By applying engineering principles to biology, Synthetic Biology determines which natural components can be used to build programmable living systems with useful functions and reliable behavior. Biological systems carry the raw materials we can use to make sensitive and sophisticated nano-instruments that are inexpensive to reproduce and are safe for the environment.

Our group uses synthetic, systems, and quantitative biology to engineer useful gene and protein-based biological devices and to deepen our understanding of molecular cell biology. We operate biological devices primarily in human/ mammalian cells. Accelerating the pace of therepeutic technologies (such as tissue regeneration and customizable protein-based drugs) via modular design is the grand challenge that shapes our research plans.