February Bulletin

Issue 65

Community Notices | News | Jobs | Funding | Events

Community Notices

February Seminar.

KI Clinical Investigator Dr. Joelle Straehla (left) and Dr. Yanpu He (Postdoctoral Fellow, Belcher Lab)

Next Marble Center seminar is on Monday February 28th, 4-5pm at the KI Luria Auditorium with a research update by Dr. Yanpu He of the Belcher Lab on “Combining checkpoint blockade with STING signaling for injectable solid tumor treatment.” The research update will be followed by a hot topic discussion on "Cancer’s New Normal” by Dr. Joelle Straehla, a Clinical Investigator at the Koch Institute and pediatric oncologist at Boston Children's/Dana-Farber Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

Following the seminar, please join us for a social with food and soft drinks (starting at 5:00pm).

Assay Characterization Program at NIH.

The next deadline to apply for the Nanotechnology Characterization Lab (NCL)’s popular program is March 1, 2022. The NCL performs preclinical characterization of nanoparticles to facilitate the regulatory review of nanotechnology concepts intended as cancer therapies and/or diagnostics.

Annual MIT Microbiome Symposium

The annual MIT Microbiome Symposium to be held on Friday, April 29, 2022 from 10 am-5 pm at the MIT Media Lab (E15). The event will feature talks from established and young investigators, poster sessions, industry representatives, and a networking social to close the symposium. Keynotes include talks by Dr. Gretchen Diehl (Memorial Sloan Kettering) and Dr. Elizabeth Johnson (Cornell University).

In the News

Bob Langer talked to EL PAÍS about his breakthrough developments in tissue engineering, nanotechnology and what medicine of the future will look like.

Chemical engineer Dr. Robert Langer. (Credit: MIT)

(EL PAÍS) Langer believes that large companies are risk-averse and that it is up to governments to fund universities and public research centers to do “curiosity-driven science.” After his early experience with Folkman, this son of a liquor store owner and a housewife went on to specialize in finding new forms of drug delivery. The goal was to reach organs that existing medication could not, and to reduce the amount of pills and injections required to treat patients. For instance, would it be possible to create a pill that remains inside the stomach and releases the right dose of medicine for days, weeks, months or at specific moments? Such controlled release medication would be greatly helpful for diabetics and for the millions of people on antimalarials. Read more…

Edges and Nodes launches!

KI Convergence Scholar Dr. Tigist Tamir (postdoctoral research at the White Lab) is the host and creator of Edges & Nodes. She started this series as a way to demystify the idea of who scientists are and what their day-to-day life looks like. Check out the latest episode featuring Dr. Simone Douglas-Green, a postdoctoral researcher at the Hammond Lab researching charged cartilage-targeting nanocarriers to treat osteoarthritis.

Dr. Tigist Tamir, host and creator of **Edges & Nodes**.

Other Community News

Drs. Parisa Yousefpour (Irvine Lab), Sasan Jalili (Irvine/Hammond Labs), and Nicholas Lamson (Hammond Lab) were awarded the 2022 Ludwig Postdoctoral Fellowships. Under the umbrella of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, the Ludwig Center supports a robust cancer research community—comprising of faculty and member laboratories, named chairs and research scholars, and graduate and postdoc fellowships—that is engaged in a shared, critical mission to unravel the mysteries of metastasis and control the spread of cancer. Congratulations to Parisa, Sasan, and Nicholas!

Dr. Joelle Straehla, formerly a postdoctoral researcher at the Hammond lab and currently a pediatric oncologist at Boston Children's/Dana-Farber Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, is now a Clinical Investigator at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Researcher (KI). The KI Clinical Investigator program provides physician-scientists a unique opportunity to participate in cutting-edge cancer research while continuing clinical work at oncology treatment centers in the Boston area. The investigators' dual role ensures that they remain involved in clinical practice, which in turn benefits KI researchers by providing a frontline view of clinical challenges in cancer treatment.

Jobs

Director, National Nanotechnology Coordination Office.

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in the Executive Office of the President is seeking candidates interested in serving as the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO). The NNCO supports the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), the ~$2 billion/year R&D program that now involves more than 20 Federal departments, independent agencies, and commissions participating in the NNI. The NNCO Director oversees all aspects of the office, providing executive and technical leadership, management, and oversight of the NNCO staff in order to meet the NNCO mission. The Director also leads communication and coordination on NNI issues among and between Federal agencies and external stakeholders, and serves as a national spokesperson for the NNI. Learn more…

Scientist-level positions at the NIH/NCI Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory.

Want to be part of a fast-paced team on the cutting edge of nanomedicine formulation and characterization? The Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory has two Scientist openings. One position is dedicated to the physicochemical characterization of nanomaterials, while the second is for a lipidic nanoparticle formulation scientist.

Scientist I, Physicochemical Characterization: The scientist in this position will perform daily operation of RP-HPLC, LC/MS and GC/MS instruments. Candidate will also assist with other physicochemical characterization techniques as well as contribute to development of new analytical methods for evaluating nanomedicines. He/She will also be expected to prepare scientific reports, manuscripts and presentations, and to present scientific findings to internal staff and external customers. No experience beyond doctoral degree required.
Scientist I, Lipidic Nanoparticle Formulation Scientist: The scientist in this position will provide support for chemical synthesis, lipidic nanoformulation and scale-up to NCL's formulation customers. Candidate will also assist in physicochemical characterization and development of new analytical methods for evaluating nanomedicines. He/She will also be expected to prepare scientific reports, manuscripts and presentations, and to present scientific findings to internal staff and external customers. No experience beyond doctoral degree required. Experience should demonstrate synthetic and analytical skills with respect to the formulation of small molecules and macromolecules using nanotechnology-based drug delivery platforms.

Postdoc Openings – Carolina Cancer Nanotechnology T32 Training Program.

Strong emphasis on cancer biology and clinical medicine in addition to nanotechnology. Program focus areas include: drug delivery, polymers, chemo- and immunotherapy, RNA vaccines, computational chemistry, PK/PD, and translational research. Curriculum of seminars and workshops developed to broaden understanding of all areas of cancer nanotechnology. Physical and material scientists, pharmaceutical scientists, biomedical engineers, and clinician scientists all strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more…