Looking back on a year of exciting changes and technology advancements
By Jessica Leff
2023 was a year of growth and evolution for the Wyss community, with no change more significant than our move to 201 Brookline Avenue in the heart of Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. Now, we share a home with diverse organizations, from a hospital, to biotech companies (including two Wyss startups), to a venture capital firm. This ecosystem appropriately mirrors the one at the Wyss, where professionals across disciplines continue to innovate together, performing cutting-edge research and working to solve the grand challenges facing patients and our planet. Join us as we recap some of the highlights of 2023.
Commercialization successes
At the Wyss, it is a core belief that breakthrough discoveries can’t change the world if they don’t leave the lab. Our unique model of technology translation within academia de-risks innovations to the point where they’re ready to be commercialized by existing companies or Wyss-enabled startups.
Wyss members are inventors on 167 patents this year. Patents are essential for safeguarding intellectual property, forming the foundation of successful licensing agreements and proving our researchers’ dedication to reimagining what’s possible with their pioneering inventions.
Twelve technologies developed at the Wyss were licensed through Harvard’s Office of Technology Development this year, including a gas-fermentation-based technology that uses engineering microbes to produce more sustainable food, wearables to quantify physical work for fitness and physical therapy, and an immune-material-based vaccine technology to create safe and effective therapeutics and prophylactic vaccines against viral and bacterial infections.
Our technology pipeline shows no signs of slowing down, with thirteen Validation Projects announced earlier this year. These projects receive dedicated funding, business development support, and additional resources to advance their innovations towards commercialization.
Collaboration at a higher level
Collaboration is in the fabric of everything we do, so much so that our labs are referred to as “collaboratories,” and researchers work alongside colleagues from different faculty groups and areas of expertise. We forge partnerships across industries, academic institutions, and hospitals.
In May, we announced that the Collaborative Fund committed $15 million to create a Laboratory for Sustainable Materials Research and Innovation at the Wyss. This alliance is focused on developing new, sustainable materials to fight climate change.
We have also continued our successful partnership with Northpond Labs. Their Laboratory for Bioengineering Research and Innovation has supported three translational technologies: enzymatic RNA synthesis for therapeutic and research applications, (which launched as the startup EnPlus One Biosciences in 2022), an in vivo screening platform for improving the delivery of therapeutic cells to their targets in the body (Project Somacode), and a nanoscale molecular screening technology to identify activators of protein-protein interactions for future drug development (the Lab-on-a-Molecule Project).
This year, we also launched the Women’s Health Catalyst, an internal consortium that seeks to connect Wyss scientists working in women’s health with each other and with external resources and collaborators.
Most-read stories
Over 60 stories covering cutting-edge research by our community members were published on our website this year. Wyss researchers authored 133 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including two in Science and four in Nature, along with 23 in other Nature journals and six in other Science journals. Our most-read news stories include the following:
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August 21 | Advanced Functional MaterialsMoving the needle on monitoring skin cancerMicroneedles and ultra-sensitive, single-molecule measurements allow for the monitoring of protein biomarkers in responses to a combination immunotherapy against melanoma
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June 21 | Cell SystemsNow, every biologist can use machine learningNew automated machine learning platform enables easy, all-in-one analysis, design, and interpretation of biological sequences with minimal coding
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April 21 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)A backpack full of multiple sclerosis therapyA cell therapy using myeloid cells bound to drug delivery microparticles reduces disease burden in a preclinical multiple sclerosis model
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Top media coverage
Multiple major news outlets featured the Wyss in 2023.
Early in the year, researchers from the Wyss and Duke University, in collaboration with Gameto, created a living, fully human ovarian organoid. This work was covered by WBZ News and The Boston Globe. These “ovaroids” were licensed to Gameto, and have since been featured by WGBH and MIT Technology Review.
To address the plastic pollution crisis, researchers at the Wyss developed plastic-degrading super-microbes and enzymes. This innovative work was covered by The Washington Post and Harvard Magazine.
Most recently, “Anthrobots,” tiny biological robots created from adult human tracheal cells that can move across a surface and encourage the growth of neurons in a lab dish, captured the media’s attention. The work was featured in CNN, Interesting Engineering, and USA Today.
Keep going
A year ago, we began asking, “If you could Reimagine the World, what would it look like?” Now, we’ve shared more than a dozen heart-warming, people-focused stories from our community and beyond that inspire our work and encourage us to keep going.
Community highlights
Our people are the heart of everything we accomplish at the Wyss. So, we would be remiss if we didn’t end our year in review by highlighting the incredible, passionate, courageous members of our community. Explore using the image carousel below.
1/11 We codified the Wyss Community Values with feedback from people across the Institute. They are courage, collaboration, innovation, impact, diversity, and respect. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard 
2/11 In April, we celebrated the visionary philanthropy of Hansjörg Wyss with a symposium celebrating the extraordinary achievements of the Institute, made possible by his generosity. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
3/11 In July, the Wyss announced Christopher Chen’s promotion to Core Faculty and the addition of Ellen Roche and Michael Springer as Associate Faculty members. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
4/11 Senior Tissue Culture Technician Maurice Pérez received the Ayis Antoniou Award for Excellence in Administration and Operations. This honor recognizes people who, like its namesake Ayis, excel in their role and put people first. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
5/11 We’re excited to be settling into our beautiful new habitat at 201 Brookline Ave. Credit: Anton Grassl 
6/11 Members of our community showed off their creativity at our Halloween Costume Contest. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
7/11 In November, we gathered for our annual retreat to hear how our colleagues are addressing grand challenges from cancer to neurodegenerative disease to women’s health. Attendees enjoyed presentations and posters, along with the chance to network with colleagues and collaborators. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
8/11 Both the Summer and Fall Meet and Greets presented opportunities for members of our community to socialize with colleagues across the Institute. In the Fall, we also had the chance to mingle with the Board of Directors and Lumineers. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
9/11 In February, members of the community shared why the Wyss has a piece of their heart. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
10/11 Our excellent Events Team always keeps the community on our toes with special pop-up events to celebrate National Coffee Day and the beginning of summer. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
11/11 Self-assembly is paramount to the Wyss’ success. This year, members of our community and employee resource groups, like the Wyss 99s, led a variety of a events. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University