Juhong Chen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Bioengineering
University of California, Riverside
Seminar Information
CRISPR technology has transformed gene editing and disease detection, yet current systems still face practical challenges, including limited control in cells and inconsistent sensitivity in diagnostic applications. In this seminar, Dr. Chen will present some efforts in his lab that apply protein engineering to address these limitations. First, Dr. Chen will introduce a gene editing strategy in mammalian cells that combines unnatural amino acid (UAA) incorporation with an intein-based tagging system. This approach enables precise control over gene editing activity. Second, Dr. Chen will describe the development of engineered CRISPR-based diagnostic tools with improved sensitivity and reliability. Modifications to key CRISPR nucleases enhance signal output and support robust detection of nucleic acids. Together, these studies demonstrate that protein engineering can expand the capabilities of CRISPR for both gene editing and diagnostics, supporting the development of more effective biomedical technologies.
Dr. Juhong Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside). His research program focuses on the development of bioengineering and biosensing approaches for food safety, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics, especially with an interest in CRISPR Cas protein engineering.
Dr. Chen received his B.Eng. from the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST, Shanghai, China) in 2012 and his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, MA, USA) in 2016. Afterward, Dr. Chen was a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University (2016-2017) and later at the University of California, Berkeley (2017-2019). Before joining UC Riverside, Dr. Chen was an assistant professor in the Department of Biological System Engineering at Virginia Tech (2019-2023).