Why Shape Matters: From Molecular Mechanisms of Cellular Function to Disease
Speaker:
Halil Aydin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Pathobiology
New York University College of Dentistry
Abstract:
Biological function is fundamentally constrained and enabled by structure. From nanoscale protein assemblies to the dynamic architecture of organelles, cellular shape encodes mechanical, biochemical, and signaling information. When this structural organization fails, the consequences propagate across scales — contributing to metabolic dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and age-related disease. In this lecture, Dr. Halil Aydin will present a mechanistic framework for understanding how membrane geometry, lipid–protein interactions, and subcellular compartmentalization regulate cellular performance. His laboratory combines biochemical reconstitution, structural and molecular imaging, and rigorous quantitative analysis to dissect the conserved pathways that control mitochondrial remodeling and membrane dynamics. Recent studies have revealed how specific lipid species such as cardiolipin regulate membrane curvature, how mitochondrial fusion and division are coordinated at the molecular level, and how disruptions in these processes impair neuronal physiology. Beyond organelle mechanics, Dr. Aydin will discuss how structural principles influence intercellular communication and metabolic coupling, linking intracellular architecture to tissue-level outcomes. By integrating structural biology with cell biology and disease models, his work connects nanoscale molecular machines to systems-level pathology. For biomedical engineers, these insights underscore an essential principle: geometry is not incidental, it is instructive. Understanding how shape governs function across scales opens new opportunities for quantitative modeling, advanced imaging, and the rational design of therapeutic interventions aimed at restoring cellular architecture in disease.
Dr. Halil Aydin recived his D.V.M. from Istanbul University and earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Ottawa before completing his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the University of Toronto. During his doctoral training with Jeffrey Lee, he defined the molecular basis of sperm–egg recognition in mammalian fertilization. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Adam Frost at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to joining NYU in 2025, he was an Assistant Professor and Boettcher Investigator at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Aydin has received numerous honors, including the Boettcher Foundation Biomedical Research Award (2023), the Barth Syndrome Foundation Idea Award (2024), a Human Frontiers Science Program Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Stuart Alan Hoffman Prize, and multiple University of Toronto Fellowships.
