{"681712":{"#nid":"681712","#data":{"type":"event","title":"Bioengineering Seminar","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECo-hosted by Georgia Tech\u0027s Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thengolab.com\/\u0022\u003EJohn T. Ngo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EAssociate Professor\u003Cbr\u003EBiomedical Engineering\u003Cbr\u003EBoston University\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E**\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/webinar\/register\/WN_kZioUnffSreqykblJQVYCg\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERegister HERE\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E to attend virtually\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C\/strong\u003E Cells constantly receive signals from their environment and neighbors\u2014signals 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?\u003Cbr\u003EIn 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.\u003Cbr\u003EI 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.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBiography:\u003C\/strong\u003E 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 \u201csynthetic mechanobiology\u201d 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.\u003Cbr\u003ENgo has held leadership roles in synthetic biology, including serving as co-chair of the 2024 International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop (mSBW). His lab\u2019s 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\u2019s Earle and Mildred Bailey Memorial Award. Alumni have gone on to prominent positions in academia, industry, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit science.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/bio\/events\/bioengineering-seminar-series\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EView Full 2025-2026 Bioengineering Seminar Series Schedule\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Ch6\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEngineering Cellular Logic: Mechanoreceptors, Protease Circuits, and Synthetic Central Dogmas\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u0022Engineering Cellular Logic: Mechanoreceptors, Protease Circuits, and Synthetic Central Dogmas\u0022 - John Ngo - Boston University"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2025-04-10 12:52:44","changed_gmt":"2025-11-13 17:32:40","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2025-12-02T11:00:00-05:00","event_time_end":"2025-12-02T12:00:00-05:00","event_time_end_last":"2025-12-02T12:00:00-05:00","gmt_time_start":"2025-12-02 16:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2025-12-02 17:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2025-12-02 17:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Petit Biotechnology Building, 315 Ferst Drive, NW, Suddath Seminar Room 1128, Atlanta, GA 30332","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"188124","name":"go-bioe-seminar"},{"id":"189814","name":"go-researchevents"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1795","name":"Seminar\/Lecture\/Colloquium"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78761","name":"Faculty\/Staff"},{"id":"177814","name":"Postdoc"},{"id":"78771","name":"Public"},{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"},{"id":"78751","name":"Undergraduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFaculty host: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:k.salaita@emory.edu\u0022\u003EKhalid Salaita\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}