Rung-Yi Lai | Suranaree University of Technology

BioOrganic Lab

Exploring the interface of synthetic biology and organic chemistry to advance applications of biocatalysis and protein nanoparticles.

School of Chemistry

Institute of Science

Suranaree University of Technology

Principal Investigator

Dr. Rung-Yi Lai

Associate Professor

School of Chemistry, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology

rylai@sut.ac.th

Education & Training

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dept. of Chemical & Biological Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015-2017

Ph.D. in Chemistry

Texas A&M University, 2009-2015

M.S. in Chemistry

National Taiwan University, 2005-2007

B.S. in Chemistry

National Taiwan University, 2000-2005

"Bridging Chemistry and Biotechnology through Synthetic Biology"

Synthetic biology is used as a unifying framework to bridge chemistry and biotechnology, enabling advances in both molecular synthesis and therapeutic development. Through engineered biocatalysis, sustainable and new-to-nature chemical transformations are accessed beyond the limits of conventional synthesis. In parallel, protein-based nanoparticles are developed as programmable platforms for cancer therapy, translating biological design principles into functional biomedical technologies.

Research Focus

Biocatalysis

Biocatalysis research expands chemical reaction space through engineered enzymes for new-to-nature transformations and E. coli whole-cell systems for sustainable synthesis, integrating pathway design and genome engineering to achieve efficient and selective catalysis.

Protein nanoparticles

Protein nanoparticle research focuses on ferritin as a structurally defined and chemically/biologically engineerable platform for cancer therapy. Molecular-level control over assembly, functionalization, and payload encapsulation is used to enable tunable and biologically relevant therapeutic systems.