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