题 目：Lighting the Path to Discovery and Therapeutics: Optogenetics for Organelle Mechanobiology and Neuroprotection

主 讲：段丽婷 副教授

主 持：余聪 副教授 / 吴先登 副教授

时 间：2025年6月18日（周三）10:30-12:00

地 点：琳恩图书馆111

摘要：

Optogenetics, a groundbreaking biotechnology using light to regulate biological processes with precision, has transformed research across diverse fields. In this talk, I will present our work on advancing optogenetics in two areas: elucidating fundamental cellular mechanisms and developing therapeutic approaches. (1) We engineered light-gated mechanostimulators to apply mechanical forces directly to intracellular organelles, revealing that ER and mitochondria can sense and respond to mechanical forces, identifying them as key players in mechanotransduction. (2) For therapeutic potential, we developed methods to optically control TrkB signaling, demonstrating that light-induced activation protects Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) in mouse models of ocular diseases, offering promising neuroprotective treatments.

个人简介：

Liting Duan, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, CUHK

Dr. Liting Duan received her B.S. in Chemistry at Renmin University of China in 2010, where she worked on the fabrication and application of micro/nano-patterned structures using hot micro-contact printing. She moved from material engineering to bio-engineering for her doctoral studies at Stanford University (Ph.D. in Chemistry, 2016), and undertook postdoctoral training at Stanford University from 2016 to 2018. In July 2018, she started her independent career at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at CUHK. Her lab has been dedicated to pioneering the application of synthetic biology in tackling fundamental biological questions and disease treatment, with results published in Developmental Cell, PNAS, and Cell Chemical Biology.