User:Ssutton
Samantha Sutton
ssutton at mit dot edu
Education
- Ph.D. candidate in Biological Engineering (2007), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- B.S. in Electrical Engineering with minors in French Studies and Bioengineering (2001), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
How does my work fit into the field of Synthetic Biology?
Synthetic Biology is centered on the goal of engineering cells to perform functions of use to humans. Just as an electrical engineer engineers with silicon and copper to build electrical circuits, a synthetic biologist engineers with protein and DNA to build intracellular circuits. My particular focus is the design of synthetic protein-protein interaction networks within cells. I am defining a new type of intracellular device, called Post-Translational Logic or PTL. To that end, I am developing modular protein components that can be added to proteins and cause them to interact in a phospho-mediated manner. In the future, we will use this technology to engineer cellular devices for anything from environmental monitoring and remediation to the detection of carcinogens within the human body. More info can be found at the Endy lab website: http://openwetware.mit.edu.
I am currently working to identify components, parts, and signals in PTL logic. Please check out my current ideas at PTL Logic
Lissa's project Lissa's Project Homepage
Some organizations with which I am involved:
Students for Global Sustainability
Biological Energy Interest Group
