Cell Signaling by Design: Mechanics, Proteases, and Translational Control

Speaker Details 

John T. Ngo

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Boston University

Abstract

Cells interpret mechanical and biochemical cues to coordinate processes ranging from transcription and translation to migration, differentiation, and tissue organization. My lab engineers proteins and RNAs that connect these inputs to programmable cellular responses. In this talk, I will describe synthetic receptors based on Notch and SynNotch mechanisms that respond to mechanical forces, bioorthogonal chemistry, and extracellular proteases. I will highlight mechanoreceptors that sense piconewton-scale forces at cell–cell interfaces and protease circuits that implement cellular logic. Time permitting, I will also discuss tools for visualizing and manipulating mRNA translation at the single-molecule level. Together, these approaches connect molecular design to cellular function, providing tools to probe signaling mechanisms and program living systems.

Speaker Biography

John T. Ngo is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University and a member of the Biological Design Center. He earned his PhD from Caltech and completed postdoctoral training at UC San Diego before joining BU in 2015. He co-chaired the 2024 International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop and received the ACS Synthetic Biology Young Innovator Award in 2025. He is a member of the Biophysical Society’s Public Affairs Committee, which advocates for research funding and science policy on behalf of the biophysics community. His lab develops chemical and biophysical tools to probe, manipulate, and reprogram the production and organization of biomacromolecules within cells.