We are a group of scientists working at the interface of chemistry and biology, exploring how cell surface receptors respond to the extracellular environment. We use folded nucleic acid molecules called aptamers to elucidate how cell surface receptors interact with their cognate ligands. The long-term goal of our lab is to engineer miniaturized molecular devices using nucleic acids for biomedical research.
Our technologies draw from in vitro evolution (SELEX), organic chemical synthesis, molecular engineering, molecular biology, biochemistry, molecular biophysics, spectroscopy, and DNA origami-based functional DNA materials.