Medical Applications of Synthetic Biology

Genetically engineered mammalian cells represent the next frontier in medicine.  Unique to cell-based platforms is their ability to perform highly robust logical operations by sensing and responding to multiple stimuli in vivo, which can revolutionize medicine by creating advanced cell and gene therapies, tissues/organs, vaccines, and diagnostics.  However, despite recent advances in genetic engineering and genome editing, the technological barrier to creating user-defined mammalian cell functions remains immense.  To obtain the necessary precision required for complex spatiotemporal control of cell function, we are embarking on an ambitious, design-driven research program to develop innovative technologies for next-generation therapeutics and diagnostics, with applications in cancer, autoimmunity, vaccines, and diabetes.