An Introduction to Dr. Shaw-Wei David Tsen

Shaw-Wei David Tsen, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, arrived in Dallas in December 2021, excited to take part in establishing the new Department of Biomedical Engineering at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Born and raised in Arizona and influenced by a Chinese phrase loosely translated as “Long life without getting old,” Dr. Tsen became interested in science at an early age. “Diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders become more common as we age,” he says. “Finding a way to stop aging could be the ultimate strategy for disease prevention.”

While studying at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he worked with T.C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., who encouraged him to explore, think outside the box, and ultimately find his passion for lab research. It was through this experience, and a few vibrant discussions in a city park with his father (a Ph.D. researcher at Arizona State University), that Dr. Tsen started working on new ways to kill viruses and bacteria without harming human cells.

While earning his degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Tsen worked to develop light-based methods for disinfection and fluorescent probes for cancer imaging with the inspirational scientist and inventor Samuel Achilefu, Ph.D. – now the Inaugural Department Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at UT Southwestern. “Radical new ideas often come when people in vastly different fields meet and discuss,” says Dr. Tsen. “Some of my projects have stemmed from what you might call a marriage of biology and physics.”

At any point in the workday, you can find Dr. Tsen developing laser-based systems to combat infections and finding biocompatible ways to intervene in the aging process with the hope of eradicating the most prevalent illnesses. “It’s not yet clear which unifying mechanisms can be targeted to safely and completely prevent aging. But with the surge in new biological knowledge over the past few decades, I believe the time is ripe for a breakthrough,” he says.

Dr. Tsen has enjoyed getting to know Dallas and exploring its many city parks to get fresh inspiration. His focus on relationships with his colleagues is what fuels his passion to turn his breakthroughs in the lab into real-world products in hospitals and clinics. He is excited about potential collaborations across the UT Southwestern campus, and given his propensity to explore, his next idea to keep us all healthy as we age may be just a thought away.