Project Grant 2611094

The National Science Foundation Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences awarded Arizona State University $799,995 on August 1, 2026, under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to establish a quantitative framework for understanding reciprocal interactions between biomolecular condensates and cellular growth.

The project will use integrated experimental and computational approaches to determine how cellular growth regulates condensate formation, dissolution, and phase-separation behavior in living cells. Research activities include engineering phase-separating gene circuits, conducting live single-cell imaging, and applying microfluidic methods to examine how engineered condensates alter cellular physiology by redistributing biosynthetic resources and reorganizing intracellular spatial organization. A multiscale computational modeling framework will integrate stochastic gene expression, cellular growth dynamics, and multicomponent phase separation to identify mechanisms governing condensate-growth feedback and predict emergent cellular behaviors. The work will establish design principles for engineering biomolecular condensates that bring together components of synthetic gene circuits to enable highly controlled expression of synthetic genes, with applications in fundamental biological research, biotechnology, and biomedical contexts. The project includes training of next-generation scientists and outreach activities to increase high school student engagement with synthetic biology and biotechnology.

Work is performed in Tempe, Arizona, with a period of performance from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2030. Arizona State University receives the award through its Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Administration (Orspa).