Awarded in 2010
Home Department: Bioengineering
Faculty Advisor: Christina Smolke (Bioengineering)

Research Title: Programming protein function with synthetic RNA splicing devices

Research Description: Engineered biological systems hold great promise for developing solutions for human health; however, building genetic systems that can integrate with native biological functions is currently limited by the availability of tools to engineer sophisticated behaviors. Alternative splicing is a mechanism used by cells to produce one of several related proteins from a single DNA sequence depending on environmental cues. The goal of this project is to engineer precise alternative splicing patterns in human cells to dynamically control cellular fate and function.

WHERE IS SHE NOW?

Melina is the Director of Product Management at Twist Bioscience.