Research Interests

Currently, my research follows broadly the aims of artificial cell science and engineering biology through the directions outlined below, having exciting applications and impact.

DNA-BASED BIOMIMICRY

By applying the tools of (amphiphilic) DNA nanotechnology to synthetic lipid membranes and their phase behaviour, I construct artificial cells with purposefully designed functionality. I engineer bespoke DNA nanostructures to impart function to artificial-cell membranes and thus imitate behaviours typically observed in living organisms.  These are hugely cross-disciplinary efforts, at the intersection of membrane biophysics, self-assembly, and engineering biology, for which I closely collaborate with Dr. Lorenzo Di Michele and his team, Dr. Bortolo Mognetti, Prof. Pietro Cicuta, Prof. Carlos Castro, Prof. Ulrich Keyser, and many other colleagues.

prebiotic protocells

Aiming to unravel ways through which life could have emerged and evolved in early Earth, I construct “protocells” enclosed by lipid membranes formed from building blocks that could have existed in primordial scenarios. This work, done in close collaboration with Dr. Claudia Bonfio and her research group at Strasbourg, explores the behaviour of protocells in the presence of biomolecules with diverse physical and chemical properties. 

SYNTHETIC IMMUNITY

Exploiting tailored biomimetic DNA-membrane platforms, I construct artificial cells with the ability to coordinate responses similar to immune cells. With these immune-like synthetic cells, I am engineering new pathways to detect and respond to the presence of pathogens, unlocking the application of artificial-cell devices for synthetic immunity in healthcare and bio-medicine.