Research Projects
Context-Aware Biology
Joseph M. Jacobson and Charles FracchiaCurrent biological research workflows make use of disparate, poorly integrated systems that impose a large mental burden on the scientist, leading to mistakes, often on long, complex, and costly experimental procedures. The lack of open tools to assist in the collection of distributed experimental conditions and data is largely responsible for making protocols difficult to debug, and laboratory practice hard to learn. In this work, we describe an open Protocol Descriptor Language (PDL) and system to enable a context-rich, quantitative approach to biological research. We detail the development of a closed-loop pipetting technology and a wireless sample-temperature sensor that integrate with our Protocol Description platform, enabling novel, real-time experimental feedback to the researcher, thereby reducing mistakes and increasing overall scientific reproducibility.
Context-Aware Pipette
Charles Fracchia, Jason Fischman, Matt Carney, and Joseph M. JacobsonPipettes are the equivalent in biology of the keyboard for computer science: a key tool that enables interface with the subject matter. In the case of the pipette, it enables the scientist to move precise amounts of liquids. Pipette design hasn't changed in over 30 years. We've designed a new type of pipette that allows wireless, context-aware operation.
GeneFab
Bram Sterling, Kelly Chang, Joseph M. Jacobson, Peter Carr, Brian Chow, David Sun Kong, Michael Oh and Sam HwangNanoFab
Kimin Jun, Jaebum Joo, and Joseph M. JacobsonScaling Up DNA Logic and Structures
Joseph M. Jacobson and Noah JakimoOur goals include novel gene logic and data logging systems, as well as DNA scaffolds that can be produced on commercial scales. State of the art in the former is limited by finding analogous and orthogonal proteins for those used in current single-layer gates and two-layered circuits. State of the art in the latter is constrained in size and efficiency by kinetic limits on self-assembly. We have designed and plan to demonstrate cascaded logic on chromosomes and DNA scaffolds that exhibit exponential growth.
Synthetic Photosynthesis
Kimin JunWe are using nanowires to build structures for synthetic photosynthesis for the solar generation of liquid fuels.