Biomolecular Tools for Noninvasive Imaging and Manipulation of Engineered Cells

Citation

Wu, Di (2021) Biomolecular Tools for Noninvasive Imaging and Manipulation of Engineered Cells. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/dt22-nv14. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:05262021-021059637

Abstract

Today’s most advanced tools for imaging and controlling cellular function are based on fluorescent or light-controlled proteins, which have limited utility in large organisms or engineered living materials due to the scattering of photons. Deeply penetrant forms of energy such as magnetic fields and sound waves, while routinely used to monitor and treat diseases on the tissue and organism level, do not process the equivalent set of biomolecular tools for interfacing with biology on the molecular and cellular level. Emerging technologies discussed in this thesis aim to bridge this gap by harnessing biomolecules that have the appropriate physical properties to interact with sound waves or magnetic fields in such a way that enables the visualization and control of specific cells (Chapter 1). We describe two additions to the expanding toolkit for noninvasive imaging and control. In the first case, we show that gas vesicles, a class of hollow protein nanostructures naturally found in aquatic single-cell organisms, can be used as acoustic actuators to enable the control of cellular forces, movement, and patterning using ultrasound (Chapter 2). In the second case, we show that aquaporins, a class of membrane water channels, can be used to alter cellular permeability and serve as genetic reporters for magnetic resonance imaging (Chapter 3). These tools provide critical capabilities for interfacing with cellular function noninvasively and could open the door to applications in various research, biomedical, and industrial settings.

Thesis Files