Mingxu You Research Group

University of Massachusetts

Can programmable DNA and RNA devices be built to sense metabolites and control cellular information flow with spatial precision? The You Research Group engineers genetically encoded fluorescent RNA sensors for cellular imaging of metabolites and small molecules. The group images force transduction at cell–cell junctions using single-molecule level approaches to study mechanotransduction. Researchers perform in vivo selection and high-throughput evolution of aptamers to discover functional nucleic acid binders inside living cells. The lab designs conditional self-assembly mechanisms for DNA/RNA nanostructures to enable programmable diagnostics and delivery platforms.