Hyunjoon Kong (M-CELS leader/EIRH/RBTE), Robert W. Schafer professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, approaches cancer research from a perspective that integrates cell engineering and biomaterials. The Kong research team has been working with Georgia Tech University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) over the past 10 years under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center Grant.

For years, artificial systems - such as robots and machines - have been used for industrial applications, making a tremendous impact on society. However, steady progress made by scientists could see the replacement of artificial systems with “Multi-Cellular Engineered Living Systems” (M-CELS) composed of living cells and extracellular matrices organized to perform novel functions absent in natural systems.