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Our lab
is interested in using a combination of interdisciplinary approaches
encompassing biomolecular engineering, biochemical engineering, and
synthetic biology with a strong foundation in molecular biology,
biochemistry, and chemical biology to study complex gene regulatory
networks and develop sophisticated gene expression technologies. Our
laboratory is part of the
Chemical Engineering Department at California Institute of Technology,
although due to the interdisciplinary nature of our research focus we
are cross-listed in the
Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics,
Bioengineering, and
Chemistry Departments. A major focus of the lab is
studying the bioactive properties of RNA and engineering RNA, and other
bioactive molecules, into modular functional technology platforms for
applications in metabolic engineering and circuit design, as well as
medical applications focused on the molecular mechanisms of cancer and
disease and developing effective therapies and treatments.
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Antiswitch-mediated regulation of gene expression.
Antiswitch molecules are in an ‘off’ conformation (back right) when not bound to
a small molecule ligand (green) and switch to an ‘on’ conformation upon ligand
binding (middle left). In the ‘on’ conformation these molecules will bind to a
target transcript (blue) to inhibit gene expression through antisense mechanisms
(foreground).
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