research projects overview

 Much of our work on biomaterials stems from the surprising finding that a subcutaneously implanted biomaterial scaffold can serve as a microenvironment that recruits cells reflective of disease. These materials enable rapid diagnosis of disease via a simple skin biopsy. They provide molecular insight into disease development and can serve as a source of cells for further analysis. 

Current projects in the lab are i) investigating the breadth of potential in this approach by exploring new conditions for which it may be useful and ii) investigating biomaterial design and drug delivery to specifically engineer new functionalities into these microenvironments. Along the way we continue to contribute to a fundamental understanding of the host-biomaterial interface.

Our work in mammalian synthetic biology focuses on design and implementation of new transmembrane receptors. Receptors allow cells to interrogate and respond to their microenvironments and by designing new receptors and downstream circuits, we can build programmable cells that respond in predictable ways to desired cues. 

We predominantly use a receptor system called Modular Extracellular Sensor Architecture (MESA) to engineer new receptors that detect soluble signals related to disease and elicit programmed responses in the cells. We are working to develop new cellular sensors of autoimmunity and sepsis and integrate these approaches within our biomaterial systems. As we work toward these goals, we also solve basic problems in receptor design and build new tools for the field.

 By uniting the disparate fields of biomaterials and synthetic biology we can create entirely new ways of detecting, monitoring, and treating immune dysfunction.