Our work generally focuses on using synthetic genetic devices to manipulate stem cell fate and behavior. By controlling cellular states, we aim to advance the development of next generation cellular therapies. Recently, a deeper understanding of the relationship between the dosage of a fate determining gene and the cell's lineage has been established.
This was facilitated by the development of genetic controllers that are able to titrate a given gene precisely. Classic molecular biology techniques such as transfection or lentiviral transduction for simple gene over expression will always be a mainstay. However, our field has recently adopted synthetic devices that incorporate linear and non-linear feedback in order to obtain more complex outputs from delivered DNA.
Gene dosage has a key role in determining the outcome of gene expression. When delivering multiple exogenous genes, a key experimental factor is how much of each gene will give the optimal or desired outcome. Our protocol allows researchers to rapidly scan across dosages in a single treatment, looking for the desired ratio of DNA devices.
