Synthetic Biology Tools

Currently, the limiting factor in our ability to investigate molecular pathways in detail is a product of the quality of available technologies. That’s why our lab focuses on developing synthetic biology tools to aid in molecular pathway control, optogenetic protein engineering, and high throughput stem cell screens. With tools that allow us to essentially create a virtual reality for cells, enabling us to precisely control cellular inputs, we can understand how cells interpret complex signals to inform their outputs/future decisions.

 

Highlighted Publications

An Optogenetic Platform to Dynamically Control the Stiffness of Collagen Hydrogels. Erik Hopkins, Eric Valois, Alanna Stull, Kristy Le, Angela A. Pitenis, and Maxwell Z. Wilson*. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. (Download PDF) 

Diels-Alder Photoclick Patterning of Extracellular Matrix for Spatially Controlled Cell Behaviors. Sophia J. Bailey, Erik Hopkins, Naomi J. Baxter, Isobel Whitehead, Javier Read de Alaniz*, and Maxwell Z. Wilson*. Advanced Materials. (Download PDF) 

 

Affiliated Researchers

Max Wilson

Associate Professor
Combines tools from Biology, Engineering, and Physics to understand the cell’s perceptual field.

Joseph Rufo

Postdoctoral Researcher
Joey's research focuses on the development of high-throughput engineering platforms which offer precise and tunable control over individual developmental parameters (i.e., cell number, cell type, local mechanics, etc.) in 2D and 3D stem-cell based models of embryonic development. By establishing the relationships between individual developmental parameters and their associated developmental phenotypes, he hopes to develop a more comprehensive understanding of enigmatic developmental processes, such as primate gastrulation. Specifically, Joey hopes to help answer the question of why so many primate embryos fail during gastrulation. The insights from his research can lead to improved treatments for infertility and enhanced screening criteria for quality embryos for in vitro fertilization.

Erik Hopkins - 2023

Graduate Student
Erik's project focuses on engineering systems to enable precise and dynamic control over cell inputs to ultimately shape cell fate. Cells are products of their environments and continually interpret the dynamic biochemical and mechanical cues around them to instruct future decisions, such as differentiating, dividing, or dying. As interest in cellular dynamics continues to grow, so does the need for modular approaches that trivially control pathways and processes of interest in such a fashion.

Robert Piscopio

Graduate Student
Robert is interested in understanding how the spatial position of a cell, within a multicellular system, influences complex decision making and cell fate choices. To answer these questions, he is designing and implementing optical techniques paired with spatially-resolved transcriptomic methods.

Alex Maynard

Graduate Student
Alex's research focuses on improving optogenetic protein design and building a system of rules to select the best optotool insertion sites in any protein of interest. He is utilizing the MAGESTIC plasmid to design a high-throughput CRISPR workflow that would allow the insertion of any protein domain into every insertion site within reach in any gene of interest in the same reaction. He intends to use this method to screen every essential gene in the yeast genome designing hundreds of new optotools. 

Lisa Månsson

Graduate Student
Lisa is currently working in a multidisciplinary, collaborative project examining different synthetic hydrogels suitable for stembryo models (bio-mimicking materials to study embryo development from stem cells). Her primary goal is to find an extracellular environment where stem cell pluripotency can be well controlled and maintained, which is also user friendly and easy to reproduce. She aims to study simple but controlled cell microencapsulation systems, applying a high-throughput, structured experimental feedback approach where materials characterization and following cell outcome give cues for the next version of a stembryo model system. 

Sam Rosen

Graduate Student
Sam is interested in understanding how cells compute external signals to enter various transcriptional states. He is particularly interested in how signal intensity impacts transcriptional level. Sam plans to accomplish this through the use of the SunTag reporter system and STED microscopy. This will allow him to quantify beta catenin production in cells under different external signaling conditions and to quantify how transcriptionally active cells are in real time.