Research Website

Educational Qualifications

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (2008)
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (2004)
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2002)

Focus

Biochemical Engineering, Biophysics, Therapeutic Delivery, Biological Membranes

Research 

Our lab is interested in the biophysical mechanisms that underlie the function of lipid membranes in cells, as well as the opportunity to create bio-inspired materials and systems that borrow these mechanisms. We develop new lipid membrane substrates and lipid-encapsulated systems and examine them using advanced microscopy tools. By reconstructing membranes from component parts, we seek to capture the minimal requirements of specific biological functions. Themes of our work include: understanding how proteins and lipid domains modify the fluidity, reactivity, and 3D architecture of membranes, examining how confinement within a lipid vesicle influences biochemical reactions and spatial organization of biochemical components, and using the organizational principles of the lipid membrane to build functional systems such as assays, drug carriers, and environmentally responsive materials.

Awards & Honors

• Michael and Kate Bárány Award of the Biophysical Society, 2023
• Elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), 2022
• Selected for the “Future of Biochemistry” by ACS Biochemistry, 2017
• Young Innovator of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), 2017
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Division of Materials Research, 2014 

Publications  

• S. Gollapudi, S. Jamal, A. Kamatar, F. Yuan, L. Wang, E. M. Lafer, B. Belardi, J. C. Stachowiak, “Steric pressure between glycosylated transmembrane proteins inhibits internalization by endocytosis,” PNAS, 120, e2215815120, 2023.
• K. D. Graham, A. Chandrasekaran, L. Wang, A. Ladak,  E. M. Lafer, P. Rangamani, J. C. Stachowiak, “Liquid-like assembly of VASP drives actin polymerization and bundling,” Nature Physics, 19, 574-578, 2023.
• J. C. Stachowiak, T. Kirchhausen, “The beauty of simplicity in membrane biology,” Nature Cell Biology, Invited Perspective, Nature Cell Biology, 2022. 
• A. N. Trementozzi, C. Zhao, H. Smyth, Z. Cui, J. C. Stachowiak, “Gap junction-mediated delivery of polymeric macromolecules”, ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, 8, 1566-1572, 2022.
• K.J. Day, G.K. Kago, L. Wang, J.B. Richter, C.C. Hayden, E.M. Lafer, J.C. Stachowiak, “Liquid-like protein interactions catalyze assembly of endocytic vesicles,” Nature Cell Biology, 23, 366-376, 2021. 
• F. Yuan, H. Alimohamadi, B. Bakka, A.N. Trementozzi, N.L. Fawzi, P. Rangamani, J.C. Stachowiak, “Membrane bending by protein phase separation,” PNAS, 118 (1), 2021. 
• W.F. Zeno, J.B. Hochfelder, A.S. Thatte, L. Wang, A.K. Gadok, C.C. Hayden, E.M. Lafer, J.C. Stachowiak, “Clathrin senses membrane curvature,” Biophysical Journal, 120, 818-828, 2021. 
• J. R. Houser, C. C. Hayden, D. Thirumalai, J. C. Stachowiak, “A Forster resonance energy transfer-based sensor of steric pressure on membrane surfaces,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 142, 20796-20805, 2020. 
• A. N. Trementozzi, A. Hufnagel, H. Xu, M. S. Hanafy, F. Rosero Castro, H. D. C. Smyth, Z. Cui, J. C. Stachowiak, “Gap junction liposomes for efficient delivery of chemotherapeutics to solid tumors,” ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, 6, 4851-4857, 2020. 
• A. N. Trementozzi, Z. I Imam, M. Mendicino, C. C. Hayden, J. C. Stachowiak, “Liposome-mediated chemotherapeutic delivery is synergistically enhanced by ternary lipid compositions and cationic lipids,” Langmuir, 35, 12532-12542, 2019. 
• W. F. Zeno, A. Thatte, L. Wang, W. T. Snead, E. M. Lafer, J. C. Stachowiak, “Molecular mechanisms of membrane curvature sensing by a disordered protein,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 141, 10361-10371, 2019. 
• W. F. Zeno, U. Baul, W. T. Snead, G. Kago, A. C. M. DeGroot, L. Wang, E. M. Lafer, D. Thirumalai, J. C. Stachowiak, “Synergy between intrinsically disordered domains and structured proteins amplifies membrane curvature sensing,” Nature Communications, 9, 4152, 2018. 
• A. C. M. DeGroot, D. J. Busch, C. C. Hayden, S. Mihelic, M. Behar, J. C. Stachowiak, “Entropic Control of Receptor Recycling Using Engineered Ligands,” Biophysical Journal, vol. 114, p. 1377-1388, 2018. 

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