Discoveries can't change the world if they don't leave the lab

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering uses biological design principles to develop new engineering innovations that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world.

Inspired by Nature

At the Wyss Institute, we leverage recent insights into how Nature builds, controls and manufactures to develop new engineering innovations - a new field of research we call Biologically Inspired Engineering. By emulating biological principles of self assembly, organization and regulation, we are developing disruptive technology solutions for healthcare, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing, which are translated into commercial products and therapies through formation of new startups and corporate alliances.

We have 8 major Focus Areas.

Bioinspired Therapeutics & Diagnostics
Therapeutic discovery and diagnostics development enabled by microsystems engineering, molecular engineering, computational design, and organ-on-a-chip in vitro human experimentation technology
Computational Design & Discovery
Combining predictive bioanalytics and machine learning with physical and mathematical modeling and simulation
Diagnostics Accelerator
Developing new diagnostic technologies that solve important healthcare challenges through collaboration at the Wyss Institute with clinicians and industry partners
Immuno-Materials
Material-based systems capable of modulating immune cells ex vivo and in the human body to treat or diagnose disease
Living Cellular Devices
Re-engineered living cells and biological circuits as programmable devices for medicine, manufacturing and sustainability
Molecular Robotics
Self-assembling molecules that can be programmed like robots to carry out specific tasks without requiring power
3D Organ Engineering
Highly functional, multiscale, vascularized organ replacements that can be seamlessly integrated into the body
Synthetic Biology
Breakthrough approaches to reading, writing, and editing nucleic acids and proteins for multiple applications, varying from healthcare to data storage

Our Translation Model

Through our Innovation Funnel, we harness the creative freedom of academia to generate a pipeline of new ideas and potential breakthrough technologies; enable our staff with product development experience to prototype, mature and de-risk these technologies; and leverage our internal business development team, intellectual property experts, and entrepreneurs-in-residence to drive commercialization, through unique collaborations, licensing agreements, and the creation of startups.

Idea Generation There is no greater creative cauldron than the skunkworks of academia. We turbocharge it to fuel our technology pipeline. 1/5
Concept Refinement Ideas that pop up spontaneously in our labs are selected based on input from our staff with industrial experience and business development teams, as well as our strategic intellectual property group. Greater resources are provided to those technologies that survive through natural selection. 2/5
Technology Validation Technologies that have market potential are initially de-risked. Teams leverage technical, business development, and intellectual property expertise at the Institute to start moving projects from the benchtop toward the market. 3/5
Technology Optimization Technologies with the greatest potential value and ability to bring about transformative change are further de-risked technically and commercially by our multi-faceted collaborative teams, increasing their likelihood of succeed in the market. 4/5
Commercialization Our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence or other members of our business development team engage investors and industrial partners, and working with Harvard’s Office of Technology Development, negotiate license agreements and launch new startups. 5/5

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Collaboration at a Higher Level

Our scientists, engineers and clinicians, who come from Harvard's Schools of Medicine, Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Design as well as 12 collaborating academic institutions and hospitals, work alongside staff with industrial experience in product development to engineer transformative solutions to some of the world’s greatest problems.

Discoveries can't change the world if they don't leave the lab

Inspired by Nature

Our Translation Model

Collaboration at a Higher Level

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