Wyss InstituteSustainable Futures – Wyss Institute

Bioengineering a world beyond plastics

Jessica Leff — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:00:06 +0000

By Seth Kroll (BOSTON) — In fewer than 200 years, plastic has become so deeply embedded in everyday life that it is impossible to envision society without it. Inexpensive, adaptable, and durable, plastics are indispensable from food packaging and textiles to medical and electronic devices. But this durability and ubiquity have made plastic dependency a growing global challenge…

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Wyss Institute appoints three new Associate Faculty members: Ahmad Khalil, Jarad Mason, and Ting Wu

Jessica Leff — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:50:20 +0000

By Jessica Leff The Wyss Institute is proud to welcome three new Associate Faculty members: Ahmad (Mo) Khalil, Ph.D., Jarad Mason, Ph.D., and Chao-ting (Ting) Wu, Ph.D. Each has a history of collaborating with the Institute’s researchers. Their diverse expertise and fresh perspectives will further strengthen the Wyss’ innovative and collaborative ecosystem and enable pioneering advances in…

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Sustainable Futures: creating a healthy planet for all

Jessica Leff — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:22:07 +0000

By Seth Kroll The planet’s health directly impacts human health. Plastic pollution, unsustainable manufacturing, and carbon-intensive material production are accelerating a planetary crisis that demands urgent solutions. At the Wyss Institute, our Sustainable Futures Initiative is tackling this Grand Challenge by re-designing the systems we rely on, from farming to materials and manufacturing…

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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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PFASense: Fast, In-Field Testing for Forever Chemicals

Jessica Leff — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 13:53:50 +0000

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of “forever chemicals,” are synthetic compounds that have been used since the 1940s to manufacture products like nonstick cookware, firefighting foams, food packaging, and many more. While they have helpful properties, PFAS do not readily degrade in the environment or the human body. As a result, they have accumulated in drinking water, soil…

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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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Simon D’Oelsnitz on Building a Sensitive, Specific PFAS Sensor

Jessica Leff — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:00:19 +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. Simon D’Oelsnitz always keeps the potential applications of his science at the top of mind. When he studied pharmacology, he thought about the customers he worked with as a pharmacy…

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The Wyss Institute’s 2025-2026 Validation Projects

Jessica Leff — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 15:00:53 +0000

Throughout recent years, the Wyss’ Validation Project mechanism has proven to be a highly valuable instrument for selecting and kick-starting projects with early potential for positive impact on healthcare and the environment. Reaching deep into areas with major unmet needs across the diverse Grand Challenges laid out by the Institute, the newly selected projects are driven by multi-talented teams…

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20-ish Questions with Pamela Silver

Jessica Leff — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 13:00:57 +0000

20-ish Questions shows a different side of Wyss Institute faculty, touching on aspects of their personal life, hobbies, interests, as well as their research. This round follows Pamela Silver, a Founding Core Faculty member of the Wyss Institute as well as the Elliot T. and Onie H. Adams Professor of Biochemistry and Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard…

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Translational AI at the Wyss Institute: how artificial intelligence enables patient impact

Seth Kroll — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 13:00:39 +0000

By Seth Kroll (BOSTON) – Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly permeating the modern technological landscape. While its rise often sparks debate and caution in broader society, many in the life sciences view AI as a wellspring of opportunity. Researchers and innovators are increasingly eager to harness its potential to accelerate the development of transformative drugs, diagnostics…

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