How the red blood cell loses its nucleus. This project aims to provide insights into erythroid enucleation, the process by which red blood cells extrude their nucleus so that they can circulate through the microvasculature. Although the enucleated character of mammalian red blood cells has been known for more than 150 years, the mechanism underlying this process is virtually unknown. This project will use a live imaging approach to characterise in vivo the cellular interactions and molecular pat ....How the red blood cell loses its nucleus. This project aims to provide insights into erythroid enucleation, the process by which red blood cells extrude their nucleus so that they can circulate through the microvasculature. Although the enucleated character of mammalian red blood cells has been known for more than 150 years, the mechanism underlying this process is virtually unknown. This project will use a live imaging approach to characterise in vivo the cellular interactions and molecular pathways required for enucleation. The project will provide a molecular and cellular road map of enucleation that may be utilised to enhance the bulk therapeutic in vitro production of red blood cells for veterinary and human purposes.Read moreRead less
Synthetic leukocytes: bio-inspired DNA nanorobots powered by flow. Inspired by the way white blood cells roll along blood vessel walls, our goal is to build DNA nanorobots that roll along surfaces in flow. We take a synthetic biology approach to using biomolecules, such as DNA and proteins, to build functional particles and surfaces. To achieve this, we will combine our teams’ technological advances in DNA nanotechnology, plasma-activation for biomolecule immobilisation, and microfluidic devices ....Synthetic leukocytes: bio-inspired DNA nanorobots powered by flow. Inspired by the way white blood cells roll along blood vessel walls, our goal is to build DNA nanorobots that roll along surfaces in flow. We take a synthetic biology approach to using biomolecules, such as DNA and proteins, to build functional particles and surfaces. To achieve this, we will combine our teams’ technological advances in DNA nanotechnology, plasma-activation for biomolecule immobilisation, and microfluidic devices. This project will contribute new methods for synthetic particle motion in flow and provide new insights into biomolecule interactions and motion. Ultimately, this will allow us to harness rolling for the delivery of synthetic nanorobots for detection and remediation in flow systems, such as the body.Read moreRead less