Wyss InstituteNanotechnology – Wyss Institute

Beating cancer cells at their own game by stepping on their cGAS

Jessica Leff — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:30:44 +0000

By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — Cancer cells develop various strategies to paralyze immune cells to evade their attack in the complex tumor microenvironment (TME). Using one such strategy, they cripple their own production of a small signaling molecule known as cGAMP, which, if released into the TME, can be taken up by immune cells that then build up a first line of defense against cancer…

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Haritosh Patel on Sniffing Out a Solution to Indoor Air Pollution

Jessica Leff — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 13:04:00 +0000

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. You wouldn’t eat a new snack without a nutrition label on the package listing the ingredients, right? Haritosh Patel wants the same to be true for the air you breathe inside buildings.

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Nixe: Bioinspired Sustainable and Water-repellent Textile Coating

Jessica Leff — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:48:28 +0000

PFAs, per- and polyfluorinated chemical compounds, were first used with the invention of Teflon in 1938 and by now are found in the blood of 97% of Americans. They pose risks to human reproductive and immune health, and are strongly suspected to cause cancer, developmental defects, and other health problems. As “forever chemicals,” they are passed through entire ecosystems and along food chains.

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Namita Sarraf on Using DNA as a Building Block

Jessica Leff — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:26:34 +0000

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. Namita Sarraf loves to find herself at intersections, whether it’s pursuing a Ph.D. at the nexus of bioengineering and computer science or hosting a “Diwali-sgiving” dinner party to…

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Anastasia Ershova on Designing and Building with RNA and DNA

Jessica Leff — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 13:52:34 +0000

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. Anastasia Ershova loves fencing because every opponent is a new puzzle to solve, and both fencers are constantly engaged, making adjustments based on each other’s actions. The same could be…

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COPDx: Rapid diagnostic to triage acute exacerbations

Seth Kroll — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 19:12:25 +0000

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects 15.9 million U.S. adults, and costs $49 billion annually to treat and manage. When COPD patients are exposed to lung irritants like viral or bacterial infections, air pollution, or smoke, it can trigger an acute exacerbation (AE), in which their symptoms quickly become more severe. AE is the leading cause of mortality and emergency hospital…

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Wyss Institute at Harvard University announces appointment of Natalie Artzi to Associate Institute Director

Jessica Leff — Thu, 29 May 2025 13:55:14 +0000

By Alexandra Jirstrand (BOSTON) – The Wyss Institute at Harvard University, its Board of Directors, and Executive Leadership are pleased to announce that Natalie Artzi, Ph.D., has been appointed to a newly created position as Associate Institute Director of the Wyss Institute. In her new role, Artzi will work closely with the Wyss Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D.

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DNA Nanoswitch Calipers for Single-Molecule Proteomics

Jessica Leff — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 16:48:31 +0000

Proteins are well known as essential orchestrators of life, but what is less well-understood is their post-translational modifications (PTMs). These modifications can include the attachment of chemical groups, carbohydrates, or lipids to the proteins, which affect their folding, stability, and functions. Certain protein PTMs have been linked to diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease…

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DoriNano – Improved DNA Origami Nanodelivery to Fight Cancer and Other Diseases

Jessica Leff — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 18:20:45 +0000

We’re developing DNA Origami nanodelivery, which is transforming nanoparticle industry. Developed at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, this innovative approach overcomes the challenges of other nanoparticles, offering stability, high drug loading capacity, nano-scale control of cargo spacing, and more – making it a highly customizable solution for…

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Preventing pollution with bioinspired solutions

Jessica Leff — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 21:14:47 +0000

By Lindsay Brownell In honor of Pollution Prevention Week, we’re highlighting three Wyss projects that are taking on the formidable problems of PFAS and plastic – persistent and toxic pollutants that threaten the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” are toxic substances that increase the risk of many health…

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