Mao Taketani

Mao Taketani is a highly experienced professional in synthetic biology and genetic engineering. Currently serving as the Director of Synthetic Biology at Jorna Therapeutics since July 2022, Mao previously held the position of Senior Scientist at DeepBiome Therapeutics, Inc. from December 2018 to July 2022. Mao's research background includes a postdoctoral associate role at the MIT Department of Biological Engineering Synthetic Biology Center, focusing on engineering transcriptional sensors in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron under the guidance of Christopher A. Voigt. Mao earned a Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases and Immunity from the University of California, Berkeley, where significant discoveries included a conserved surface layer protein in Bacteroides. Additionally, Mao began academic training with a Bachelor of Science in Genetics at UC Irvine, contributing to research on transcriptional regulation in Xenopus laevis.