Infectious diseases pose unique challenges for chemical and biomolecular engineering. Interventions designed at the molecular level can quickly have consequences at the scale of global populations, as is seen in the spread of drug resistance and vaccine evasion. Molecular design for infectious disease must therefore combine approaches that explore multiple scales of pathogen dynamics, from molecules and cells to populations and epidemiology. In this talk, I will present two new tools for studying pathogens at different scales. The first is a synthetic biology toolbox allowing robust control of gene transcription in malaria parasites for the first time, used for validating antimalarial compound targets and vaccine engineering. The second is a flexible computational simulation platform capable of combining epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of pathogen genomes, used to study the determinants of pathogen evolution. By creating multi-scale experimental and computational models of pathogens built with tools such as these, we can engineer more effective and resilient molecular interventions against infectious diseases.

Pablo Cárdenas R. creates experimental and computational tools to study biological systems, particularly in infectious disease. He is currently a PhD candidate at MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering, where he has focused on developing experimental synthetic biology and functional genomics tools for malaria parasites. In addition, he designs mathematical and computational models of host-pathogen systems to identify design strategies for biomolecular and public health interventions. He obtained a bachelor’s degree from Universidad de los Andes in his native Colombia. Finally, Pablo firmly believes in the value of dedicated practices in science education and mentorship. At MIT, he has helped foster student-oriented, inclusive training environments through his roles as a Teaching Development Fellow with MIT's Teaching and Learning Laboratory and a confidential peer conflict counselor. He looks forward to continuing to train future generations of scientists.