Center for Cellular Construction

Welcome to the Center for Cellular Construction, an NSF Science and Technology Center (STC) supported by NSF grant DBI-1548297. Our mission is to turn cell biology into an engineering discipline by learning how to engineer the physical structure and interactions of living cells, to turn them into living bioreactors and modules of novel self-organizing devices. We are working to realize this vision through four subgoals: (i) building the tools and concepts to implement a full design-build-test cycle in cell biology; (ii) educating scientists and engineers at all levels to work with the cell as an engineering medium; (iii) broadening awareness and participation; and (iv) driving innovation through applications. Accomplishing these goals will provide a new basis for tackling important global challenges of the 21st century.