Contact Information
University of Illinois
1304 W Springfield Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Areas
Research Interests
Gene circuits design and construction; mathematical modeling of bacterial gene regulation; development of synthetic microbial consortia; probiotic bacteria for therapeutic applications.
Research Description
Gene regulatory networks are one of the main cellular infrastructures that confer defined biological functions. Our research focuses on synthetic and systems biology - the analysis, construction, and exploitation of these regulatory networks for cellular functionality reprogramming. In particular, we are interested in understanding the architecture and dynamics of naturally existing networks, primarily those in bacteria, and exploring their relationship to cellular function. We are also interested in engineering gene circuits for biomedical applications. Along that line, engineered probiotics and microbial consortia are particularly attractive to us. To pursue our interest, we often employ an integrated approach that combines mathematical modeling with experimental synthetic biology.
Education
B.S., 2002, Zhejiang University (Physics)
Ph.D., 2007, University of California at San Diego (Biophysics)
Postdoc., 2007-2011, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wyss Institute at Harvard University
Awards and Honors
National Scientist Development Grant, American Heart Association, 2012
NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 2014
NSF CAREER Award, 2015
ONR Young Investigator Award, 2016
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Bioengineering
Professor, Biomedical and Translational Sciences
Faculty Affiliate, Physics
Professor, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
Professor, Center for Digital Agriculture, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
Professor, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
Affiliate, Personalized Nutrition Initiative, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
Recent Publications
Qian, Y., Collins, J. J., & Lu, T. (2026). A programmable microbial assembly line for plastic upcycling. Nature Sustainability. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01765-9
Li, Y., Lai, Y. H., & Lu, T. (2025). Coarse-Grained Modeling Elucidates Differential Metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under Varied Nutrient Limitations. ACS synthetic biology, 14(5), 1523-1532. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.4c00803
Wu, Y., Kong, W., Van Stappen, J., Kong, L., Huang, Z., Yang, Z., Kuo, Y. A., Chen, Y. I., He, Y., Yeh, H. C., Lu, T., & Lu, Y. (2025). Genetically Encoded Fluorogenic DNA Aptamers for Imaging Metabolite in Living Cells. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 147(2), 1529-1541. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c09855
Chen, H., Shi, Y., Huang, M., Lu, T., Zhang, H., Zhou, C., Hou, T., & Feng, Y. (2024). Recognition and acquisition of FakB2-loaded exogenous fatty acid (eFA) by a streptococcal FakA kinase. Science Bulletin, 69(21), 3355-3360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2024.05.015
Huang, H., Chang, S., Cui, T., Huang, M., Qu, J., Zhang, H., Lu, T., Zhang, X., Zhou, C., & Feng, Y. (2024). An inhibitory mechanism of AasS, an exogenous fatty acid scavenger: Implications for re-sensitization of FAS II antimicrobials. PLoS pathogens, 20(7 July), Article e1012376. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012376