Featured Research
Blue Light Magic
Poh LabBlue Light Magic
Bacterial motility is key to many cellular activities like migration and biofilm formation, and exhibit distinct patterns to navigate in a natural environment controlled by chemotaxis. Regulating bacterial patterning through nonchemical based methods such as blue light using principles of optogenetics has potential applications in biomaterial creation, drug delivery, etc. Poh Lab members have created synthetic genetic circuits which can be further regulated by exposure to blue light leading to controlled directional motility and spatial organization of cell population with a specific complex pattern that can be maintained for a longer duration.Read more
Genetic Tool-Kit Fix
Yew LabGenetic Tool-Kit Fix
Bacteria have long been used for many genetic engineering applications. One such nonmodel bacteria of great interest is Chromobacterium violaceum with its cyanogenic ability to mobilize metals from solid materials that find application in environmental sustainability via the biorecovery of gold from electronic waste. However, with limited genetic tools to implement synthetic biology principles on such chassis, SynCTI’s Yew lab researchers have come up with a systematic toolkit that will aid future genetic circuitry building in this chassis and other nonmodel bacteria for synthetic biology and biotechnological applications.Read more
