Helena Hu is a fourth-year graduate student, pursuing a PhD in Biological Engineering, working jointly with Professor Ed Boyden and Professor Bob Langer. She holds a BA in Computer Science and Biological Chemistry from Wellesley College. Helena is developing a new expansion microscopy technique that maps proteins throughout an individual cell at a resolution that allows observation of protein-protein interactions. Standard expansion microscopy, which physically magnifies biological samples by embedding them in a hydrogel that expands in water, has made it possible to visualize the spatial arrangement of a small number of proteins in a cell. Helena is creating the first expansion microscopy technique that can spatially map the entire proteome, using an approach based on the sequential formation and expansion of nested gels. This technology has the potential to shed light on key biological questions that are currently out of reach, including deep insights into cell state and function at the biomolecular level.
Helena Hu
