"Optogenetic Engineering of Cellular Signaling Dynamics for Discovery and Therapy"

The complexity of human cellular behavior presents both immense potential for biomedical innovation and substantial challenges for control. Our lab pioneers a unique approach to dissect and program these behaviors using cellular optogenetics–integrating hardware, software, and wetware to deliver precise, "virtual" signals to signaling pathways. I will discuss our efforts to leverage this platform to dissect cellular stress responses for therapeutic interventions and understand how developmental signals are decoded in time and space by the human embryo using 2D gastruloids.