Elise Cachat
Group Leader
- School of Biological Sciences
- Centre for Engineering Biology
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology (IQB3)
Contact details
- Tel: +44 (0)131 650 7780
- Email: Elise.Cachat@ed.ac.uk
Address
- Street
-
Rm. 2.36, Michael Swann building
Kings Buildings
Max Born Crescent - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH9 3BF
Background
2025-... Senior Lecturer in Synthetic Biology, University of Edinburgh, School of Biological Sciences
2024-... Director of Community and Culture, University of Edinburgh, Centre for Engineering Biology
2018-2025 Lecturer in Synthetic Biology, University of Edinburgh, School of Biological Sciences
2016-2018 Temporary Lectureship in Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, School of Biological Sciences
2009-2016 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Medical School
2006-2009 Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh
2005-2006 Research Assistant, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
2001-2005 PhD Microbiology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
2000-2001 MPhil Organic Chemistry, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
1999-2000 Research Assistant, Aventis Cropscience, Lyon, France
Undergraduate teaching
The Microbial World 2 ( year 2, lecturer)
Patterning in Development (Hons, lecturer)
Postgraduate teaching
MSc Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology (programme director):
- Tools for Synthetic Biology (course organiser)
- The Origins of Synthetic Biology (course organiser)
- Applications of Synthetic Biology (lecturer)
Open to PhD supervision enquiries?
Yes
Current PhD students supervised
Alex Arrese-Igor Royuela
Iseabail Farquhar
Zunaira Aman
Past PhD students supervised
Sofija Semeniuk
Ugne Baronaite
Research summary
Mammalian synthetic biology
The Cachat Lab uses synthetic biology to engineer novel proteins and functions in mammalian cells. These engineered cells can be used as research tools to interrogate natural processes and pathways, or used in application-driven contexts to exert a greater control over complex cellular behaviours.
- Engineering synthetic sensor circuits in mammalian cells to interrogate disease pathways:
By constructing novel ligand/receptor systems and downstream signalling cascades in mammalian cells, we can shade light on cell-cell interactions that are central to disease progression. In collaboration with the Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, we engineered cancer cells that can report on their contact with macrophages in the context of metastasis. Other studies aim at deciphering the molecular role of specific cell-cell interactions (e.g. host/bacterial interactions). These systems can be used for detection-, screening- or diagnosis-based biomedical applications, as well as to highlight novel therapeutic intervention strategies.
[Engineering an anti-CD206-synNotch receptor: insights in the development of novel synthetic receptors. Semeniuk S., BZ. Qian, E. Cachat. 2024. ACS Synthetic Biology 3(12): 3876-3884.]
- Engineering novel toolkits for the engineering biology research community:
Synthetic biology strives to make the engineering of biology easier and more predictable. To do so, the community relies on the construction and exchange of novel molecular tools. We developed a toolkit for the generation of user-specific small antibody binders, as well as readily-implementable CRISPR activation/inhibition system in mammalian cells.
[Preparation of chromobodies for the detection of cell surface epitopes. Baronaite U., E. Cachat. 2024. Methods in molecular biology 2774:303-314.]
- Engineering new tools for the Biotechnology/BioPharma industry:
The Biotech/BioPharma industry encounters many challenges related to R&D translation, production, sustainability, etc. Synthetic biology can help addressing these challenges and we aim at engineering precisely controllable chassis cells for safer cell therapies, engineering metabolically rewired CHO cells for biologics production (in collaboration with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies), genetically optimise microalgae for omega-3 production (in collaboration with MiAlgae).
[Improving recombinant protein production in CHO cells using the CRISPR-Cas system. Kalkan A.K., F. Palaz, S. Semeniuk, N. Elmousa, Y. Ledezma, E. Cachat, L. Rios-Solis. 2023. Biotechnology advances 64:108115.]
Past research interests
Engineering synthetic patterning in mammalian cells to explore theories of developmental biology: ‘Synthetic morphology’ aims at engineering synthetic morphogenetic programmes and patterning system ‘in a dish’ to test existing theories of developmental biology or to engineer alternative tissue structures that have not evolved naturally. With the Davies Lab, we harness the power of synthetic biology for the construction of programmable, self-organising, multicellular systems and engineered mammalian cells to self-organize into specific structures and patterns. [2- and 3-dimensional synthetic large-scale de novo patterning by mammalian cells through phase separation. Cachat E., W. Liu, K. Martin, X. Yuan, H. Yin, P. Hohenstein and J.A. Davies. 2016. Scientific Reports 6:20664.]Knowledge exchange
The morality calculus:
BioArt project in collaboration with artist Yuning Chen (UoE, College of Art), exploring yeast/mammalian cells coexistence in co-cultures, through lab- and art- work, and funded by the BBSRC Transition Award Flexible Funding. The artwork was displayed at the Summerhall gallery for the Edinburgh Science festival and throughout April and May 2024. The artwork was nominated for the Science Breakthrough of the Year 2024 in the Art & Science category at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.
[Labour Provenance as a Lens to Reveal More-Than-Human Ecologies in Biological Design and HCI. Chen Y., E. Cachat, L. Pschetz. 2025. In Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 743:1-22.]
Biopolis: Tales of Urban Biology
Teams of scientists and professional writers worked together to create stories about the impact of biotechnology on urban life. The outcome of this collaboration is a collection of short stories where cutting-edge life sciences meet speculative fiction - Biopolis, Tales of Urban Biology. Thanks to the unique and creative pen of the writers, the stories envisage future landscapes designed for a better way of living, and a city where biotechnology is interconnected with its buildings and their inhabitants.
[Biopolis: Tales of Urban Biology. Pschetz L., McKie J. & Cachat E. (Eds.). 2020, Shoreline of Infinity.]
Crossing Kingdom:
Using a synthetic approach, we aim at engineering fusion between yeast and mammalian cells through the use of biological fusogens. The project is part of an interdisciplinary collaboration with artists (SymbioticA, University of Western Australia) and social scientists (SynthSys , University of Edinburgh), exploring the questions cross-kingdom fusion raises (Szymanski et al. 2020, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 8:715).
[Crossing Kingdoms: How Can Art Open Up New Ways of Thinking About Science? Szymanski E., Bates T., Cachat E., Calvert J., Catts O., Nelson L.J., Rosser S.J., Smith R.D.J., Zurr I. 2020. Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology 8:715.]