Event Details

Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series

Fri, Oct 17, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: RTH 109
Speaker: Leopold N. Green, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Talk Title: Multimodal DNA Channels: A Minimalist Design for Host-Microbiome Communication

Abstract: Nucleic acids are highly programmable materials enabling precise design and efficient assembly of biocompatible nanoscale structures. By incorporating functional groups like cholesterol, aptamers, and protein conjugation chemistries, these structures maintain robust functionality within living cells. Leveraging Watson-Crick base pairing and cost-effective production, nucleic acid-based platforms offer scalable solutions for biomedical and agricultural applications. Here, we introduce a minimalist DNA nanocage designed as a synthetic channel for selective biomolecule transport across eukaryotic cell membranes with cell selectivity to prokaryotic systems. Our nanocages facilitate the transfer of diverse biomolecules, from single ions to large proteins, bypassing natural cellular pathways. We demonstrate efficient transport across multiple cell types, including single-ion translocation in live neurons and delivery of larger biomolecules, such as green fluorescent protein and fibroblast-activating proteins, across brain cancer and stem cell membranes. This versatile nanocage design opens new possibilities for targeted drug delivery, biosensing, and orthogonal intercellular communication in synthetic biology.  

Biography: Dr. Green is a synthetic biologist whose work lies at the intersection of DNA nanotechnology, microbiome engineering, and biological control. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Hampton University in 2011. As a recipient of the Merck Science Fellowship and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, he pursued his doctoral studies in bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside, where he developed self-assembling DNA and RNA motifs coupled to genetic circuits. In 2017, Dr. Green joined Caltech as a postdoctoral fellow, focusing on population controllers in microbiome systems. In fall 2021, he joined Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. His research centers on designing biological controllers using living cells decorated with nucleic acid motifs.  

Host: Stacey Finley