Writing Cells with DNA

Living cells are endowed with an exquisiterepertoire of functions, including the machinery tosynthesize complex molecules, to detectextracellular analytes, and to interact with othercells. The nascent field of engineered cell adhesionhas captured the imaginations of researchers hopingto construct new types of synthetic devices thatcontain living cells. Such devices might one dayfind use in applications including biosensing, drugdiscovery, artificial tissue engineering, and basicstudies in cell biology. This book focuses on thedevelopment of a new tool that can be usedto "program" cellular adhesion using strands of DNA.Experiments validating this concept are described,as well as the adaptation of the strategy into aplatform for highly-efficient, long-term cellpatterning. The work described in this book will beof substantial interest to academic and industrialpractitioners in chemical biology, engineering, andmedicine.

Autorentext

Ravi A. Chandra, Ph.D. in Chemistry (University of California, Berkeley), B.S. in Chemistry and Biological Sciences (Stanford University). Presently: Medical Student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Klappentext
Living cells are endowed with an exquisite repertoire of functions, including the machinery to synthesize complex molecules, to detect extracellular analytes, and to interact with other cells. The nascent field of engineered cell adhesion has captured the imaginations of researchers hoping to construct new types of synthetic devices that contain living cells. Such devices might one day find use in applications including biosensing, drug discovery, artificial tissue engineering, and basic studies in cell biology. This book focuses on the development of a new tool that can be used to "program" cellular adhesion using strands of DNA. Experiments validating this concept are described, as well as the adaptation of the strategy into a platform for highly-efficient, long-term cell patterning. The work described in this book will be of substantial interest to academic and industrial practitioners in chemical biology, engineering, and medicine.