Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard

06/01/2026

Researchers at the Wyss and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences designed Implantable Living Materials (ILMs) as a living therapeutic that uses an optimized hydrogel to safely contain synthetically engineered bacteria that are able to sense a pathogenic stimulus and respond to it by secreting a therapeutic protein within living organisms.

The material itself is sufficiently “stiff” so that bacteria pushing against it from the inside can’t break it apart, and sufficiently “tough” to protect the enclosed bacteria against external physical stresses.

Combined with the synthetically engineered bacteria, the new approach becomes a safe and autonomous functioning drug delivery device.

Learn more about this work: https://bit.ly/4nXte24

05/31/2026

Instead of putting a "band aid" on skin disease, what if we could treat the root cause: the declining function of the skin’s stem cells and their progeny?

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.

GeneSkin is developing novel mRNA therapies to rejuvenate skin and hair by targeting basal stem cells. Using advanced microneedle delivery, our non-invasive treatments aim to reduce scarring, reverse aging, and promote hair growth, offering transformative solutions for millions worldwide.

05/30/2026

About 2.8 million people are currently living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a devastating autoimmune disease that destroys the protective myelin covering around nerves, disrupting communication between the brain and body, and causing patients’ ability to move and function to progressively decline.

Wyss and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences researchers attached their cellular "backpacks" to myeloid cells, the very type of immune cells that cause the MS-triggering nerve inflammation, to reverse the effects of MS in a preclinical model.

By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating autoimmune disease that destroys the protective myelin covering around nerves, disrupting communication between the brain and body, and causing patients’ ability to move and function to progressively decline. The Atlas of M...

05/29/2026

At last month's Poster & Demo Showcase, members of our community gathered to share their work. We had 50 posters and demos, with representation from more than 15 faculty labs.

Congratulations to the poster contest grand prize winner, Katherine Sheehan, and her collaborators, Haleh Fotowat and Andrew Gabros!

We look forward to seeing what new connections and collaborations form after this energizing day.

05/28/2026

David Chou’s work is literally out of this world!

In addition to identifying radiation countermeasures for use on Earth, he is part of the AVATAR project, which aims to understand how humans respond to the health risks inherent to spaceflight.
As a physician-scientist, he’s equally excited about developing therapeutics and contributing to humanity’s future beyond our planet.

Learn more about David and his work in this month’s Humans of the Wyss.

The Humans of the Wyss (HOW) series features members of the Wyss community discussing their work, the influences that shape them as professionals, and their collaborations at the Wyss Institute and beyond. David Chou’s work is literally out of this world! In addition to identifying radiation count...

05/27/2026

More than one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, but in 2024, only 52.1% of them received treatment. One reason people are reluctant to seek help is because of the stigma surrounding mental health.

Unfortunately, that stigma also impacts their friends, family, and caregivers, something Research Assistant Matthew Woodworth is all too familiar with.

In August 2024, Woodworth joined the CircaVent team at the Wyss to help advance scientific understanding of the causes underlying bipolar disorder and eventually identify new and better treatments, driven by two factors: his experience growing up with a parent with a substance use disorder and a deep fascination with organoids and their potential to transform biomedical research and human health.

For Mental Health Awareness Month, we sat down with Woodworth to discuss his personal and professional background, how that informs his work on the CircaVent project, and the positive impact he hopes his work can have on patients and their families.

By Jessica Leff More than one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, but in 2024, only 52.1% of them received treatment. One reason people are reluctant to seek help is because of the stigma surrounding mental health. Often, that stigma comes from a lack of understanding and fear.....

05/26/2026

Learn about Simon’s journey to becoming a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wyss and Harvard Medical School, from getting excited about synthetic biology as an undergrad at Stony Brook University and participating in the iGEm summer project to getting a Ph.D. at The University of Texas at Austin to his current work developing biosensors and tying his work on collecting large datasets to predictive bioengineering.

05/25/2026

"This is just a first step, but it’s an important one because it gives us something measurable. Our vision is to create a test to diagnose [dementia] patients, monitor treatment efficacy in clinical trials, and follow patient progression," explains Core Faculty member David Walt.

A collaborative team of researchers at the Wyss and Mass General Brigham developed an ultrasensitive test capable of detecting abnormal clumps of a protein called TDP-43, which defines a specific subtype of frontotemporal lobar degeneration pathology called FTLD-TDP.

By MGB Communications (BOSTON) — Dementia affects over 57 million people worldwide, a number expected to nearly double in the next 20 years. This permanent loss of cognitive abilities affects daily function and can be caused by multiple brain pathologies, including well known ones like Alzheimer.....

05/24/2026

Breast cancer, the most common cancer worldwide, affects nearly 15% of all women. Most undergo some kind of mastectomy as part of their treatment, and 40% of those have reconstruction surgery to feel whole again. Unfortunately, the current options all come with significant health risks.

Wyss researchers developed ReConstruct, a new approach to creating living tissue implants from a patient's own cells for reconstruction surgery. Their method combines three tissue engineering techniques and offers a more natural solution with fewer health risks.

ReConstruct is a platform for growing, vascularizing, and implanting patient-derived tissues that enable safer breast reconstruction after cancer surgery.