Developing Artificial Membranes for Bottom up Synthetic Biology
Event details
| Date | 07.05.2018 |
| Hour | 16:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Neal Devaraj, University of California, San Diego, CA (USA). |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
Abstract:
Our lab has been developing methods for the in situ synthesis of lipid membranes to mimic cellular processes. A general approach has been to stitch together lipid fragments from non-membrane forming precursors to form membrane forming phospholipids. Using chemoselective reactions, we have been able to non-enzymatically form membranes in situ that mimic the properties and function of native cell membranes. For instance, our synthetic membranes can act as hosts for integral membrane proteins such as GPCRs, and offer a straightforward and rapid means of reconstitution. We have also begun developing methods to assemble bioactive lipids in cells, enabling us to test the effect of specific lipid structures on cell signaling. Finally, recent work from our lab is expanding beyond lipids, and creating polymeric membranes capable of housing artificial organelles such as nuclei. These synthetic cells are capable of coordinated gene expression and forming 2-dimensional “tissues”.
Bio:
Neal Devaraj is an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). A native of Southern California, he attended college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he performed research in the lab of Prof. Moungi Bawendi. He earned his PhD in Chemistry at Stanford University in the labs of Profs. James Collman and Christopher Chidsey. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard Medical School in the lab of Prof. Ralph Weissleder, he joined UCSD. His research interests are in bioconjugation, chemical biology, and bottom-up synthetic biology. Website: https://www.devarajgroup.com/
Abstract:
Our lab has been developing methods for the in situ synthesis of lipid membranes to mimic cellular processes. A general approach has been to stitch together lipid fragments from non-membrane forming precursors to form membrane forming phospholipids. Using chemoselective reactions, we have been able to non-enzymatically form membranes in situ that mimic the properties and function of native cell membranes. For instance, our synthetic membranes can act as hosts for integral membrane proteins such as GPCRs, and offer a straightforward and rapid means of reconstitution. We have also begun developing methods to assemble bioactive lipids in cells, enabling us to test the effect of specific lipid structures on cell signaling. Finally, recent work from our lab is expanding beyond lipids, and creating polymeric membranes capable of housing artificial organelles such as nuclei. These synthetic cells are capable of coordinated gene expression and forming 2-dimensional “tissues”.
Bio:
Neal Devaraj is an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). A native of Southern California, he attended college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he performed research in the lab of Prof. Moungi Bawendi. He earned his PhD in Chemistry at Stanford University in the labs of Profs. James Collman and Christopher Chidsey. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard Medical School in the lab of Prof. Ralph Weissleder, he joined UCSD. His research interests are in bioconjugation, chemical biology, and bottom-up synthetic biology. Website: https://www.devarajgroup.com/
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
Contact
- Institute of Bioengineering (IBI, Dietrich REINHARD)