Dr. Maartje Bastings

Biography

Maartje Bastings is a Dutch biomaterials engineer who specializes in designing DNA-based supramolecular materials that integrate the concept of dynamic reciprocity—a two-way action-reaction process—between soft matter and cells. Over the past ten years, Prof. Bastings has established herself as a specialist at the intersection of supramolecular materials and cell biology, utilizing an engineering approach to focus on the biophysical quantification of interactions. Her Programmable Biomaterials Laboratory employs DNA to create uniformly dynamic nanomaterials, and through biophysical characterization, they aim to uncover the existence of patterns and geometric constraints that govern nature's rules of self-organization. By targeting the immune system, her materials are designed to present exceptional precision and specificity in functional interactions, thus enabling life-like communication at the biointerface. The research conducted in her lab crosses the domains of supramolecular materials engineering and biophysics, with implications for DNA-based nanomaterials to enhance cellular actions in a dynamic and reciprocal manner. Prof. Bastings's fundamental insights delve into the mysteries of molecular self-assembly and the activation cascades of life, with a vision toward developing sensitive diagnostics and specialized components for future vaccines.

Research Interests

Experience