instituteWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering was founded based on the recognition that boundaries between living and non-living systems are breaking down as a result of recent revolutionary advances in engineering, nanotechnology, molecular cell biology, and computer science. This convergence of engineering, the physical sciences, and the life sciences is creating exciting new possibilities for medicine and our broader industrial society. The Institute will create an unparalleled multidisciplinary research and educational environment in order to expand our understanding of the engineering principles that nature uses to build living things, and to harness these insights to create biologically inspired materials, devices, and control technologies to address unmet medical needs worldwide.
The Wyss Institute will initially focus on three emerging research areas that proceed from basic to applied, and that take complementary bottom-up and top-down approaches to living systems engineering: Synthetic Biology, Biological Control, and Living Materials. All of these efforts will be facilitated by development of enabling micro- and nano-technologies. Biologically inspired engineering methodologies that emerge from this research may allow us to construct artificial cells, fabricate implantable nanodevices, regenerate tissues, reprogram aging organs, and engineer low-cost medical technologies for use in developing nations. The Wyss also will create innovative coursework, interdisciplinary laboratory training, and collaboration for trainees with physicians and industrial end users of these technologies.
Web site: http://wyss.harvard.edu
Recent articles about Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
Mimicking the Building Prowess of Nature (Techology Review, November 11, 2009)Bringing new meaning to the term scientific paper (October 19, 2009)
From stem cells to functioning strip of heart muscle (October 15, 2009)
Donald Ingber awarded the 2009 BMES Pritzker Distinguished Lectureship for outstanding achievements, originality and leadership (October 2, 2009)
Huybers and Mahadevan named MacArthur Foundation Fellows (September 22, 2009)
Research team at Harvard to develop small-scale mobile robotic devices (August 12, 2009)
Computer scientists model cell division (June 18, 2009)
For those who live and breathe chocolate, a puff (Boston Globe, April 28, 2009)
Capillary formation’s mechanical determinants (March 8, 2009)
Science, engineering programs advancing (February 18, 2009)
Implants mimic infection to rally immune system against tumors (January 23, 2009)
Researchers control the assembly of nanobristles into helical clusters (January 8, 2009)
Hansjorg Wyss gives $125 million to create institute for biologically inspired engineering (October 6, 2008)
Turning on cells with magnetic switches (December 27, 2007)
