Understanding & Engineering Cells
NucleoPoration for Delivery to Cells
Hypothesis: Precisely engineered nuclear curvature, induced by nanopillars, can lead to transient and localized poration of the nuclear envelope, without cell penetration, enabling direct delivery of gene-editing and regulatory cargo into the nucleus.
Problem: Precise gene delivery to the nucleus remains a major bottleneck for genome editing and non-viral therapeutics, especially in hard-to-transfect primary or stem cells.
Need: A universal, controllable method for nuclear delivery that avoids viral vectors.
Impact: Breakthrough technology for genome engineering, regenerative medicine, and ex vivo cell therapy, enabling efficient, low-toxicity nuclear delivery in previously inaccessible cell types.
Curvature-Induced Nuclear Poration for Targeted Delivery
Sensing from Cells
Hypothesis: Miniaturized nanoelectrode arrays, engineered at subcellular scale, can stably and non-destructively interface with individual cells to enable real-time, multiplexed intracellular sensing and active manipulation, offering a dynamic, longitudinal view of cellular physiology that is not possible with destructive multi-omics techniques.
Problem: Current methods to study intracellular processes, such as transcriptomics, proteomics, or metabolomics, require cell lysis, losing both temporal dynamics and functional continuity. These approaches fail to capture how cells behave over time, especially in response to stimuli, stress, or therapeutic compounds. This is a major limitation in drug development, toxicology, and systems biology.
Need: A high-resolution, non-invasive technology for long-term, parallel monitoring of intracellular states in cultured cells and tissue slices.
Impact: This platform enables real-time, multiplexed monitoring of intracellular activity across thousands of living cells, advancing fundamental understanding of cell behavior, signaling dynamics, and responses to perturbations that are missed by traditional endpoint assays.
Nanoelectronics for Real-Time, Parallel Intracellular Sensing
Nanoelectrode output
Input signal