What do pottery & materials science have in common? Namrata Ramani thought nothing, but as she honed her skills in both, she realized they are related. Now, she's finding the best way to deliver therapeutic RNA molecules to fight cancer. Learn more about Namrata & her work in this month’s #HOWyss.

The Wyss' GeneSkin team is developing breakthrough mRNA therapies that focus on restoring the function of basal skin stem cells by reducing inflammation and mitigating cellular stress, which is critical for skin rejuvenation and hair restoration.

RNA drugs are made up of oligonucleotide "building blocks," which can be expensive, labor-intensive, and inefficient to manufacture. Wyss startup EnPlusOne Biosciences is breaking the RNA drug bottleneck by enabling RNA oligonucleotide manufacturing at scale with a smaller environmental footprint.

We're continuing to dispel common myths about research! You may imagine scientists working alone in the lab, but that's not the case. Modern research is highly collaborative. Most scientists are part of teams. Some are working across disciplines, institutions, & countries to achieve a common goal.

Enjoy the time that you have in every moment you can. That's the best advice Wyss Core Faculty member Christopher Chen has ever received. Learn more about him in this 20-ish Questions video. @bostonu.bsky.social

Wyss researchers developed a new class of injectable, adhesive biomaterials that remains in place despite muscle movements and promotes improved healing after traumatic injuries. They are poised to become the leading solution for volumetric muscle loss.

Sepsis accounts for 60% of NICU admissions in the US & is the third leading cause of neonatal mortality worldwide. Wyss researchers are creating NeoSense, a fast, accurate, and painless way to diagnose sepsis in infants.

Wyss researchers developed the first inexpensive, CRISPR-based, laboratory-free marine monitoring system to be used by many to quantify marine species and their states on-site.

Did you know that the "father of Black history" received his Ph.D. from Harvard? Carter G. Woodson created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and in 1926, he created Negro History Week. Learn more about Woodson and find more resources on Black History Month from Harvard.

⚙️ @wyssinstitute.bsky.social researchers are engineering a new era in cancer care. Read how they are advancing RNA immunotherapy, real-time clot diagnostics, and personalized tumor chips to tackle cancer more effectively and safely: https://bit.ly/3MwJoBq

Wyss Institute researchers are tackling the challenge of cancer head-on by developing new therapies that more powerfully activate the immune system, sharpen the precision of existing treatments, and make side effects more predictable and manageable.

In this story from @mit.edu, Core Faculty member Jim Collins discusses how collaboration has been central to his research into combining computational predictions with new experimental platforms.

Wyss researchers are addressing this problem with PFASense, a portable, protein-based biosensor device that makes PFAS detection simple, fast, and affordable.

There is no Wyss faculty member more qualified to discuss matters of the heart than Ellen Roche, who has been developing cardiac devices since her undergraduate studies. We sat down with Roche to discuss all things heart, both literally and metaphorically. #ValentinesDay

Wyss and @harvardseas.bsky.social researchers developed a method for fabricating perfusable collecting ducts of the human kidney, which opens the door to disease modeling, drug testing, and organ engineering.

"At its best, mentorship is not about giving answers, but about expanding perspective, helping someone see what's possible, often before they can fully see it themselves," -Helen Wang. 5 years after its inception, the Wyss Mentor Hive continues to thrive.

Wyss RA Charlotte wants to lower the barrier to entry into STEM careers for underrepresented groups. She's applying the lessons she’s learned to educational outreach work at the Wyss, as early learning experiences are essential for igniting passion & confidence in STEM. #EveryVoiceInScience

🌊 A new tool for ocean health is making waves. Researchers at the @wyssinstitute.bsky.social have developed a portable, #CRISPR-based biosensor that can rapidly identify marine species and assess their health. This low-cost device could help predict marine disease outbreaks: https://bit.ly/4tAYo1R

The Wyss Lumineers program celebrates members of our community who choose to take meaningful risks in pursuit of something bigger - translating foundational science, engineering, and lived experience into real-world solutions. We are proud to induct nine new Lumineers as the class of 2025.

Find out how Organ Chips, traveling to space as part of The Artemis II mission, will allow Wyss and Emulate scientists to improve our understanding of the impact of space radiation and provide a mechanism for creating personalized medical kits in the future. @science.org

🔬 Engineering kidney “plumbing” in the lab! Researchers at the @wyssinstitute.bsky.social developed a platform to fabricate perfusable human kidney collecting ducts by combining stem-cell differentiation, organoid culture, and bioengineering: https://bit.ly/4kpgShF

The Women's Health Catalyst at the Wyss Institute was founded to support the research and innovation addressing critical gaps in therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices for women’s healthcare. Check out some of our women's health projects.

50% of global PFA use is in water-resistant textile coatings. In order to decrease our dependency on PFAs, we need an environmentally responsible alternative that doesn't compromise functionality. Wyss researchers developed Nixe, a next-generation PFAS-free water-repellent coating solution.

Learn more about Core Faculty member Christopher Chen in this 20-ish Questions video. He is also the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, Biomedical Engineering & Director, Biological Design Center at Boston University. #Wyss20ishQs #UniquelyWyss

Researchers at the Wyss Institute and @mit.edu have developed a field-deployable, CRISPR-based biosensing platform that could enable facile, real-time monitoring of marine barometer species and ecosystems.

Cancer treatment has come a long way — but too many cancers remain difficult (or impossible) to treat, & even successful therapies can carry risks. At the Wyss, teams are engineering novel approaches to make cancer care more powerful, more precise, and more predictable & manageable. #WorldCancerDay

The foundational work for the biomaterial cancer vaccine was published in 2009, and over the next 16 years, the technology was refined and de-risked. In 2025, the first-in-human Phase I clinical trial was concluded. Learn more about this work, and the power of The Wyss Effect: bit.ly/4q8LZyZ

Last week, members of our community volunteered at Science Club for Girls, assembling 260 tote bags for participants in their virtual science clubs this coming semester.

Our Sustainable Futures Initiative is tackling the planetary crisis by re-designing the systems we rely on, from farming to materials and manufacturing, to become planet-friendly with high-performance and scalable features. Learn more about our emerging technologies and collaboration opportunities.

DNA nanoswitch calipers offer a novel method to deeply probe the structures of proteins rapidly and cheaply, revolutionizing post-translational modifications (PTMs) research.

The @wyssinstitute.bsky.social Lumineers program celebrates members of our community who choose to take meaningful risks in pursuit of something bigger. Meet the 2025 Wyss Lumineers who are translating foundational science into real-world solutions: https://bit.ly/4a4ohho

Jennifer Lewis’ team at the Wyss and @harvardseas.bsky.social developed a groundbreaking method for recreating the kidney’s plumbing system of urine-transporting “collecting ducts.”

In 2021, the Wyss established the Mentor Hive to connect investors and business professionals with our technology development teams. Learn more about the Mentor Hive members, their work, and what advice they have for aspiring scientific entrepreneurs.

Happy International LEGO Day! To celebrate these bricks that have inspired future STEM professionals all over the world, a member of our community free built a Wyss-inspired scene that's currently being displayed in our lobby. How many Wyss easter eggs can you spot?

Russell Gould wants to know why. He combined that desire with his love of problem-solving to become a computational biologist. At the Wyss, he works to identify the most effective ways to use scientific data to solve problems. Learn more about Russell and his work in this month’s #HOWyss.

To address liver failure, researchers from the Wyss, @mit.edu, University of Colorado Boulder, & @columbiauniversity.bsky.social will collaborate to create the technological framework for building the first off-the-shelf engineered graft. This work is funded by the @arpa-h.bsky.social PRINT program.

Researchers at the Wyss developed GeneSkin, a novel mRNA therapy focused on restoring the function of basal skin stem cells by reducing inflammation and mitigating cellular stress, which is critical for skin rejuvenation and hair restoration. bit.ly/42gewd6

40% of cancer patients who undergo a mastectomy have reconstruction surgery, but all surgical options have health risks. Wyss researchers developed ReConstruct, an approach to creating living tissue implants from a patient’s own cells for better reconstruction. bit.ly/Wyss-ReConst...

Wyss researchers have engineered a next-generation test that uses CRISPR and single-molecule detection technology that satisfies the major clinical requirements and could provide a rapid and reliable solution for detecting drug-resistant C. auris pathogens.

We are proud to recognize the 2025 Wyss Lumineers and celebrate the people, projects, and pursuits that continue to amplify what’s possible when bold ideas are empowered to leave the Wyss.

Did you know that Wyss Core Faculty member George Church was waterskiing when he was six months old? Learn more about him, including the weirdest thing in his office, in this 20-ish Questions video.

Following FDA’s announcement of replacing animal testing with more contemporary methodologies, Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber reviews the challenges for human Organ Chip technology and the unprecedented opportunities they open up in @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social.

Colossal Biosciences is leveraging a suite of enabling technologies to de-extinct critical species, enhancing conservation efforts by combatting biodiversity loss and restoring ecosystems. Learn more about their early Wyss origins.

How can we keep macrophages and other immune cells in an active state or a passive state, depending on the disease they are trying to fight? Wyss researchers developed Celluar "Backpacks" to enable fine-tuned control over immune cells to treat cancer, autoimmune disorders, and more.

COPD affects 15.9 million U.S. adults. Wyss researchers and their collaborators at @brighamandwomens.bsky.social are developing COPDx, a point-of-care diagnostic to identify patients at risk for acute exacerbations and determine their causes.

ARPA-H-funded cross-institutional Wyss-led ImPLANT project aims to develop liver grafts to help many of the over 500M patients with liver failure worldwide.

Wyss researchers in the lab of Founding Core Faculty member Dave Mooney have created a new class of injectable, adhesive biomaterials that is poised to become a leading solution for volumetric muscle loss.

Through a convergence of CRISPR and single-molecule technologies, Wyss researchers have engineered the first diagnostic test that can rapidly determine the burden of dangerous Candida auris fungal pathogens in patient samples, as well as the presence of antimicrobial resistance.

Wyss researchers have discovered a disease-agnostic novel RNA therapeutic whose therapeutic effects in the body can significantly outlast the presence of the RNA drug itself, and potently synergize with other immunotherapies in patients with cancer & infectious diseases.

"To address Grand Challenges, we cannot work in a silo. To be the one helping to connect the dots is incredibly rewarding," explains Postdoc Haritosh Patel. At the Wyss, he's channeling that collaborative spirit into developing an indoor air quality sensor that will monitor for harmful pollutants.