Co-hosted by Georgia Tech's Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.

John T. Ngo
Associate Professor
Biomedical Engineering
Boston University

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Abstract: Cells constantly receive signals from their environment and neighbors—signals essential for guiding processes such as migration, morphogenesis, and memory. How do natural systems integrate and interpret these cues? And how can we harness this complexity to program new cellular behaviors?
In this talk, I will share our efforts to engineer receptor proteins that enable cells to sense and respond to external inputs, including mechanical forces, bioorthogonal chemistry, and extracellular protease activity. I will outline the molecular logic behind these designs, which build on natural Notch and SynNotch mechanisms, and describe the protein engineering strategies we use to reconfigure these pathways. These synthetic systems allow cells to convert extracellular information into precise intracellular responses, such as transcriptional activation, translational control, and cell-state differentiation.
I will highlight our design of synthetic mechanoreceptors for gauging picoNewton-scale forces at cell-cell interfaces and introduce protease-based circuits that enable logic-gated cellular computation. Time permitting, I will also present our latest tools for visualizing and manipulating mRNA translation at the single-molecule level, offering a real-time view of the Central Dogma. Together, these approaches illustrate how molecular engineering and chemical toolmaking can deepen our understanding of cellular signaling and enable new strategies for probing and programming living systems.

Biography: John Ngo is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University and a core member of the Biological Design Center. His research group designs receptors and RNAs that translate defined biophysical and biochemical cues into programmable cell behaviors. Recent work has focused on developing “synthetic mechanobiology” and creating protease-based tools for cellular computation. In parallel, the lab continues to develop new methods for imaging and engineering Central Dogma processes in mammalian cells.
Ngo has held leadership roles in synthetic biology, including serving as co-chair of the 2024 International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop (mSBW). His lab’s contributions have been recognized with the 2025 ACS Synthetic Biology Young Innovator Award. Students from his group have earned numerous honors, including prestigious fellowships, Thesis of the Year, and the College of Engineering’s Earle and Mildred Bailey Memorial Award. Alumni have gone on to prominent positions in academia, industry, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit science.

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