Research

Fibroblast to microglia direct transdifferentiation

• Obtaining sufficient numbers of rare cell types for research and therapeutic purposes remains a major challenge. We're exploring the transdifferentiation from abundent cell types, such as fibroblasts, into rare cell types, such as microglia

The DRESS Code: Domain-Swapped Receptor Synthesis and Screening Platform for Programming Polarization

• The DRESS platform enables high-throughput engineering of dendritic cells by domain swapping surface receptors to customize inflammatory or suppressive activation for therapeutic reprogramming

Developing cell-free toehold-switch detection of mRNA biomarkers for preeclampsia screening

• Developing a low-cost, cell-free biosensor for detecting sFlt-1 and PIGF mRNA biomarkers using programmable toehold-switch circuits for early onset detection of Preeclampsia

Directed evolution of reverse transcriptase for morpholino cDNA synthesis and amplification

• Aims to engineer and evolve reverse transcriptase mutants capable of synthesizing cDNA from morpholino antisense oligonucleotides, which bind to mRNA and act as therapeutic agents

Reprogramming fibroblasts for autonomous chronic wound therapies

• Designing a genetic circuit that can autonomously switch between wound healing phases with potential application to chronic wound therapeutics