Looking back on a year of discovery, innovation, and confronting Grand Challenges
By Jessica Leff
This year was marked by a dichotomy: we faced unprecedented obstacles while also making momentous progress, advancing our technologies toward real-world applications for human and planetary health and witnessing our startups reach exciting milestones. In the face of uncertainty, we pushed forward, forging collaborations, making breakthrough discoveries, and never wavering from our mission of transforming bold ideas into real-world impact. Join us as we recap some of the highlights of 2025.
The Wyss Effect
At the Wyss, we combine the expertise and freedom of academia with the speed and focus of industry to turn groundbreaking discoveries into market-ready solutions. Our unique model fuels what we call The Wyss Effect, a cascade of innovation that influences science, engineering, and technology beyond our walls.
Thirteen Wyss-developed technologies were licensed through Harvard’s Office of Technology Development this year. Six licenses of brain shuttle technologies were completed through the Wyss Brain Targeting Program’s precompetitive model, empowering biotech and pharma companies to deliver drugs across the blood-brain barrier more efficiently. Other innovations included our Lab-on-a-Molecule drug discovery platform, advanced through our alliance with Northpond Ventures, and MRBL, a comprehensive gene prediction and therapy platform for safe and skin-specific delivery of therapeutics to treat skin diseases, which was licensed by Medici Therapeutics.
Nowhere is The Wyss Effect more evident than in the impact of our startups. In January, the US FDA cleared Gameto’s Investigational New Drug application for Fertilo, enabling the launch of a US-based Phase 3 clinical trial. Then, in April, Prapela’s SVS hospital bassinet pad was granted FDA De Novo clearance as the first and only medical device to treat neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Unravel Biosciences received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for vorinostat (RVL-001) as a treatment for Rett Syndrome and was approved to begin a clinical trial in Colombia. And, after a third kidney xenotransplantation, in September, eGenesis received FDA clearance for an expanded clinical trial to test their genetically engineered kidneys in patients with end-stage kidney disease.
The Institute named 14 Validation Projects that showed early potential for positive impact. Each team receives dedicated funding, business development support, and other resources to advance their innovations towards commercialization. The projects range from an environmental biosensor to a new diagnostic for autoimmune diseases to an innovation in drug discovery.
Collaborating to tackle Grand Challenges
Through our work, we break down the traditional silos between academia, hospitals, government, regulatory agencies, philanthropic organizations, and industry. This model puts us in a unique position to address Grand Challenges in Women’s Health Innovation, Healthy Aging, Brain Health, Infectious Disease Control, Cancer, and Sustainable Futures.
In an effort to bring our collaborators together, we hosted multiple events to build a community around these Grand Challenges. In May, we hosted the Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) Spring Forum, convening researchers, industry leaders, investors, and advocates committed to closing the gender health gap. The following month, the Wyss Diagnostics Accelerator hosted a Children’s Health Symposium, bringing together scientists, clinicians, and innovators to explore cutting-edge approaches to improving pediatric health. Of course, no event was more significant than the Wyss Institute Retreat, a day-long celebration of invention, progress, and purpose centered around our Grand Challenges, with breakout sessions on funding sustainable technologies, creating commercial success in women’s health, nucleic acid therapeutics, and translational AI.
We found innovative solutions by moving beyond industry boundaries. The Brain Targeting Program’s unique, pre-competitive collaboration model continues to bridge academic innovation and industry insight, welcoming four new industry sponsors over the last year. Wyss researchers worked with clinicians at McGill University in Canada to develop patient-specific Esophageal Organ Chips that accurately predicted patients’ chemotherapy response, opening new possibilities in personalized medicine.
Within our walls, we set up infrastructure to enable collaborations across disciplines and labs. More than one-third of our Validation Projects are being led by teams of researchers from different faculty labs. The Institute launched the Diagnostics for Human and Planetary Health platform, bringing together techniques from our biomarker discovery, DNA nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology, biosensor, and microsystems engineering teams. We created the Translational AI Catalyst, an institute-wide effort designed to enable and accelerate innovation through effective and responsible application of new computational approaches while leveraging machine learning algorithms to generate unique biological datasets.
Most-read stories
In 2025, we published more than 60 stories about our researchers’ incredible achievements. Members of our community authored more than 120 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including four in Science and one in Nature, as well as four in other Science journals and 15 in other Nature journals. Our most-read news stories included the following:
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August 15 | Science AdvancesRecapitulating egg and sperm development in the dishNew stem cell differentiation method is first to induce meiosis, a critical step in egg and sperm cell development, with potential for drug development and future fertility treatments
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July 1 | Communications MedicineForging a novel therapeutic path for patients with Rett Syndrome using AIAI-enabled drug discovery approach identified potentially game-changing treatment, which has been advanced from the lab bench to an FDA Orphan Drug Designation in record time
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May 15 | Nature BiotechnologyENTERing a new era of drug deliveryProtein-based nanoparticles can effectively deliver DNA, RNA, proteins, and gene editors directly into multiple cell types while avoiding toxicity
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Top media coverage
Several major news outlets featured the Wyss in 2025.
On Monday, April 14, Harvard University refused to comply with demands from the government that would increase its oversight of the University. In response, $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts were frozen. Founding Director Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., and Core Faculty member David Walt, Ph.D., spoke out about the impact of these cuts on patients and the future of innovation. CNN, NBC News, The New York Times, and The Washington Post were among the many sources to cover the initial funding freeze. As time went on, outlets like 60 Minutes and The Economist investigated the consequences of funding cuts to scientific research.
This spring, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to phase out animal testing requirements in the development of certain drugs, given the advent of human-relevant models. Outlets like WBUR, Bloomberg, Chemical & Engineering News, and Science Magazine interviewed Wyss experts as they explored how Human Organ Chips and organoids could supplement, and maybe one day replace, animal testing.
Scientific storytelling
In this era of misinformation, it is more important than ever to communicate effectively, not just about publications, but also the people behind them. These stories take many forms. Our Humans of the Wyss series features researchers explaining their work, the influences that shape them, and their collaborations. Members of the community shared how their personal experiences, like facing an almost annual malaria infection as a child or living with a terminal cancer diagnosis, motivate them to Reimagine the World with greater health equity and without serious illnesses. Faculty members also showed a different side of themselves with our 20-ish Questions video series.
Here are three of our most impactful videos: Without the ability to talk openly about Women’s Health, in person and online, it will be virtually impossible to advance Women’s Health
Abrupt changes in government funding for scientific research would stop the United States’ innovation engine in its tracks
The first 20-ish Questions video of 2025 followed Core Faculty member and lead of the Synthetic Biology Focus Area, George Church
Community highlights
1/12 The Wyss welcomed three new Associate Faculty members, Ahmad Khalil, Ph.D., Jarad Mason, Ph.D., and Chao-ting (Ting) Wu, Ph.D. They are bringing expertise in synthetic biology, materials science, and genome research. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
2/12 In April, we welcomed more than 550 researchers, entrepreneurs, clinicians, and innovation leaders to our 2025 Wyss Retreat. Presentations and breakout sessions covered the myriad of ways our community is addressing the Grand Challenges facing people and the planet. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
3/12 In May, the Wyss announced the appointment of Natalie Artzi, Ph.D. as the Associate Institute Director. In this newly created position, Artzi will help shape the Institute's strategic direction and advance its multifaceted research and translation efforts. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
4/12 Content Marketing Strategist Jessica Leff and Multimedia Producer Max Rousseau 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 
5/12 It’s not just our discoveries that leave the lab; it’s our researchers, too. Members of our community attended conferences, served on panels at events such as the BIO International Convention and the Nucleate Summit, spoke at Atlantic Health, and educated future STEM leaders at the Cambridge Science Carnival. Credit: Mark Wilson Images (Atlantic Live), Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
6/12 The Wyss 99s hosted a number of events, including a panel discussion on the power of mentoring to celebrate the closing of the second cohort of the Wyss Mentoring Program and an educational event in honor of Endometriosis Awareness Month that delved into the patient experience and obstacles for effective treatment. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
7/12 In September, we celebrated Postdoc Appreciation Day with a lunch including messages of thanks from faculty, research assistants, staff scientists, and graduate students, all of whom benefit from the dedication of our postdocs. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
8/12 Members of our community showed off their creativity at two Halloween events: a building-wide lunchtime celebration and a Wyss event featuring karaoke and pumpkin decorating. Credit: Alexandria Real Estate & Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
9/12 We hosted the WHAM Spring Forum, the Wyss Diagnostics Accelerator’s Childhood Health Symposium, and the Brain Targeting Program Sponsors and Partners meeting to unite multidisciplinary professionals with the common goal of addressing Grand Challenges facing our society. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
10/12 We celebrated our global community with our third annual potluck in honor of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Everyone enjoyed tasting food from around the world. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
11/12 Our Annual Holiday Brunch gave the community time to connect with colleagues from across the Institute. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 
12/12 Fun holidays gave us excuses to build community and participate in unique activities like attending a Red Sox game (Pride Month), volunteering with Cradles to Crayons (Thanksgiving), and making friendship bracelets and decorating cookies (Valentine’s Day). Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University