Prof. Dr. Tsing-Young Dora Tang
Reimagining cellular function- from principles to possibilities
Abstract:
The biological cell is a highly evolved and sophisticated machine which supports life functions by molecular organisation. However, the physico-chemical principles which drive collections of molecules to co-ordinated functions are not well defined. Recreating biological function from the bottom up offers a powerful route to understanding life’s fundamental principles while enabling the design of new, sustainable technologies.
In this talk, I discuss the use of the design, build, test and learn cycle for the construction and characterization of minimal semi-synthetic cells. By integrating soft‑matter physics, biophysics, synthetic biology, and quantitative modelling, we aim to define the physico-chemical principles by which compartments, reactions, and communication support out-of-equilibrium behaviour- a defining feature of living systems.
Unravelling these principles not only illuminate the origins and principles of cellular life but also provide blueprints for future applications in metabolic engineering, programmable materials, and sustainable biotechnologies.
Short bio:
Dora Tang received her PhD in membrane biophysics from Imperial College London in 2010. Following a year as an EPSRC Knowledge Transfer Fellow at Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, she joined the University of Bristol for postdoctoral research. Between 2011 and 2014 she worked on origin‑of‑life chemistry, and from 2014 to 2016 she contributed to synthetic biology research within BrisSynBio. In 2016, she established her independent research group at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden as part of the MaxSynBio consortium. In 2022 she was appointed to a Professorship in Synthetic Biology at Saarland University, which she took up in 2023.
Her research is driven by the fundamental question: What brings molecules to life? To address this, she uses bottom‑up synthetic biology approaches combined with quantitative biophysical and chemical methods to build and characterise minimal synthetic cells from scratch. These model systems provide powerful physical platforms for exploring how compartmentalisation shapes and regulates biochemical reactions—offering insights into both the origins of life and mechanisms operating in modern cells.
Her cross‑disciplinary quantitative approach has revealed new principles underlying compartment‑regulated biochemistry, bridged previously disparate areas of origin‑of‑life research, and supported the development of gene circuits for cell‑free systems. In the long term, her aim is to translate these fundamental insights toward engineering a “Life 2.0”.
She received an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2022, was named a “Cell Scientist to Watch” in the same year. She is advocates for equal opportunities in science.