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Neurosurgery Research Seminar – protein engineering for immunomodulation
April 30 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
“Protein engineering for immunomodulation” will be presented by Dr. Yubin Zhou on Thursday, April 30, 2026, in MSB 2.135 at 3 pm.
Yubin Zhou, MD, PhD, FAAAS, FAIMBE, FRSC
Presidential Impact Fellow & Chancellor EDGES Fellow
Professor and Director, Center for Translational Cancer Research
Institute of Biosciences and Technology &
Department of Translational Medical Sciences,
College of Medicine, Texas A&M University
Microbial opsin-based optogenetics has been nothing short of revolutionary for the neuroscience field. Owing to the radical difference in the localization and excitability between immune cells and neurons, a parallel evolution of synthetic biology tools tailored for the immune system requires totally different design principles. In this talk, I will explore how the convergence of optogenetics, chemogenetics, nanotechnology, and immunoengineering can propel the burgeoning field of synthetic immunology. In parallel, I will showcase engineering strategies for creating programmable cell-based therapies and biologics equipped with precision switches, thereby allowing precise control over the dose, location, and timing of therapeutic effects. These approaches are anticipated to not only accelerate the mechanistic understanding of molecular and cellular physiology, but also offer transformative solutions for treating immunoinflammatory disorders, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases.