Overview
Dr. Yuan has extensive experiences in analysis of therapeutic agent transport in mammalian cells, tissues, and organs, and development of effective strategies, design principles, and new technologies that can be used to facilitate the transport. The goal of his research is to improve delivery of therapeutic agents to their targets, which is crucial in treatment and prevention of diseases. He has published >100 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, and a textbook on transport analysis in biological systems that has been used to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in many universities.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
·
2009 - Present
Biomedical Engineering,
Pratt School of Engineering
Professor in Ophthalmology
·
2013 - Present
Ophthalmology,
Clinical Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
·
1996 - Present
Duke Cancer Institute,
Institutes and Centers
Recent Publications
Extracellular vesicles are key mediators for direct antigen transport to draining lymph nodes.
Journal Article Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · October 2025 DNA vaccines have shown great potential in preclinical and clinical studies. However, it is still unclear how the antigen expressed at the site of vaccination is delivered to draining lymph nodes for activation of the immune system. To address the issue, t ... Full text CiteFixation alters the physical properties of tumor tissue that regulate nanomedicine transport.
Journal Article Drug delivery · December 2024 To have the desired therapeutic effect, nanomedicines and macromolecular medications must move from the site of injection to the site of action, without having adverse effects. Transvascular transport is a critical step of this navigation, as exemplified b ... Full text CiteSpatiotemporal control of immune responses with nucleic acid cocktail vaccine.
Journal Article Adv Ther (Weinh) · November 2024 Nucleic acid vaccines play important roles in prevention and treatment of diseases. However, limited immunogenicity remains a major obstacle for DNA vaccine applications in the clinic. To address the issue, the present study investigates a cocktail approac ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Pharmacological Sciences Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030Chemically Assisted Electrotransfer of DNA
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2022 - 2027University Training Program in Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 1994 - 2027View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
City University of New York ·
1990
Ph.D.
Peking University (China) ·
1985
M.S.
Peking University (China) ·
1983
B.S.