PhD Researcher · Biophysics & Bioengineering

Tharun Selvam Mahendran

State University of New York at Buffalo

My research asks how biomolecular condensates — liquid-like compartments that concentrate RNA and protein inside cells — tip from functional to pathological. Using optical tweezers, microfluidics, and bottom-up reconstitution, I showed that condensate microenvironments can enhance RNA percolation and aggregation, and that homotypic RNA clustering drives a liquid-to-solid transition at condensate cores. A parallel line of work demonstrates that decoupling phase separation from fibrillization preserves condensate biochemical activity — a strategy with direct therapeutic implications for ALS, FTD, and related neurodegenerative diseases.