Jeffrey Vieregg, Ph.D.

Areas of research expertise:

• Nucleic acid folding and function
• Biological phase separations
• Nanoparticle engineering
• Gene synthesis

Nucleic acids are fascinating molecules, both in terms of their physical properties and their biological function. Over millions of years, DNA and RNA have evolved to perform myriad essential functions in the cell, from information storage to structural scaffolding to catalysis of chemical reactions. In particular, recent years have seen an explosion in our appreciation of RNA's many roles in gene regulation. We are only in the early stages of learning how these vital molecules interact to maintain life, and how we can intervene when things go awry. Nucleic acids' programmable self-assembly properties and biocompatibility also make them powerful platforms for engineering structures, sensors, and therapeutics at the nanoscale.

My research interests are at the intersection of nucleic acid biophysics, biochemistry, and bioengineering. Developing better nucleic acid nanodevices allows us to probe cellular processes with unprecedented levels of detail and obtain information not accessible through other techniques. In turn, learning more about nucleic acids' behavior in the natural environment allows us to more precisely engineer their behavior in the lab. At Chicago, I am working with the Tirrell group to deliver RNA therapeutics using engineered artificial micelles, and with the Center for the Physics of Evolving Systems to develop high-throughput gene synthesis techniques and methods to create large sets of genotype-phenotype measurements.