Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
Encyclopedia
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering is a cross-disciplinary institute at Harvard University
which focuses on emulating nature's design principles
to engineer new bioinspired materials and devices with applications in healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, energy, and sustainable architecture. The Institute has two sites: one in the Center for Life Science Building in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area, and one on Harvard University’s engineering campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. The Wyss Institute was launched in January 2009 with a $125 million gift to Harvard—the largest single philanthropic gift in its history—from Hansjörg Wyss
.
The Institute works as an alliance among Harvard Medical School
, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
, Harvard Business School
, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
, Harvard Graduate School of Design
, Children’s Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
, Boston University
, Brigham and Women's Hospital
, Massachusetts General Hospital
, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School
. Translating technological discoveries into commercial products and therapies, through technology licensing agreements and collaborations with industrial partners and new startups, is an important part of the organization's mission.
In addition, the Wyss Institute's Advanced Technology Team consists of scientists and engineers with experience in biomaterial fabrication, device development, industry, design engineering, and system integration. They help guide material and device development, mentor staff and students in technology translation and intellectual property areas, and provide institutional memory. They ensure that Institute members translate their technologies into commercial products and therapies through partnerships with industrial and clinical collaborators.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
which focuses on emulating nature's design principles
Biologically inspired engineering
Biologically inspired engineering is a new scientific discipline that applies biological principles to develop new engineering solutions for medicine, industry, the environment, and many other fields that have previously not been touched by the biology revolution...
to engineer new bioinspired materials and devices with applications in healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, energy, and sustainable architecture. The Institute has two sites: one in the Center for Life Science Building in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area, and one on Harvard University’s engineering campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. The Wyss Institute was launched in January 2009 with a $125 million gift to Harvard—the largest single philanthropic gift in its history—from Hansjörg Wyss
Hansjörg Wyss
Hansjörg Wyss is a Swiss entrepreneur and businessman. As of 2008, Wyss ranks #164 on the Forbes list of billionaires, with a net worth of approximately $6 billion, making him the second richest person in Switzerland.-Life and career:...
.
The Institute works as an alliance among Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science , a school within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences , serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard's teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology.Engineering and applied sciences at Harvard...
, Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the seven faculties that constitute Harvard University.Headquartered principally in Cambridge, Massachusetts and centered in the historic Harvard Yard, FAS is the only division of the university responsible for both undergraduate and...
, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
, Children’s Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is part of a Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute. It is a major affiliate of Harvard Medical School and is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts.-Overview:...
, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts is a major flagship teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. It was formed out of the 1996 merger of Beth Israel Hospital and New England Deaconess Hospital...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital is the largest hospital of the Longwood Medical and Academic Area in Boston, Massachusetts. It is directly adjacent to Harvard Medical School of which it is the second largest teaching affiliate with 793 beds...
, Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Medical School is one of five campuses of the University of Massachusetts system and is home to three schools: the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate School of Nursing; a biomedical research enterprise; and a range of...
. Translating technological discoveries into commercial products and therapies, through technology licensing agreements and collaborations with industrial partners and new startups, is an important part of the organization's mission.
Organization
The Wyss Institute’s scientific operations are organized around six Enabling Technology Platforms that focus on development of new core technologies and capabilities that will facilitate the explosion of major R&D areas in the field of bioinspired engineering. The platforms integrate multiple faculty members with the advance technology teams, clinical experts, and industrial partners. The Institute platforms are:- Adaptive Architecture: Integrated multiscale structures composed of biomimetic materials and devices that dynamically adapt to their environments for energy and environmental applications, such as construction materials that harness energy, heat, and water
- Anticipatory Medical Devices: Developing wireless medical devices that transmit rebooting signals to prevent serious medical issues, such as apneaApneaApnea, apnoea, or apnœa is a term for suspension of external breathing. During apnea there is no movement of the muscles of respiration and the volume of the lungs initially remains unchanged...
in premature infants and falls due to gait problems among the elderly - Bioinspired Robotics: Developing computer algorithms and sensor/actuator materials that enable robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s to act collectively in response to changes in their environment, such as swarms of flying insect robotsMicromechanical Flying InsectThe Micromechanical Flying Insect project is research effort to develop a flying robot based on living insects flight techniques, i.e. an ornithopter. The flying robot will be capable of sustained autonomous flight. The design of artificial fly is based on bionics principles and relies on...
to assist dwindling bee populations - Biomaterials Evolution: Creating massively parallel capabilities for directed evolutionDirected evolutionthumb|250px|right|An example of a possible round to evolve a protein based fluorescent sensor for a specific analyte using two consecutive FACS sortings...
of biomoleculeBiomoleculeA biomolecule is any molecule that is produced by a living organism, including large polymeric molecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids as well as small molecules such as primary metabolites, secondary metabolites, and natural products...
s and whole genomeGenomeIn modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
s for applications in cell reprogramming, drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and bioenergy - Biomimetic Microsystems: Engineering microsystem technologies that reconstitute complex human organ-level functions for use in drug testing, diagnostic and therapeutic applications
- Programmable Nanomaterials: Creation of targetable, self-assemblingMolecular self-assemblyMolecular self-assembly is the process by which molecules adopt a defined arrangement without guidance or management from an outside source. There are two types of self-assembly, intramolecular self-assembly and intermolecular self-assembly...
nanotechnologiesNanotechnologyNanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
for regenerative medicineRegenerative medicineRegenerative medicine is the "process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore orestablish normal function". This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by replacing damaged tissue and/or by stimulating the body's own repair...
and drug deliveryDrug deliveryDrug delivery is the method or process of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies modify drug release profile, absorption, distribution and elimination for the benefit of improving product efficacy and safety, as well...
applications
Faculty
Wyss Institute faculty members hold appointments at Harvard University or at a partner institution. The core faculty members are:- Donald E. IngberDonald E. IngberDonald E. Ingber, is an American cell biologist, Founding Director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, and Professor of Bioengineering at the...
has made major contributions to cell and tissue engineeringTissue engineeringTissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions...
, angiogenesis, cancer research, systems biologySystems biologySystems biology is a term used to describe a number of trends in bioscience research, and a movement which draws on those trends. Proponents describe systems biology as a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on complex interactions in biological systems, claiming that it uses...
, and nanobiotechnologyNanobiotechnologyBionanotechnology, nanobiotechnology, and nanobiology are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology. Given that the subject is one that has only emerged very recently, bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology serve as blanket terms for various related technologies.This...
. He is Founding Director of the Wyss Institute, a Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston, and a Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He was recently given a grant for a dialysis-like therapy, a sort of miniature "spleen-on-a-chip", that could more effectively treat sepsis, on and off the battlefield. - Joanna Aizenberg pursues research interests that include biomineralization, biomimeticsBiomimeticsBiomimetics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems as models for the design and engineering of materials and machines. It is widely regarded as being synonymous with biomimicry, biomimesis, biognosis and similar to biologically inspired design.-History:The term biomimetics...
, self-assembly, bio-inspired materials synthesis, biomaterials, biomechanics, and bio-optics. She is the Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Material Sciences at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard, and the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. - George ChurchGeorge ChurchGeorge Church is an American molecular geneticist. He is currently Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT, and a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.With...
focuses on new technologies for genomicGenomicsGenomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
and proteomicProteomicsProteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological metabolic pathways of cells. The term "proteomics" was first coined in 1997 to make an analogy with...
measurement, and synthesis and modeling of biomedical and ecological systems—specifically, personal genomicsPersonal genomicsPersonal genomics is the branch of genomics concerned with the sequencing and analysis of the genome of an individual. The genotyping stage employs different techniques, including single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis chips , or partial or full genome sequencing...
and biofuelBiofuelBiofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
s. He is a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, a Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Director of NIHNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
- and DOEUnited States Department of EnergyThe United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
-funded Human Genomics and Bioenergy Technology Centers. - James J. CollinsJames Collins (Boston University)James J. Collins is an American bioengineer, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator...
is a founder of the field of synthetic biologySynthetic biologySynthetic biology is a new area of biological research that combines science and engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions...
and a pioneering researcher in systems biology, stochastic resonanceStochastic resonanceStochastic resonance is a phenomenon that occurs in a threshold measurement system when an appropriate measure of information transfer is maximized in the presence of a non-zero level of stochastic input noise thereby lowering the response...
, biological dynamics, and neurostimulation. He is a Howard Hughes Medical InstituteHoward Hughes Medical InstituteHoward Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
Investigator and a William F. Warren Distinguished Professor, University Professor, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Medicine, and Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Center for BioDynamics at Boston University. - David A. Edwards is a biomedical engineer who develops innovative new ideas by fusing scientific and artistic discoveries. He is a Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
- Ary Goldberger is a heart researcher who focuses on the loss of signal complexity that accompanies aging, frailty, and a wide range of diseases. He directs the Margret & H. A. Rey Institute for Nonlinear Dynamics in Medicine and is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also the Program Director of the NIH-sponsored Research Resource for Complex Physiologic Signals.
- Neel Joshi is developing new methods for controlling the spatial and temporal arrangement of self-assembling systemsMolecular self-assemblyMolecular self-assembly is the process by which molecules adopt a defined arrangement without guidance or management from an outside source. There are two types of self-assembly, intramolecular self-assembly and intermolecular self-assembly...
. He is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Harvard. - L. MahadevanL. MahadevanLakshminarayanan Mahadevan is an Indian American mathematician, and Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, at Harvard University...
is interested in the spatial and temporal dynamics of how matter is organized. He is the Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, an Affiliate Professor in the department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and an Affiliate Professor in Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. - David J. MooneyDavid J. MooneyDavid J. Mooney, PhD, is Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, where he currently serves as the Associate Dean for Chemical/Biological Sciences and Engineering. He is also a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for...
is studying the mechanisms that enable cells to receive and react to chemical and mechanical signals, such as cell adhesionCell adhesionCellular adhesion is the binding of a cell to a surface, extracellular matrix or another cell using cell adhesion molecules such as selectins, integrins, and cadherins. Correct cellular adhesion is essential in maintaining multicellular structure...
molecules and cyclic strains. He is the Gordon McKay Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard. - Radhika Nagpal is developing programming paradigms that allow individual agents to work together to achieve complex behavior. She is an Associate Professor in Computer Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
- Kevin Kit Parker researches cardiac cell biology and tissue engineering, traumatic brain injury, and biological applications of micro- and nanotechnologies. He is the Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Applied Science and an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard.
- William Shih explores synthetic biology approaches to the development of self-assembling DNA structures and devicesDNA nanotechnologyDNA nanotechnology is a branch of nanotechnology which uses the molecular recognition properties of DNA and other nucleic acids to create designed, artificial structures out of DNA for technological purposes. In this field, DNA is used as a structural material rather than as a carrier of genetic...
for biomedical applications. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and at the Department of Cancer Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. - Pamela SilverPamela SilverPamela Silver is a Professor in the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. She is the first Director of the Harvard University PhD Program in Systems Biology. Silver is also a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University...
conducts research into the logical engineering of biology and the use of genomics, genetics, and cell-based screens in the study of diseases and drug action. She is a Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Harvard University Ph.D. Program in Systems Biology. - George M. WhitesidesGeorge M. WhitesidesGeorge M. Whitesides is an American chemist and professor of chemistry at Harvard University. He is best known for his work in the areas of NMR spectroscopy, organometallic chemistry, molecular self-assembly, soft lithography, microfabrication, microfluidics, and nanotechnology...
is researching physical and organic chemistry, materials science, biophysicsBiophysicsBiophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
, complexityComplexityIn general usage, complexity tends to be used to characterize something with many parts in intricate arrangement. The study of these complex linkages is the main goal of complex systems theory. In science there are at this time a number of approaches to characterizing complexity, many of which are...
, surface scienceSurface scienceSurface science is the study of physical and chemical phenomena that occur at the interface of two phases, including solid–liquid interfaces, solid–gas interfaces, solid–vacuum interfaces, and liquid-gas interfaces. It includes the fields of surface chemistry and surface physics. Some related...
, microfluidicsMicrofluidicsMicrofluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
, self-assembly, micro- and nanotechnology, science for developing economies, origin of life, and cell-surface biochemistry. He is the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard. - Robert Wood is developing biologically inspired aerial and ambulatory microrobots, soft-bodied robots, and programmable matterProgrammable matterProgrammable matter refers to matter which has the ability to change its physical properties in a programmable fashion, based upon user input or autonomous sensing...
. He is an Assistant Professor in Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. - Peng Yin is engineering programmable molecular systems inspired by biology. His research focuses on engineering information-directed self-assemblyDNA nanotechnologyDNA nanotechnology is a branch of nanotechnology which uses the molecular recognition properties of DNA and other nucleic acids to create designed, artificial structures out of DNA for technological purposes. In this field, DNA is used as a structural material rather than as a carrier of genetic...
of nucleic acidNucleic acidNucleic acids are biological molecules essential for life, and include DNA and RNA . Together with proteins, nucleic acids make up the most important macromolecules; each is found in abundance in all living things, where they function in encoding, transmitting and expressing genetic information...
(DNADNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
/RNARNARibonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
) structures and devices to do useful molecular work. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. - Ali KhademhosseiniAli KhademhosseiniAli Khademhosseini is an Iranian-Canadian academic and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. He is internationally known for his research in the area of biomedical...
is an associate faculty, his laboratory is developing bioinspired approaches for generating tissue-like structures as well as fabricating combinatorial biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications.
In addition, the Wyss Institute's Advanced Technology Team consists of scientists and engineers with experience in biomaterial fabrication, device development, industry, design engineering, and system integration. They help guide material and device development, mentor staff and students in technology translation and intellectual property areas, and provide institutional memory. They ensure that Institute members translate their technologies into commercial products and therapies through partnerships with industrial and clinical collaborators.