Our collaborative paper, led by the Jewett Lab, is featured by Northwestern News!

By cracking open a cellular membrane, Northwestern University synthetic biologists have discovered a new way to increase production yields of protein-based vaccines by five-fold, significantly broadening access to potentially lifesaving medicines. In February, the researchers introduced a new biomanufacturing platform that can quickly make shelf-stable vaccines at the point of care, ensuring they will not go to […]

Our new NSF-funded graduate training program focused on synthetic biology will launch at Northwestern!

Northwestern’s Center for Synthetic Biology (CSB) is one of the global hubs for innovation in its field. A prestigious grant promises to push the program even further. The National Science Foundation awarded $3 million to support a new graduate-level training program that focuses on PhD students. Northwestern Engineering’s Julius Lucks, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, is […]

Our paper is out in Angewandte Chemie!

Our paper investigating how DNA tethers enable fusion between specific populations of lipid vesicles and can be used to initiate cell-free reactions is out in Angewandte Chemie. The work was led by Justin Peruzzi and explores how membrane domains can enhance membrane fusion and thereby increase the yield of encapsulated cell-free expression reactions.  Great job […]

Our paper is out in PNAS!

Our paper investigating how bilayer vesicles containing diblock copolymers enhance the cell-free expression and folding of a mechanosensitive channel protein is out in PNAS. The work was led by Miranda Jacobs and reveals the role of membrane surface area and the membrane area expansion modulus in enhancing protein folding efficiency and yield. Great job by Kamat Lab members, […]

Neha receives an AFOSR YIP Award!

Neha has been awarded a selective Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Check out the write up here. The $450,000 AFOSR YIP Award over three years will support the Kamat Lab’s basic research initiative to take “A Biophysical Approach to Uncover the Role of Cell Membrane Mechanics in Sensing Mechanical Force.”  The research […]