Through interdisciplinary efforts, we aspire to make advancements in the field of gene and cell therapy. Our research is driven by our curiosity and commitment to translating our scientific discoveries into tangible medical solutions for patients worldwide. Towards that goal, our lab is focused on the following research:

• Studying barriers to in vivo delivery

  From the outermost layer of our skins to compartments deep within our cells, our bodies have developed robust barriers to protect us against foreign substances. However, these barriers also create significant hurdles for delivery of therapeutics. In fact, delivery challenges remain the main bottleneck in translating therapeutics. So, we are interested in understanding and overcoming these barriers for macromolecular delivery by developing sophisticated tools and methodologies with molecular level precision.

   

• Designing next-generation delivery systems

  We are designing next-generation of genetically encoded delivery systems that can be programmed to respond to various stimuli for precision delivery. To accomplish our goal, we use integrative approaches rooted in synthetic biology, genomics, cell biology and protein engineering. We strive to push the boundaries of gene editing technologies with our precision delivery systems for the treatment of rare genetic diseases.  

   

• Technology development

  We are inspired by the recent discovery that transposable elements have significant biological contributions across different diseases. These mobile genetic elements play critical roles in genomic instability and disease progression. To dissect these biological contributions, we are developing highly parallel methods with CRISPR-based gene-editing systems. Through collaborative efforts, we hope to employ our high throughput techniques to gain a comprehensive understanding of how transposable elements contribute to disease progression to inspire new therapeutic strategies.