ultrasound imaging contrast enhancement, and 2) drug carriage in therapeutic ultrasound.
  • Tissue mimicking materials to construct arterial phantoms for biomedical ultrasound investigations.

Publications

Recent publications include:

  • M Cheng, F Li, T Han, ACH Yu, P Qin, “Effects of ultrasound pulse parameters on cavitation properties of the flowing microbubbles under physiologically relevant conditions”, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, vol. 52, pp. 512-521, 2019.
  • T Ishii, CK Ho, H Nahas, BYS Yiu, AJY Chee, ACH Yu, “Deformable phantoms of the prostatic urinary tract for urodynamic investigations”, Medical Physics, no. 46, no. 7, pp. 3034-3043, 2019.
  • X Duan, ACH Yu, JMF Wan, “Cellular bioeffect investigations on low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and sonoporation: platform design and flow cytometry protocol”, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, 2019; in-press.
  • P Qin, T Han, ACH Yu, L Xu, “Mechanistic understanding the bioeffects of ultrasound-driven microbubbles to enhance macromolecule delivery”, Journal of Controlled Release, vol. 272, pp. 169-181, 2018.
  • C Jia, L Xu, T Han, P Cai, ACH Yu, P Qin, “Generation of reactive oxygen species in heterogeneously sonoporated cells by microbubbles with single-pulse ultrasound”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 1074-1085, 2018.
  • AJY Chee, BYS Yiu, CK Ho, ACH Yu, “Arterial phantoms with regional variations in wall stiffness and thickness”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 872-883, 2018.
  • BYS Yiu, ACH Yu, “Spiral flow phantom for ultrasound flow imaging experimentation”, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, vol. 64, no. 12, pp. 1840-1848, 2017.
  • G Guo, Y Ma, Y Guo, C Zhang, J Tu, X Guo, ACH Yu, J Wu, D Zhang, “Enhanced porosity and permeability of three-dimensional alginate scaffolds via acoustic microstreaming induced by low-intensity pulsed ultrasound”, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, vol. 37, pp. 279-285, 2017.
  • Y Lu, L Lin, M Cheng, L Jin, L Du, T Han, L Xu, ACH Yu, P Qin, “Effects of acoustic parameters on the cavitation behavior of SonoVue microbubbles induced by pulsed ultrasound”, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, vol. 35, part A, pp. 176-184, 2017.
  • CK Ho, AJY Chee, BYS Yiu, ACO Tsang, KW Chow, ACH Yu, “Wall-less flow phantoms with tortuous vascular geometries: design principles and a patient-specific model fabrication example”, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 25-38, 2017.
  • AJY Chee, CK Ho, BYS Yiu, ACH Yu, “Walled carotid bifurcation phantoms for imaging investigations of vessel wall motion and blood flow dynamics”, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, vol. 63, no. 11, pp. 1852-1864, 2016.
  • P Qin, L Xu, T Han, L Du, ACH Yu, “Effects of non-acoustic parameters on heterogeneous sonoporation mediated by single-pulse ultrasound and microbubbles”, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, vol. 31, pp. 107-115, 2016.
  • CH Leow, E Bazigou, RJ Eckersley, ACH Yu, PD Weinberg, MX Tang, “Flow velocity mapping using high frame rate plane wave ultrasound and microbubble contrast agents”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 2913-2925, 2015.
  • RS Leow, JMF Wan, ACH Yu, “Membrane blebbing as a recovery manoeuvre in site-specific sonoporation mediated by targeted microbubbles”, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, vol. 12, no. 105, art. 20150029, 2015.
  • Y Hu, JMF Wan, ACH Yu, “Cytomechanical perturbations during low-intensity ultrasound pulsing”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 40, no. 7, pp. 1587-1598, 2014.
  • P Qin, L Xu, Y Hu, W Zhong, P Cai, L Du, L Jin, ACH Yu, “Sonoporation-induced depolarization of plasma membrane potential: analysis of heterogeneous impact”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 979-989, 2014.
  • X Chen, RS Leow, Y Hu, JMF Wan, ACH Yu, “Single-site sonoporation disrupts actin cytoskeleton organization”, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, vol. 11, no. 95, art. 20140071, 2014.
  • KS Leung, X Chen, W Zhong, ACH Yu, CYJ Lee, “Microbubble-mediated sonoporation amplified lipid peroxidation of Jurkat cells”, Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, vol. 110, pp. 53-60, 2014.
  • Y Hu, JMF Wan, ACH Yu, “Membrane perforation and recovery dynamics in microbubble-mediated sonoporation”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 39, no. 12, pp. 2393-2405, 2013.
  • W Zhong, X Chen, P Jiang, JMF Wan, P Qin, ACH Yu, “Induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress by sonoporation: linkage to mitochondria-mediated apoptosis initiation”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 39, no. 12, pp. 2382-2392, 2013.
  • SSM Lai, BYS Yiu, AKK Poon, ACH Yu, “Design of anthropomorphic flow phantoms based on rapid prototyping of compliant vessel geometries”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 39, no. 9, pp. 1654-1664, 2013.
  • X Chen, JMF Wan, ACH Yu, “Sonoporation as a cellular stress: induction of morphological repression and developmental delays”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 1075-1086, 2013.
  • Y Hu, W Zhong, JMF Wan, ACH Yu, “Ultrasound can modulate neuronal development: impact on neurite growth and cell body morphology”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 915-925, 2013.
  • P Qin, L Xu, P Cai, Y Hu, ACH Yu, “Subcellular impact of sonoporation on plant cells: issues to be addressed in ultrasound-mediated gene transfer”, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 247-253, 2013.
  • P Qin, L Xu, W Zhong, ACH Yu, “Ultrasound-microbubble mediated cavitation of plant cells: effects on morphology and viability”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 1085-1096, 2012.
  • W Zhong, WH Sit, JMF Wan, ACH Yu, “Sonoporation induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human promyelocytic leukemia cells”, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol. 37, no. 12, pp. 2149-2159, 2011.

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