David Truong Receives NSF CAREER Award to Decode the Design Principles of Genome Regulation
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering David Truong has been awarded an NSF CAREER Award to advance a bold research program at the intersection of synthetic biology and genome regulation. The project aims to uncover how the physical organization of DNA, specifically structures known as super-enhancers, controls coordinated gene expression across the genome.
“This award will help drive our research into genetic engineering for human health,” says Truong. “Every year we unveil more secrets hidden in the human genome, and this project will help test these ideas through rebuilding parts of the genome itself.”
Super-enhancers are dense clusters of regulatory elements that act as control hubs for activating groups of genes. While recent research suggests they may organize transcription through biomolecular “condensates” formed by transcription factors, the rules governing how their arrangement influences gene activity remain poorly understood. Truong’s work seeks to answer a fundamental question: How does the spatial layout of these elements encode transcriptional logic?
At the core of the project is REWRITE, a powerful genome engineering platform developed by Truong’s lab that enables large-scale (over 100,000 base pairs) rewriting of human DNA. Using this technology in human induced pluripotent stem cells, the team will systematically rearrange a 209-kilobase region of the human genome within the medically consequential class-II HLA locus—a well-characterized region ideal for studying gene regulation. By repositioning and reorienting super-enhancers, the project will directly test how genomic architecture shapes transcription factor condensates, chromatin folding, and gene expression.
“David Truong’s work on megabase-scale genetic engineering is the kind of cutting-edge technology that will transform human health,” said Juan de Pablo, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Executive Vice President for Global Science and Technology at New York University and Executive Dean of NYU Tandon. “This CAREER Award will ensure his work continues to provide deep insights into the human genome, and pave the way for a new era of ‘smarter’ medicine, from immune engineering to regenerative care.”
The research introduces a new conceptual and experimental framework called SynTACS (Synthetic Transcriptional Architecture of Condensates and Super-enhancers). This approach integrates live-cell imaging, chromatin topology mapping, and epigenetic profiling to establish causal links between genome structure and function. The findings are expected to generate foundational design principles for engineering synthetic gene clusters, with long-term applications in biotechnology, regenerative medicine, and gene therapy.
Beyond the lab, the CAREER Award supports a comprehensive education and outreach program designed to strengthen STEM pathways. Truong’s initiative includes hands-on genome engineering experiences for undergraduate and master’s students, alongside immersive outreach programs for middle school students in the Bronx. Through interactive demonstrations — such as “yeast art” that visualizes gene function — the program aims to build early engagement and sustained confidence in STEM fields.
Truong is the previous recipient of the DP2 New Innovator Award from the National Institute of Health.
