Wendell Lim

Last updated
Wendell Lim
Nationality American
Alma mater Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Scientific career
Fields Bioengineering
Institutions University of California, San Francisco
Academic advisors Fred Richards [1]

Wendell Lim is an American biochemist who is the Byer's Distinguished Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. [2] He is the director of the UCSF Cell Design Institute. [3] He earned his A.B. in chemistry from Harvard University working with Jeremy Knowles on enzyme evolutionary optimization. He obtained his Ph.D. in biochemistry and biophysics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the guidance of Bob Sauer using genetic and biophysical approaches to understand the role of hydrophobic core interactions in protein folding. [4] He then did his postdoctoral work with Frederic Richards at Yale University on the structure of protein interaction domains. [5] [6] Lim's work has focused on cell signaling, synthetic biology, and cell engineering, particularly in immune cells. [7]

Contents

Research career

Modular Signaling Proteins

Lim's research has focused on mechanisms of cell signaling – how cells sense their environment and process this information to make complex functional decisions. [6] He began his career studying the structure and function of modular signaling domains and scaffold proteins, but became increasingly interested in the general question of how modularity plays a role in the evolution of new signaling circuits and networks. [6]

Synthetic and Systems Biology

Lim has been a pioneer in the fields of synthetic and systems biology, asking how rewiring cellular regulatory circuits can be used to understand fundamental design principles of biological systems. He showed that signaling proteins and pathways could be functionally rewired in living cells using altered protein interaction domains, scaffold proteins, and modular allosteric interactions. [8] [9] [10] [11] He helped pioneer the use of optogenetic response modules as a way to exert control of intracellular signaling and its use in profiling how cells respond to temporal patterns of stimulation. [12] [13] [14] He has also worked on identifying common regulatory network modules that perform fundamental cellular functions such as amplification, adaptation, spatial self-organization, polarized cell movement, and temporal sensing. [15] [16] [17] [18] He has been applying these approaches to engineer and understand immune cell function as well as multicellular self-organization (synthetic development). [18] [19]

Engineering therapeutic immune cells

Lim has been a leader in the application of synthetic biology approaches to immune cell engineering and cell therapy development, advocating approaches for predictively engineering cells with precision therapeutic functions to treat cancer and other complex diseases. [20] [21] His group was the first to develop small molecule gated chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) [22] as well as the highly flexible synthetic Notch (synNotch) receptor platform for programming novel transcriptional control circuits. [23] [24] [25] His group has shown how these components can be used to design T cell circuits that achieve precision combinatorial antigen detection and killing of cancer (synNotch to CAR circuits). [24] [26] [27] His group has also engineered T cells to recognize specific target tissues, and to deliver genetically encoded therapeutic payloads to these sites. [25] In addition, Lim's group has used these synthetic receptors to design positive feedback circuits for sensing antigen density with non-linear thresholds. [28]

Lim was part of the team that invented the CRISPRi system that used modular DNA targeting of inactive Cas9 to control the transcription of specific endogenous genes. [29] He has also been engineering multicellular networks that drive specific formation of complex self-organizing tissue-like structures. [18] Lim and colleagues have advocated applying cell engineering approaches to many other complex diseases besides cancer, as well as using engineered cells as research tools for probing and perturbing cell and tissue regulatory networks. [28]

Biotech industry

Lim's work in immune cell engineering led to the founding of the early cell therapy engineering company Cell Design Labs in 2015, which was acquired by Gilead Sciences in 2017. [30]

Science education and outreach

Lim co-authored the textbook Cell Signaling with colleagues Bruce Mayer and Tony Pawson. [31] His group has also participated in the synthetic biology outreach program iGEM with San Francisco Bay Area high school students and teachers. [32] [33] He has also conducted creative projects on design thinking, [34] as well as science and cooking. [35]

Personal life

Lim is Chinese-American and grew up in Chicago, where he graduated from the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. [36] He currently lives in San Francisco with his wife and children. Lim is an avid basketball player, surfer, and artist. [6]

Awards and service

References

  1. "Fred Richards on Academic Tree".
  2. "UCSF Profiles".
  3. "UCSF Cell Design Institute". UCSF Cell Design Institute. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  4. "Wendell Lim" . Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  5. "Wendell A. Lim, Ph.D." HHMI. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Sedwick, C. (17 September 2012). "Wendell Lim: Exploring the path not chosen". The Journal of Cell Biology. 198 (6): 956–957. doi:10.1083/jcb.1986pi. PMC   3444780 . PMID   22986491.
  7. "Research | Lim Lab". limlab.ucsf.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  8. Park, Sang-Hyun; Zarrinpar, Ali; Lim, Wendell A. (2003-02-14). "Rewiring MAP kinase pathways using alternative scaffold assembly mechanisms". Science. 299 (5609): 1061–1064. Bibcode:2003Sci...299.1061P. doi: 10.1126/science.1076979 . ISSN   1095-9203. PMID   12511654. S2CID   1643040.
  9. Dueber, John E.; Mirsky, Ethan A.; Lim, Wendell A. (June 2007). "Engineering synthetic signaling proteins with ultrasensitive input/output control". Nature Biotechnology. 25 (6): 660–662. doi:10.1038/nbt1308. ISSN   1087-0156. PMID   17515908. S2CID   10465894.
  10. Yeh, Brian J.; Rutigliano, Robert J.; Deb, Anrica; Bar-Sagi, Dafna; Lim, Wendell A. (2007-05-31). "Rewiring cellular morphology pathways with synthetic guanine nucleotide exchange factors". Nature. 447 (7144): 596–600. Bibcode:2007Natur.447..596Y. doi:10.1038/nature05851. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   17515921. S2CID   4393136.
  11. Bashor, Caleb J.; Helman, Noah C.; Yan, Shude; Lim, Wendell A. (2008-03-14). "Using engineered scaffold interactions to reshape MAP kinase pathway signaling dynamics". Science. 319 (5869): 1539–1543. Bibcode:2008Sci...319.1539B. doi:10.1126/science.1151153. ISSN   1095-9203. PMID   18339942. S2CID   365578.
  12. Levskaya, Anselm; Weiner, Orion D.; Lim, Wendell A.; Voigt, Christopher A. (2009-10-15). "Spatiotemporal control of cell signalling using a light-switchable protein interaction". Nature. 461 (7266): 997–1001. Bibcode:2009Natur.461..997L. doi:10.1038/nature08446. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   2989900 . PMID   19749742.
  13. Toettcher, Jared E.; Weiner, Orion D.; Lim, Wendell A. (2013-12-05). "Using optogenetics to interrogate the dynamic control of signal transmission by the Ras/Erk module". Cell. 155 (6): 1422–1434. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2013.11.004. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   3925772 . PMID   24315106.
  14. Bugaj, Lukasz J.; O'Donoghue, Geoff P.; Lim, Wendell A. (2017-01-02). "Interrogating cellular perception and decision making with optogenetic tools". The Journal of Cell Biology. 216 (1): 25–28. doi:10.1083/jcb.201612094. ISSN   1540-8140. PMC   5223619 . PMID   28003330.
  15. Ma, Wenzhe; Trusina, Ala; El-Samad, Hana; Lim, Wendell A.; Tang, Chao (2009-08-21). "Defining network topologies that can achieve biochemical adaptation". Cell. 138 (4): 760–773. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2009.06.013. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   3068210 . PMID   19703401.
  16. Gerardin, Jaline; Reddy, Nishith R.; Lim, Wendell A. (2019-09-25). "The Design Principles of Biochemical Timers: Circuits that Discriminate between Transient and Sustained Stimulation". Cell Systems. 9 (3): 297–308.e2. doi:10.1016/j.cels.2019.07.008. ISSN   2405-4720. PMC   6763348 . PMID   31521602.
  17. Chau, Angela H.; Walter, Jessica M.; Gerardin, Jaline; Tang, Chao; Lim, Wendell A. (2012-10-12). "Designing synthetic regulatory networks capable of self-organizing cell polarization". Cell. 151 (2): 320–332. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2012.08.040. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   3498761 . PMID   23039994.
  18. 1 2 3 Toda, Satoshi; Blauch, Lucas R.; Tang, Sindy K. Y.; Morsut, Leonardo; Lim, Wendell A. (2018-07-13). "Programming self-organizing multicellular structures with synthetic cell-cell signaling". Science. 361 (6398): 156–162. Bibcode:2018Sci...361..156T. doi:10.1126/science.aat0271. ISSN   1095-9203. PMC   6492944 . PMID   29853554.
  19. Toda, Satoshi; McKeithan, Wesley L.; Hakkinen, Teemu J.; Lopez, Pilar; Klein, Ophir D.; Lim, Wendell A. (2020-10-16). "Engineering synthetic morphogen systems that can program multicellular patterning". Science. 370 (6514): 327–331. Bibcode:2020Sci...370..327T. doi:10.1126/science.abc0033. ISSN   1095-9203. PMC   7986291 . PMID   33060357.
  20. Lim, Wendell A. (June 2010). "Designing customized cell signalling circuits". Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology. 11 (6): 393–403. doi:10.1038/nrm2904. ISSN   1471-0080. PMC   2975372 . PMID   20485291.
  21. Fischbach, Michael A.; Bluestone, Jeffrey A.; Lim, Wendell A. (2013-04-03). "Cell-Based Therapeutics: The Next Pillar of Medicine". Science Translational Medicine. 5 (179): 179ps7. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3005568. ISSN   1946-6234. PMC   3772767 . PMID   23552369.
  22. Wu, Chia-Yung; Roybal, Kole T.; Puchner, Elias M.; Onuffer, James; Lim, Wendell A. (2015-10-16). "Remote control of therapeutic T cells through a small molecule-gated chimeric receptor". Science. 350 (6258): aab4077. Bibcode:2015Sci...350.4077W. doi:10.1126/science.aab4077. ISSN   1095-9203. PMC   4721629 . PMID   26405231.
  23. Morsut, Leonardo; Roybal, Kole T.; Xiong, Xin; Gordley, Russell M.; Coyle, Scott M.; Thomson, Matthew; Lim, Wendell A. (2016-02-11). "Engineering Customized Cell Sensing and Response Behaviors Using Synthetic Notch Receptors". Cell. 164 (4): 780–791. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.01.012. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   4752866 . PMID   26830878.
  24. 1 2 Roybal, Kole T.; Rupp, Levi J.; Morsut, Leonardo; Walker, Whitney J.; McNally, Krista A.; Park, Jason S.; Lim, Wendell A. (2016-02-11). "Precision Tumor Recognition by T Cells With Combinatorial Antigen-Sensing Circuits". Cell. 164 (4): 770–779. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.01.011. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   4752902 . PMID   26830879.
  25. 1 2 Roybal, Kole T.; Williams, Jasper Z.; Morsut, Leonardo; Rupp, Levi J.; Kolinko, Isabel; Choe, Joseph H.; Walker, Whitney J.; McNally, Krista A.; Lim, Wendell A. (2016-10-06). "Engineering T Cells with Customized Therapeutic Response Programs Using Synthetic Notch Receptors". Cell. 167 (2): 419–432.e16. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.09.011. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   5072533 . PMID   27693353.
  26. Williams, Jasper Z.; Allen, Greg M.; Shah, Devan; Sterin, Igal S.; Kim, Ki H.; Garcia, Vivian P.; Shavey, Gavin E.; Yu, Wei; Puig-Saus, Cristina; Tsoi, Jennifer; Ribas, Antoni (2020-11-27). "Precise T cell recognition programs designed by transcriptionally linking multiple receptors". Science. 370 (6520): 1099–1104. Bibcode:2020Sci...370.1099W. doi:10.1126/science.abc6270. ISSN   1095-9203. PMC   8054651 . PMID   33243890.
  27. Choe, Joseph H.; Watchmaker, Payal B.; Simic, Milos S.; Gilbert, Ryan D.; Li, Aileen W.; Krasnow, Nira A.; Downey, Kira M.; Yu, Wei; Carrera, Diego A.; Celli, Anna; Cho, Juhyun (2021-04-28). "SynNotch-CAR T cells overcome challenges of specificity, heterogeneity, and persistence in treating glioblastoma". Science Translational Medicine. 13 (591): eabe7378. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.abe7378. ISSN   1946-6242. PMC   8362330 . PMID   33910979.
  28. 1 2 Elowitz, Michael; Lim, Wendell A. (December 2010). "Build life to understand it". Nature. 468 (7326): 889–890. Bibcode:2010Natur.468..889E. doi:10.1038/468889a. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   3068207 . PMID   21164460.
  29. Qi, Lei S.; Larson, Matthew H.; Gilbert, Luke A.; Doudna, Jennifer A.; Weissman, Jonathan S.; Arkin, Adam P.; Lim, Wendell A. (2021-02-04). "Repurposing CRISPR as an RNA-guided platform for sequence-specific control of gene expression". Cell. 184 (3): 844. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.01.019 . ISSN   1097-4172. PMID   33545038. S2CID   231809613.
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  31. Thorner, Jeremy (2017-03-01). "Cell Signaling: Principles and Mechanisms by Wendell Lim, Bruce Mayer, and Tony Pawson" . The Quarterly Review of Biology. 92 (1): 105–106. doi:10.1086/690882. ISSN   0033-5770.
  32. Tansey, Bernadette (2007-11-17). "High school biowizards break new ground in winning competition". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
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  37. "15th CeMM Landsteiner Lecture by Wendell Lim and the 2021 Denise P. Barlow Award Ceremony". CeMM - Science is our medicine!. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  38. "Wendell Lim, selected for the 34th George Streisinger Memorial Lecture | Center for Cellular Construction". ccc.ucsf.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
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