Ascent is a bio-tech start-up incorporated in 2012. It is a spin-off from The Pennsylvania State University and Duke University. Ascent focuses on development and commercialization of acoustofluidic (i.e., the fusion of acoustics and microfluidics) chips and instruments for research, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications. It has a strong IP portfolio on acoustofluidic technologies (exclusive license for 4 issued US patents and >10 issued/pending patents in China, Japan, Europe, and North America).
Mission: Ascent’s mission is to make an impact to the society by commercializing innovative acoustofluidic technologies. The company tagline is “Innovation for Impact”. The core competency is rapid prototype development of acoustofluidic chips for sample preparation, separation, and manipulation of bioparticles such as cells and vesicles, and bioanalysis.
Vision: Ascent’s vision is a lean and specialized R&D firm commercializing the acoustofluidic technology platform. We (1) develop ready-to-manufacture prototypes of acoustofluidic chips with full customer validation, and (2) collaborate with strategic industry partners on customized product development and integration.
Leadership Team
Lin Wang
President & CEO
- Peking University (P.R. China), BS in Electrical Engineering
- Duke University, MS in Electrical Engineering
- Harvard University, Master of Management with honors
- Extensive experience of Marketing, Finance, Project Management, and Strategic Planning from Fortune 100 companies
- Published more than 40 peer-reviewed technical articles
Dr. Tony Jun Huang
Co-founder & Chair of Scientific Advisory Board
Tony Jun Huang is a professor at Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS) at Duke University. Previously he was a professor and The Huck Distinguished Chair in Bioengineering Science and Mechanics at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2005. His research interests are in the fields of acoustofluidics, optofluidics, and micro/nano systems for biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics. He has authored/co-authored over 190 peer-reviewed journal publications in these fields. His journal articles have been cited more than 11,000 times, as documented at Google Scholar (h-index: 60). He also has 20 patents and invention disclosures.
He was elected a fellow of the following five professional societies: the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Institute of Physics (IOP), and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
Huang’s research has gained international recognition through numerous prestigious awards and honors including a 2010 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award, a 2011 Penn State Engineering Alumni Society Outstanding Research Award, 2011&2013&2016 JALA Top Ten Breakthroughs of the Year Award, a 2012 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from the Society for Manufacturing Engineering, a 2013 Faculty Scholar Medal from The Pennsylvania State University, a 2013 American Asthma Foundation (AAF) Scholar Award, the 2014 IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the 2017 Analytical Chemistry Young Innovator Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS).