Christopher Hughes, PhD
CSO and Co-Founder, Aracari Biosciences, Inc.
Dr. Hughes is also Chancellor’s Professor of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, and Biomedical Engineering at UC Irvine. Dr. Hughes’ research focuses on the development and growth of blood vessels and spans multiple scales – from understanding the basic molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis, to engineering of artificial tissues. Recently his lab has been pioneering “Body-on-Chip” technology, which allows for micro-organs to be grown on a “chip”, each with its own blood vessel network. Tissues generated include liver, pancreas, lung, various tumors and brain, including a blood-brain barrier. These devices are gaining use as screening tools for new therapeutic drugs, and the technology, co-developed by two co-founders Dr. Steve George and Dr. Abe Lee, is now licensed to Aracari Biosciences. Dr. Hughes has published over 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and in 2014 was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).