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VERSION:2.0
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SUMMARY:ChemBio Seminar by Prof. Matt Shoulders (Massachusetts Institute o
 f Technology Department of Chemistry) – CH-636
DTSTART:20231003T161500
DTEND:20231003T171500
DTSTAMP:20260307T133030Z
UID:9671b93dc5314da35c13fd43a6ac9f85c9d950cb7708ec15efca2940
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Title: Enabling Continuous Directed Evolution in Complex Syste
 ms\n\nAbstract :\nA key limitation of all directed evolution workflows per
 formed in test tubes\, Escherichia coli\, or yeast is that these approache
 s often yield products that fail to function when introduced into relevant
  settings\, such as valuable bacterial species\, plants\, and especially m
 ammalian cells. Instead\, functions evolved in other or simpler systems ar
 e often derailed in these environments by off-target interactions\, poor s
 tability\, inappropriate modification/localization\, or many other serious
  problems. This frontier challenge could theoretically be addressed by alw
 ays leveraging the relevant cell system itself as the design\, engineering
 \, and quality control factory for biomolecule discovery and optimization.
  With these challenges in mind\, we developed the first rapid and efficien
 t system for continuous directed evolution directly in living mammalian ce
 lls. In our approach\, essentially a mammalian phage-assisted continuous e
 volution (mPACE) platform\, the ability of a highly error-prone adenovirus
  to propagate is coupled to the activity of a biomolecule of interest with
 in the human cell itself. The system is designed for safety\, speed\, and 
 ease-of-use. Critically\, mutagenesis\, selection\, and amplification all 
 occur concurrently in this platform\, maximizing the benefits of natural s
 election and the throughput of experiments. I will discuss progress in the
  application of mammalian cell-based continuous directed evolution to the 
 engineering of desired biomolecule functions in human cells. I will also d
 iscuss the development of advanced targeted mutagenesis techniques based o
 n our MutaT7 platform\, which can enable continuous directed evolution in 
 many diverse cell and in vivo settings.\n\nBiography:\nMatt Shoulders comp
 leted his BS in Chemistry at Virginia Tech in 2004 and his PhD in Chemistr
 y at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2009. After a stint as an Am
 erican Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at Scripps Research Institute in
  La Jolla\, CA\, he began his independent career at MIT in 2012\, where he
  was promoted to Associate Professor in 2017 and Full Professor in 2022. M
 att’s group studies how cells fold proteins and develops and applies tec
 hnologies for in vivo evolution. His lab’s work has earned numerous awar
 ds\, including the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award\, the NSF CAREER A
 ward\, and the Smith Family Foundation’s Excellence in Biomedical Resear
 ch Award. He has also been recognized as a Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
 \, an American Cancer Society Research Scholar\, and the 56th Edward Malli
 nckrodt\, Jr. Foundation Faculty Scholar. Matt is a MacVicar Faculty Fello
 w at MIT\, in recognition of outstanding contributions to undergraduate ed
 ucation and mentorship\, and has received MIT’s Committed to Caring Awar
 d for Outstanding Graduate Student Mentoring.\n\nLab Website: https://shou
 lderslab.mit.edu
LOCATION:CE 1 1 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==CE%201%201
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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