In the Choi Lab, we focus on developing new tools to investigate cell-fate decisions through:

• Cellular engineering: Equipping cells with synthetic circuits to record and track their own developmental history (e.g. signaling pathway activation, lineage information). 
• Molecular circuitry: Designing circuits with genetically encoded components, including newly discovered molecular machines such as CRISPR-based genome editing.
• DNA as an information storage medium: Stably storing information about molecular events within each cell, accessible at a massive scale using sequencing technologies.

We will use organoids and synthetic stem cell-derived embryo models to rapidly characterize circuit designs in cellular conditions that mimic organismal contexts, before ultimately testing our designs in model organisms such as a mouse. We anticipate that these novel tools will provide new insights into understanding cell-fate decisions and facilitate cellular engineering for therapy.