Understanding and engineering biomolecular condensates through simulation

Please join the QBio and PEB community for a Distinguished Seminar with Prof. Jerelle Joseph, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute, Princeton University.

Abstract: Biomolecular condensates are membraneless compartments inside living cells that play critical roles in health and disease. Over the past two decades, a large body of work has established that these compartments form through phase separation of molecules such as proteins and RNA. This discovery has sparked significant interest in uncovering the molecular factors that drive intracellular phase separation and in understanding how condensate material properties are encoded. In parallel, condensates offer a versatile platform for soft materials design and potential druggable targets for disease intervention, further motivating research and innovation in this space. Given the physicochemical diversity of condensates, mapping molecular structures to macroscopic condensate states is a formidable challenge that cannot be addressed by experiments alone. Computational models that allow us to zoom in on condensates and connect microscopic molecular features to condensate-scale behaviors provide a compelling framework to help bridge this gap. To this end, my group develops computational approaches and molecular simulation models that resolve the submolecular structure and dynamics of condensates, while also enabling the prediction of condensate thermodynamic and material properties directly from molecular sequences. Specifically, we integrate experimental data with atomistic simulations to develop residue-resolution coarse-grained force fields that balance the speed and accuracy needed to model dynamic multicomponent condensates. In this talk, I will discuss recent developments on this front, as well as how we are leveraging our approaches to understand condensate form and engineer condensate function.

Bio: Jerelle Joseph is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute at Princeton University.  Her research focuses on understanding and engineering biomolecular condensates for biomedical and sustainability applications through the development of molecular simulation approaches. Prior to joining Princeton, she completed postdoctoral research in the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge and held a Junior Research Fellowship in Physical and Chemical Sciences at King's College in Cambridge. Jerelle obtained a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge and an MPhil in Chemistry from the University of the West Indies.

Hosted by Arlind Kacirani (Haji-Akbar Group).