BME Seminar Series (Zoom): Understanding, Predicting and Control of Circuit-Host Interactions Toward Engineering Robust Gene Circuits

Zoom: https://uci.zoom.us/s/97629106431 Password: 198Sem

Abstract: Failure of modularity remains a significant challenge for assembling synthetic gene circuits with tested modules as they often do not function as expected. Hidden circuit-host interactions, such as growth feedback and resource competition, could significantly impair intended circuit function but are often neglected. Here, I will present our recent efforts on the quantitative understanding of how the functional perturbation of gene circuits by these hidden interactions depends on network topology, host physiological environment, and resource competition, together with modeling frameworks for predicting circuit behaviors and practical control strategies for engineering robust gene circuits.

Bio: Xiaojun Tian received his doctorate in systems biology from Nanjing University in 2012 and spent five years as a postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Tech and the University of Pittsburgh. In 2017, he joined the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at Arizona State University to start his lab and synthetic biology research. His lab has made outstanding achievements with several publications at Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Communications, and ACS synthetic biology. In addition, he recently received the NIH Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) Award and NSF Career Award.