Paola Asprilla Carabali

My interest in synthetic biology emerged during my MSc in Biotechnology at the University of Glasgow, where I became fascinated by the idea of designing and modifying biological systems to better understand how natural systems work. This interest led me to focus on genetic and metabolic engineering. 

I then joined the Haseloff lab in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, where I was involved in engineering Marchantia polymorpha as a platform for terpenoid production in oil body cells, exploring its potential as a synthetic biology chassis. My time working with Marchantia sparked a deeper interest in plant biology and motivated me to continue developing technologies to enhance our understanding of plant function. 

Currently, at the Sainsbury Laboratory, I work in the Jones group, supporting research on plant signaling and development through the engineering of various biosensors. In collaboration with both the Jones and Meyerowitz groups, I am developing a FRET-based cytokinin biosensor to investigate the role of this important phytohormone in plants using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. My role involves extensive hands-on work in protein engineering and purification.