Event
BIOE Seminar Series: Tal Danino (Columbia University)
Friday, May 7, 2021
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Virtual
Steven Jay
smjay@umd.edu
The Spring 2021 seminars will be held virtually on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m., unless otherwise noted. All BIOE faculty, students, staff, postdocs, and affiliates as well as additional subscribers to our weekly seminars emails will receive Zoom event information the week of each seminar.
If you do not yet receive our weekly seminars email and would like to subscribe to the listserv, or if you would like to attend this particular seminar, please email Emily Rosenthal.
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Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Columbia University
Synthetic biology: From engineered bacteria gene circuits to cancer therapy
Synthetic biology is driving a new era of medicine through the genetic programming of living cells. This transformative approach allows for the creation of engineered systems that intelligently sense and respond to diverse environments, ultimately adding specificity and efficacy that extends beyond the capabilities of molecular-based therapeutics. One particular focus has been on engineering bacteria for cancer therapy, where a multitude of studies have demonstrated selective colonization of solid tumors by bacteria, primarily due to reduced immune surveillance in tumor cores. In this talk, I will describe our laboratory's progress in building a multi-scale framework for engineering bacteria as a diagnostic and therapeutic agent for cancer. We use a methodology that bridges in silico computational modeling, in vitro characterization and platform development, and in vivo mouse models for cancer. I will highlight recent examples of bacteria programmed to sense and respond to tumor environments and release specific therapeutic payloads ranging from cytotoxic to immunomodulatory agents.
