About Us
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We use tools and approaches from cell biology, developmental biology, biochemistry and bioengineering to tackle fundamental biomedical problems. Guided by principles from evolution and engineering our goal is to reconstitute minimal systems that allow us decode the logic of complex cellular processes.
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Spindle assembly in synthetic cell-like compartments. Scale bar 20 microns.
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Research INTERESTS
SIZE SCALING |
One major goal of our group is to understand how cell size and shape regulate cellular function, and how misregulation of cell and organelle size contribute to disease.
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SYNTHETIC CELLS |
We build synthetic cells to investigate how compartment geometry and volume regulates intracellular assembly and signaling. By combining cytoplasmic extracts and microfluidic encapsulation technologies we are able to create tunable cell-size compartments that can mimic aspects of the eukaryotic cell cycle in vitro. This system makes it possible to reconstitute biochemical reactions in a cell-like context and investigate critical cell biological processes that have proven refractory to studies in vivo.
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EARLY EMBRYO
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Using in vitro fertilization of amphibian eggs we investigate physical processes that regulate the biology of vertebrate early embryogenesis. Embryo development is a tremendously useful lens through which to view size-scaling of cells and organelles. Within the context of an embryo, we are also interested in how spatial patterning arises and dictates physiological function.
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