Mark Bathe
Professor, MIT Department of Biological Engineering Professor, MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering
Nucleic acids are conventionally known as molecular carriers of genetic information, the blueprint for life. Alternatively, nucleic acids can be used to fabricate complex 2D and 3D molecular assemblies with unprecedented nanometer-scale precision that replicates, and goes beyond, highly evolved naturally biological assemblies. In this talk, I will illustrate how we have used DNA-based virus-like particles (DVLPs) to elicit a potent immunological response that surpasses a clinical protein-based equivalent VLP due to the inert, immunologically silent nature of DNA. I will discuss how this next-generation DVLP platform opens up numerous possibilities in active immunotherapies for challenging infectious diseases as well as central nervous system disorders. Next, I will demonstrate how programmable DNA sequences can be used to encode complex “wet” databases of information, akin to a Google Books search engine for molecules. I will apply this database system to storing human and viral genomes at room temperature, bypassing the need for cold-chain logistics that currently limit global genomics to a very small fraction of the globe and global population. Finally, I will illustrate how lithographic semiconductor patterning can be used to interface organics with inorganics by using DNA to pattern single quantum emitters with nanometer-scale precision on chip-scale silicon wafers for quantum applications. I will highlight translational stories from these areas as our inventions at MIT transform into industrial innovations through start-ups cofounded by Bathe and lab members to impact the US and global economies.