January Bulletin

Issue 76

Community Notices

January Research Seminar.

Next Marble Center seminar is on Monday January 30th, 4-5pm at the KI Luria Auditorium with a research update by Dr. Jacob Witten of the Anderson Lab. The title of his talk is “Deep learning for lipid nanoparticle design." After the talk, we will host our hot topic discussion led by Dr. Laura Maiorino of the Irvine lab on enhancing the postdoctoral experience at the Koch Institute.

Following the seminar, please join us for a social with food and drinks (starting at 5:00pm). For those who prefer to join remotely, the Zoom link will be provided upon request (please email Tarek Fadel at tfadel@mit.edu).

Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics Lunch & Learn, Feb 2 @noon:

Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics (FCDI) is an early pioneer in the commercialization of human iPSC-derived cells and developers of the manufacturing technology that enabled scale-up and now GMP-production of these cells. This lunch seminar on Feb 2 at noon (Luria Auditorium) will highlight some of the advances FCDI has made in establishing reliable iPSC cell banks and using that material to produce a wide range of high-value, robust, differentiated cells used for drug discovery. Using these cells, FCDI can build highly relevant 3D model systems to replicate human tissue and improve the efficacy of drug discovery. Specifically, they will highlight three areas: 1) the development of a fully-humanized blood brain barrier model containing BMEC, pericyte and astrocyte cells all derived from iPSC 2) combining iPSC-derived neurons and glia in 3D NeuroSpheres to create models of different regions of the brain 3) a cardiac model system that creates highly relevant and mature cardiac test models with cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts and endothelial cells, all again derived from iPSC.

In the News

Lawmakers round out membership of new emerging biotech commission

Legislative defense leaders today announced the full slate of members tapped to serve on a recently established commission tasked with making recommendations on the use of emerging biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the military. The 12-member body was created in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which called on the panel to review advances in emerging biotech, biomanufacturing and related areas while keeping in mind “the methods, means, and investments necessary to advance and secure” development of those technologies.

Helming the so-called National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology is Jason Kelly, the co-founder and CEO of synthetic biology company Ginkgo Bioworks, while Michelle Rozo will take the No. 2 role, according to a press release from the House and Senate Armed Services committees. Rozo, whose membership was first announced today, most recently served as the National Security Council’s director for technology and national security. Under the FY-22 NDAA, eight of the commission’s members were to be selected by the heads of the armed services committees, while the remaining four positions were to be filled by the House speaker and minority leader, as well as the Senate majority and minority leaders. The four members newly announced today, including Rozo, are: Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO and first chairman of the Defense Innovation Board; Angela Belcher, who helms MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering; and Dawn Meyerriecks, who most recently served as the deputy director of the CIA for science and technology. Read more…

Senda Biosciences Appoints MIT Institute Professor Paula Hammond, Ph.D., to Its Board of Directors

Senda Biosciences, Inc., a company harnessing nature to enable the world's first comprehensive programming of medicines, today announced the appointment of Paula Hammond, Ph.D., Institute Professor and Head of MIT's Department of Chemical Engineering, to the Company's Board of Directors.

"Paula is a truly gifted chemical engineer whose extraordinary body of research has contributed immeasurably to advances in the fields of nanotechnology and immunotherapeutics," said Ignacio Martinez, Chairperson of the Board, cofounder of Senda Biosciences, and General Partner, Flagship Pioneering. "I can think of no better addition to the Board, and I look forward to working with Paula and the rest of the team to help Senda maximize the potential of its platform and realize its vision to pioneer the development of comprehensively programmable medicines for patients in need." Read more…

Profile of Sangeeta Bhatia

(Julia Sklar, PNAS) “Routine has never described my life,” reflects Sangeeta Bhatia, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, through a full-bodied laugh. The realization comes as she finishes recounting a vast and varied career as an inventor, entrepreneur, professor, activist, physician, and engineer. Sitting behind her desk at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she began as a graduate student and now runs her own lab and directs the Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine, her clutter-free office belies a mind overflowing with ideas and solutions for some of the most challenging questions at the nexus of medicine and engineering. The thread running through her research portfolio is the adaptation of technologies rooted in the computer industry for the advancement of human health. Her work began with liver disease and has expanded to include cancer and infectious disease. Read more…

Portraiture at the intersection of art, science, and society

“For me, this project is about making science visible in society,” says Herlinde Koelbl, a renowned German photo artist whose portrait series, “Fascination of Science,” is now on display at MIT. Koelbl set herself the goal to photograph scientists and to show their motivation, influences, and ways of thinking — through the eyes of an artist. The portraits juxtapose the subjects’ faces with scientific concepts, advice, or reflections playfully inscribed on their palms. Individually, each picture or phrase speaks to the researcher’s personal quest for knowledge — everything from nucleotide base pairings and “learn from failures!” to “make malaria history!” and a sailing vessel beset by sea creatures — but collectively, the broad sweep of disciplines and backgrounds represented in the portraits reveals the interconnectedness of the scientific endeavor across institutions, geography, and subject matter.

The MIT venue for Koelbl’s work is the Public Galleries of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, a research center that combines MIT’s rich traditions of interdisciplinary inquiry and technological innovation with discovery-based biological research to develop new insights, tools, and technologies to fight cancer. Read more…

Jobs

Open Rank Faculty Position in Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia.

The Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia invites applicants with research interests in theranostics for a tenured or tenure-track position at any rank (Assistant, Associate, or Full), with rank being commensurate with experience level. Candidates will have a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering or a related field, a record of excellence in scientific research, and a commitment to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Preferred research is in the areas of theranostic immunoengineering and/or nanomedicine, including the design, synthesis, and validation of novel imaging (e.g. MRI, PET) and therapeutic delivery (e.g. nanoparticles, drugs, mRNA, etc.) approaches. Research is expected to complement current departmental and institutional strengths in focused ultrasound, cancer, and/or neuroscience. Read more…

Open Rank Faculty Position in the Grainer College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) invites applications for full-time tenure-track faculty positions. Bioengineering at Illinois develops innovative engineering, technology, and quantitative methods to address grand challenges in human health and sustainability. Areas of particular interest include neural engineering and biomedical image computing which, as described below, are new initiatives in the department . The search is open rank and candidates at all levels are encouraged to apply . The Department of Bioengineering is committed to building a culturally and intellectually diverse educational environment and candidates are expected to demonstrate evidence of a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through research, teaching, and/or service endeavors. Read more…

Associate Director for TUSM's Center for Science Education.

The Department of Medical Education (DME) is a basic science department of Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and the academic home to faculty members whose primary responsibility is education in the professional programs on the Health Sciences campus in downtown Boston. DME faculty and staff work closely with curriculum committees, research-focused faculty, clinical faculty, and the Office of Educational Affairs in the development and delivery of program-specific curricula. The Associate Director of TUSM’s Center for Science Education will work to expand and grow the Mini Medical School, build on DEIJ focused efforts at the Center. Tasks include: design of programing and instruction, coordinating and supporting faculty instructors and TA training, oversee and manage selected projects of the Associate Director of Mini Med School, and strategic planning for program growth. The AD of CSE will also be eligible to apply for a secondary appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Education. Read more...