Speaker: Mary Dunlop, PhD

Professor, Boston University

About the Seminar

 Talk Title: “Optogenetic control of gene expression dynamics in single cells”

In this talk, I will discuss approaches for controlling gene expression dynamics in bacteria, with a focus on methods for single-cell studies. We have developed single-cell optogenetic feedback control systems that can be used to precisely drive gene expression in thousands of cells in parallel. We achieve this by using a deep neural network to accurately predict the response of individual bacteria to computer-controlled light inputs. We have applied these tools to control pathways involved in resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides. In another example, we have developed optogenetic recombinases, which when combined with spatially patterned light, can be used to recombine or excise DNA in precisely targeted cells. Optogenetic methods offer a powerful approach for temporal and spatial control of gene expression.