David Toledo | HTGAA 2026
Hi, I’m David! 👋
Bioengineering Student · UTEC · Lima, Peru 🇵🇪
Welcome to my little corner of HTGAA, where I’ll be documenting my journey through synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, and everything in between.
About me
I’m Jose David Toledo Novoa, a fourth-year Bioengineering student at the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Lima, Peru.
I’m especially interested in exploring how we can engineer biological systems to create useful technologies, from proteins to new biological materials.
Through *HTBAA, I’m hoping to learn more about synthetic biology, gain hands-on experience, and meet people who share my curiosity about engineering biology.
What I’m curious about
🧬 Synthetic Biology : Designing and engineering biological systems.
🔬 Protein Engineering : Exploring how proteins can be designed and modified for different applications.
💻 Bioinformatics : Using computational tools to better understand biological systems.
🧪 Genetic Engineering : Learning how we can modify living systems to develop new technologies.
But there’s more to me than science! I also really enjoy working, meeting new people, and discovering new places. Through a Work and Travel program, I had the opportunity to live and work in Kellogg, Idaho, where I got to experience a completely different environment and develop a love for snowy landscapes.
I’m always excited to take on new experiences, whether that’s working abroad, learning something new in the lab, or exploring a new place.
Beyond the Lab
A few things about me:
- 🍣 I’m a huge sushi lover. I could honestly eat it every day.
- ❄️ I love snow! Living in Idaho made me appreciate snowy landscapes even more.
- 🍳 I really enjoy cooking and experimenting with new recipes.
- 🧱 I’m a big LEGO fan. I love building things and figuring out how they work.
- 🏴☠️ I love one piece! my fav anime of all time!
- 🌎 I love working, traveling, meeting new people, and trying new things.
I guess I just really enjoy learning and creating, whether it’s in the lab or somewhere completely different!
Explore my work
This is where I’ll document my progress throughout HTGAA, from my first project ideas to my final project.
- Exploring bacterial cellulose as a biomaterial for wound dressings, from microbial production to automation and scale-up.
- HTBAA Homework #2: DNA Design Part 0: Set up in Kernel My project is stored in the David-Toledo-Bacterial-Cellulose repository, inside the toledo-bacterial-cellulose folder. Part 1: Define your expression target Expression target My project aims to produce bacterial cellulose for wound-dressing applications. Since cellulose itself is not a protein, I chose to express BcsA and BcsB, two core components of the bacterial cellulose synthase complex.
- Week 3 — Cell-Free Reaction Design 3. Assignment: CFPS Reaction Design for sfGFP, PETase, and Reteplase The objective of this assignment was to design three cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) reaction compositions, one for each target protein: sfGFP, PETase, and Reteplase. The main challenge was not simply to maximize protein production, but to reduce the cost of producing functional protein. For this reason, I compared different energy systems, considered the folding requirements of each protein, and identified reagents that could potentially be reduced without significantly affecting protein activity.
A little glimpse into my life 📸
Some of my favorite memories, adventures, and people!
❄️ My snowy adventures
My Work and Travel experience in Kellogg, Idaho.
❤️ My favorite person
Making memories together!
🌎 Good times with friends
Some of my favorite moments with friends.
Thanks for stopping by!