Genetically Encoded Chemistries to Read and Write

Controlled incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins in living cells has emerged as a powerful tool for biological research and biotechnology. Our group focuses on advancing the scope of this technology for both probing complex biological questions, as well as to create opportunities to develop next-generation biotherapeutics. Our research goals include: 1) Creating new platforms to genetically encode ncAAs with diverse chemical structures, 2) Developing new bioorthogonal conjugation reactions with new capabilities, 3) Creating next-generation biotherapeutics, such as precisely modified viral vectors for enhanced gene therapy, 4) Investigating the roles of various post-translational modifications of human proteins, and 5) Developing technology to monitor dynamic changes in the cellular proteome. This presentation will focus on our recent work on a novel strategy for characterizing proteomic changes in pathogenic bacteria during the infection process, as well as the development of a mammalian cell-based directed evolution platform.