https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/index.htmlAbout me Hi, I’m Xiangtao Shi, graduate student in Molecular Machines group @ MIT Media Lab. I studied Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Finance at SUSTech, and I’m now joining the Giga Printer project to work on machines and chips for DNA synthesis.Hugoenhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.htmlFor your first homework, propose and describe one idea for something you would like to biomanufacture. This could be medicine, material, food, energy, an art, design, or architectural artifact, or beyond. Draw from your own background and interests for inspiration. What you would like to biomanufacture and why? I would like to make a biosensor that gives a visible indication of the foods condition. The idea comes from a problem I have encountered since moving from China to the United States. Ordering food here is less convenient and more expensive than I am used to, so I usually cook for myself. To save time, I often prepare several meals at once. However, when I take a container out of the refrigerator a few days later, I am sometimes unsure whether I should still eat it. Therefore, I want to biomanufacture a biosensor to help with that decision.https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-02-hw-dna-design/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-02-hw-dna-design/index.htmlMy HW1 project explores a whole-cell biosensor for histamine in food. For this assignment, I built a first candidate DNA design in Kernel: a PhinD-controlled GFP reporter on a pPROBE-NT-derived plasmid, with E. coli as the intended chassis. Part 0: Kernel setup My construct, Shi-Food Biosensor, is stored directly in the Xiangtao repository in the HTBAA 2026 workspace.https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-03-hw-cell-free/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-03-hw-cell-free/index.htmlA. Compare cell-free reaction compositions Potassium glutamate and magnesium glutamate Why do their concentrations differ between compositions? Which is more sensitive? Potassium glutamate contributes to the ionic environment and supplies glutamate. Potassium is essential for translation. Glutamate replaces chloride as the counter-ion because chloride may inhibit some CFPS enzymes. Magnesium glutamate supplies Mg²⁺ for ribosomes, nucleic-acid interactions and enzyme activity. Magnesium holds ribosomes together and keeps tRNAs folded correctly. Potassium glutamate and magnesium glutamate concentrations differ between compositions because they have different functions and their optimal levels depend on the whole reaction formulation.https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-04-lab-cloud-lab/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-04-lab-cloud-lab/index.htmlhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-05-hw-digital-microfluidics/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-05-hw-digital-microfluidics/index.htmlhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-06-lab-nuclera/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-06-lab-nuclera/index.htmlhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-07-hw-mass-spec/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-07-hw-mass-spec/index.htmlhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-08-lab-bacterial-manufacturing/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-08-lab-bacterial-manufacturing/index.htmlhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-09-hw-genetic-circuits/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-09-hw-genetic-circuits/index.htmlhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-10-lab-mammalian-manufacturing/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/week-10-lab-mammalian-manufacturing/index.htmlhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/final-project/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/xiangtao-shi/final-project/index.html