01 / IMMUNITY
Immune dynamics & infection
Observing the choreography of resident and circulating immune cells during lung defense.
Explore research ↗Engineering × Physics × Biology
Seeing the
living lung
in a new light.
We develop transformative technologies to visualize the living lung, uncover the physical rules of disease, and reveal how immunity, mechanics, and respiration interact in real time.
LIVE LUNG MICROSCOPYCellular dynamics in functioning lung tissue
Featured discovery · 2026
Read the publication ↗Mosaic patterns of alveolar function in the living lung
Our signature technology
A window into the
functioning lung.
The Crystal Ribcage preserves the complex architecture and respiratory–circulatory dynamics of the lung while allowing optical access from the whole-organ to the single-cell scale.
The Crystal Ribcage
Watch physiology happen—not just its aftermath.
Real-time visualization and experimental control reveal how single cells, capillaries and alveoli respond to breathing, infection, and cancer.
Explore the foundational paper ↗What we investigate
Research at the frontiers
of lung biology.
02 / CANCER
Metastasis & mechanobiology
Connecting the lung's physical microenvironment to cancer cell behavior and immune evasion.
Explore research ↗
03 / PHYSIOLOGY
Alveolar function & transport
Understanding local airflow, particle transport and the diverse behavior of alveoli.
Explore research ↗Our approach
Seeing across scales.
Discovering new rules.
Our multidisciplinary team combines advanced imaging, engineered organ platforms, quantitative physics, computational methods and disease biology.
Whole organ
Functional experimental models that preserve physiological context.
Single cell
Live optical imaging of dynamic cellular behavior.
Across time
Longitudinal observation of evolving immune and disease processes.
Selected publications
Recent discoveries.
Real-time single-particle imaging of functional lungs reveals mosaic-like patterns of aerosol deposition in alveoli
Crystal ribcage: a platform for probing real-time lung function at cellular resolution
Intravital measurements of solid stresses in tumours reveal length-scale and microenvironmentally dependent force transmission
News & media
News & highlights.
Nia Lab awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
Nia Lab awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship.
BU Engineering highlights mosaic patterns of aerosol deposition in the lung ↗
Boston University College of Engineering featured Nia Lab’s research on how inhaled airborne particles deposit across individual alveoli. Using the Crystal Ribcage platform, Gabrielle…
Lab films
See our work in motion.
Choose a featured video in WordPress → Media & Highlights.
Our team
The people behind
the discoveries.
Andrew Tsao
MD/PhD Student
Andrew Tsao is a graduate of Columbia University and a current MD/PhD student at Boston University. During his time at Columbia, he studied Biomedical Engineering and conducted research with Dr. Elizabeth Hillman, using functional optical…
Byungjung Kang, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Byungjun obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Yonsei University in South Korea. During his graduate courses, he developed acoustic wave devices for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and investigated the…
Kathryn Regan, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
A 2018 graduate from the University of San Diego with a degree in Biophysics, Kathryn spent her undergraduate and post-baccalaureate years in a soft matter lab studying conformational and diffusive dynamics of single DNA constructs…
Lauren Castle
PhD Student
Lauren is a PhD student who graduated from MIT in May 2023 where she majored in biological engineering. At MIT, Lauren did research in the Furst lab on the development of electrochemical sensors for detecting foodborne pathogens and Covid-19.…
Collaborate with us
Curiosity crosses disciplines.
We bring engineers, physicists, biologists and clinicians together to answer questions that demand new ways of seeing.