My doctoral research focused on development of cell-based biosensors for detecting and responding to exclusively extracellular ligands in mammalian cells. To achieve this I am using predictive design methods to engineer modular synthetic cell surface receptors. Upon ligand recognition these receptors dimerize and transduce the signal into the cells resulting in transcription of a reporter or other gene of interest. The modularity of these receptors enables us to adapt them to respond to a range of ligands for many diverse applications. I completed much of the early development of this platform both evaluating its feasibility and improving signaling properties using rational design. I am currently focusing on adapting the platform for detection of cytokines that play an important role in immune dysfunction of the tumor microenvironment. We are initially using these biosensors to develop an engineered “self reporting” tumor to dynamically study development and maintenance of the immunosuppresive microenvironment in these tumors and have begun preliminary in vivo experiments in mice. Eventually these biosensors could be used to engineer immune cells such as macrophages to modulate the immune response for therapeutic intervention.

• Studied the role of the CuZn super oxide dismutase (SOD) homolog in Baculovirus• Measured viability, SOD activity levels, and levels of oxidative stress post-infection in Sf9 cells to determine effects of viruses with and without the CuZnSOD homolog on cell health