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 celebrate two holidays at once. Now, she’s a postdoctoral fellow pursuing interests in both technology and business development. At the Wyss, she is working on two DNA nanotechnology projects while also co-leading the Biotech Interest Group, and has spent two months as a VC fellow at Northpond Ventures. Learn more about Namita and her work in this month’s Humans of the Wyss.
What are you working on?
I’m primarily working on two projects. One is a DNA nanotechnology spatial biology platform that has been under development in Peng Yin’s lab for a few years. I joined about a year and a half ago with the intention of further developing the technology towards a product ready for commercialization.
I’m also co-leading a Validation Project called A-Seq with Michel Nofal and Kuanwei Sheng. This is a therapeutics-focused project that utilizes techniques from DNA nanotechnology and synthetic biology to identify new drugs against therapeutic targets using novel sequencing technology.
What real-world problems do these projects solve?
Spatial biology shows you where different RNAs and proteins are in tissue, which tells you which cells are interacting. There are several different potential applications. You can use it preclinically to understand which proteins are overexpressed in diseased tissues, but not in healthy tissues. That would help you determine which proteins to target when developing a drug. You could use it to sort patients for clinical trials. Eventually, you could develop a diagnostic with this technology. For example, you could use it to tell you which immune cells have infiltrated a tumor. That could help clinicians determine disease progression and determine the most effective treatment.
Right now, spatial biology is where sequencing was 15 years ago, where we’re just starting to figure out which important clinical questions it can answer. It’s exciting to see potential implications in areas like oncology and neurodegenerative diseases, where the interaction of different cells matters.
Antibodies are the soldiers of your immune cells. When your immune system is exposed to a pathogen, it produces antibodies that specifically bind to the protein of interest. They give us a way to home in on the protein that’s causing the disease, which is the one we would want to target with a drug. Unfortunately, generating antibodies is complicated and expensive. Our approach is to focus on alternative drugs for important disease targets that retain the specificity of antibodies but can be expressed in bacteria. With our novel multiplexed discovery method, we hope to eliminate some of the hurdles in the drug development process, generating more therapeutic candidates in less time and for a lower cost than current approaches.
What inspired you to get into this field?
In the field of DNA nanotechnology, we use DNA as a material. We’re not thinking about genes; we’re thinking about binding properties and how to design a system to exhibit certain physical properties. It’s almost like being able to build with LEGO bricks at the nanoscale
I’ve always been very interested in science and engineering. When I went to college, I realized that if I did biomedical engineering, I could combine electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering into one degree. It’s fun to do a bit of everything and have a wide breadth of knowledge.
One year into grad school, I went to a talk given by LuLu Qian. She shared her work on DNA nanotechnology, which is at the nexus of bioengineering and computer science, and her belief that science is beautiful, and it’s important to put care into how you present data and tell stories. While listening to her, I had one of those rare moments of epiphany. She was so inspiring that I knew I had to work with her. She became my Ph.D. advisor.
The multidisciplinary and engineering aspects of the work really interested me. In the field of DNA nanotechnology, we use DNA as a material. We’re not thinking about genes; we’re thinking about binding properties and how to design a system to exhibit certain physical properties. It’s almost like being able to build with LEGO bricks at the nanoscale, manipulating single molecules. Now, I’m excited to apply those principles to solve real-world problems.
What continues to motivate you?
What keeps me motivated is seeing the vision of the project and believing it will work. I’m driven by the idea that my team and I are the only ones who can make this one little slice of science happen in this specific way. Reflecting on the years of practice, experimentation, and education that have gone into developing our areas of expertise, it’s remarkable to consider how we’re uniquely positioned to address this problem in a way that no one else would think of.
I’m driven by the idea that my team and I are the only ones who can make this one little slice of science happen in this specific way. Reflecting on the years of practice, experimentation, and education that have gone into developing our areas of expertise, it’s remarkable to consider how we’re uniquely positioned to address this problem in a way that no one else would think of.
What excites you about your work?
The exciting part of this work, and of technology and innovation in general, is the possibility of affecting the way patients are treated and improving someone’s quality of life, while also pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
What are some of the challenges that you face?
Science is really hard, and the flip side of being highly specialized is that you can’t always turn to other people and ask what to do. There’s a lot of pressure to make things work, and sometimes you might feel that you’re on an island. But I like having autonomy, and it’s a privilege to take on this responsibility when it means there’s the potential to have a positive impact.
Why did you want to work at the Wyss?
During my Ph.D., I wasn’t in a very application-focused lab. We pushed what is possible but didn’t have our eyes on near-term impact. It was more proof of concept. What really attracted me to the Wyss was the opportunity to take what I’d learned and apply it to something that could help someone in my lifetime.
What is unique about the Wyss? How has that impacted your work?
At the Wyss, everyone is excited about bringing their innovations out of the lab, and there’s a great deal of support. It’s really energizing to be around people who have similar goals. Being here has allowed me to do an unconventional postdoctoral fellowship, where I’m combining technology development with business development pursuits.
How do you collaborate with and/or receive support from teams across the Wyss Institute?
Sitting in the open write-up space, I’ve gotten to know a lot of people from both my research group and George Church’s group. It’s been so helpful to have people to bounce ideas off of. Some of these colleagues and I approached Angelika Fretzen about our idea to start a biotech interest group, and with her support, we held multiple successful meetings in the spring. For example, we got to bring in the EnPlusOne leadership team to talk about their experiences. Meeting Lumineers like them is inspiring and helps me develop professionally.
I’ve also worked closely with the Business Development team, primarily with Sam Inverso. He helps me think differently about commercializing technologies, my career trajectory, and how to develop the necessary skills to reach my goals. For example, Sam told me about a fellowship opportunity at Northpond Ventures because he knew I was interested in learning more, and he thought I’d be a great fit.
What did you learn during your fellowship at Northpond Ventures, and how has that impacted your work?
My first exposure to venture capital (VC) was a part-time fellowship during graduate school. I started the Northpond fellowship with a bit more age and experience, and because of the connection between Northpond and the Wyss, I had a greater understanding of what people were talking about. During those two months, I really got to do everything.
When thinking about myself and my work, I learned how I could fill in the gaps and make my own story and vision more compelling to investors one day.
The experience helped me recognize the criteria they use to evaluate companies and determine whether they’ll be successful. When thinking about myself and my work, I learned how I could fill in the gaps and make my own story and vision more compelling to investors one day. It also widened my exposure to therapeutics and drug development. Researchers can get wrapped up in our own projects, but the fellowship gave me a bird’s eye view of the biotech landscape and what people are excited about. It’s helped me to come back to the idea of company building and technology development with a better grasp on what’s needed to start a successful company.
When you’re not at the Wyss, how do you like to spend your time?
1/3 Namita loves to cook and throw dinner parties. Once, she threw a tomato party. Credit: Namita Sarraf 
2/3 Here's a sampling of the food available at Namita's tomato party. Credit: Namita Sarraf 
3/3 Namita also enjoys baking. Here's a succulent-themed cake she made. Credit: Namita Sarraf
I love to cook, bake, and host dinner parties, especially with a theme. For example, I recently did a tomato party. One year, during graduate school, Diwali fell on the same weekend as Thanksgiving, so I had a Diwalisgiving party. I don’t like to cook the same dish repeatedly; I enjoy trying new things. I also have a small balcony with a thriving herb garden, and I’m making my own whole-grain cake mix.
Outside of the kitchen, I play tennis, do yoga, and travel. One place I really enjoyed was Istanbul. It truly feels like it’s at the intersection of Europe and Asia. The food and music were amazing, and the people were so cool.
What’s something unique about you that someone wouldn’t know from your resume?
I’ve lived in six places: Rochester, NY; Wisconsin; Michigan; Basel, Switzerland; Los Angeles; and Boston. I’ve lived in each place long enough to really get to know the culture. That’s made me a more adaptable person.
If you had to choose an entirely different career path, what would it be?
Sometimes I think I’d love to be an architect. It’s like engineering, in that you get to do a lot of math, but it’s also creative in a way that speaks to me. I love art – I love painting and other creative pursuits. It would be fun to find or create beauty in spaces.
What does it feel like to be working on cutting-edge technologies that have the potential to have a real and significant impact on people’s lives and society?
I take pride in the fact that I’m applying my brain and my skills to solve problems that will make someone’s life better and advance us as a civilization. It’s a privilege to be able to choose to do something I really care about and work on something with the potential for positive impact.