ABOUT THE LEE-PARSONS LAB

Plants produce a wide array of valuable, biologically active natural products that we use as medicines (i.e. anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-infectives, antimicrobials). While plants are amazing chemists, these compounds are produced in limited concentrations. The overall vision of the research in the Lee-Parsons Lab is to understand how plants regulate the production of these critical plant-derived pharmaceuticals towards the goal of engineering their enhanced production and meeting the need for these important medicines (https://lee-parsons.sites.northeastern.edu/).

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

The plant-derived pharmaceuticals of interest are the terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) from cultures of the Catharanthus roseus plant. The C. roseus plant produces several highly-valued TIAs, including the anti-cancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine. The high cost ($4 – 60 million/kg) and need for these anti-cancer compounds motivate our research to better understand their biosynthesis and ultimately overproduce these valuable TIAs economically and reproducibly using engineered C. roseus plants or cultures as the production platform. In this project, we are investigating regulators that turn on and turn off the production of limiting precursors to the anti-cancer compounds towards engineering a high-yielding plant.

Project Leadership

The key researchers on this project are Prof. Carolyn Lee-Parsons and Dr. Lauren Cole. Prof. Carolyn Lee-Parsons is a faculty member jointly appointed in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry & Chemical Biology, with affiliations in Biology and Bioengineering. Dr. Lauren Cole is a post-doctoral researcher with her PhD in Bioengineering and expertise in plant biotechnology and plant specialized metabolism.

ABOUT PROFESSOR YEH’S LAB

The Networking for Big Data Laboratory led by Professor Yeh focuses on developing innovative architectures, algorithms, and implementations for networking and systems for data- and computation-intensive engineering, science, and health applications. The lab has developed leading technologies for data caching, edge computing, networked distributed learning, wireless network optimization, and coding. The primary aim is the design of platforms which efficiently and securely share, process, and learn from data over heterogeneous networks.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

Video delivery accounted for over 80% of US internet usage in 2022. With increasing mobile traffic, surging demand for content and gaming, the advent of 8K, immersive, and 360 degree VR technologies, rapidly increasing video volumes are placing an enormous burden on current content delivery networks. This project is dedicated to the development of a highly efficient, scalable video delivery platform which will overcome the above challenge with innovative bitrate selection, caching and forwarding algorithms for adaptive bitrate streaming, their software implementation, application interfaces and hardware acceleration platforms.

Project Leadership

Edmund Yeh is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with a Khoury College of Computer Sciences courtesy appointment. Professor Yeh directs the Networking for Big Data Laboratory, and brings extensive experience in network architecture design, algorithm development, as well as system implementation. PhD candidates Yuezhou Liu, Yuanhao Wu and Faruk Volkan Mutlu bring experience in algorithmic, software and hardware system development experience in networking, caching, and video processing.

ABOUT PROFESSOR ZHANG’S LAB

Prof. Zhang’s laboratory is transforming the field of gene regulation therapeutics with a proprietary oligonucleotide enhancer technology termed the Brushield™. The Brushield™ platform can rapidly generate potent clinical leads with reduced side effects and enhanced delivery to non-liver sites. In some preclinical models, Brushield™ reduces the dosage requirement by two orders of magnitude while suppressing side effects and immunogenicity. This technology is being licensed by an NU spinout called pacDNA Inc., which is now beginning commercial operations in LabCentral 700, Cambridge, MA.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

Where traditional drugs work by interfering with the function of a protein, gene regulation technologies attack disease at the source by inhibiting or correcting the production of the problematic protein from its genetic instructions. However, multiple challenges remain, such as rapid renal clearance, inefficient delivery to non-liver organs, and immunogenicity/toxicity, which reduce the scope of gene regulation drug development to a few concentrated disease settings. pacDNA Inc. aims to change the status quo by developing a safe and efficient oligonucleotide delivery technology that addresses non-liver organs, reduces cost, and minimizes off-target effects.

Project Leadership

Ke Zhang, PhD: With formal training in polymers, Prof. Zhang is devoting his career to facilitating the marriage of synthetic polymers and nucleic acids. His prized inventions include several forms of DNA-polymer amphiphiles, conjugates, and nanoparticles, which are being geared towards materials science and disease treatment.

ABOUT PROFESSOR KOPPES’ LAB

The laboratory for Neuromodulation and Neuromuscular repair (LNNR) is working on developing a fundamental understanding of how the nervous system’s structure informs function and developing new 3D in vitro platforms to provide new insight. The lab is focused on developing new strategies including stem cell sourcing, biomaterials, and stimulation modalities for nerve repair, as well as innovations in the organ-on-a-chip through the inclusion of high-throughput design, instrumentation, and the inclusion of the autonomic nervous system.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

Over 3.5 million peripheral nerve injury cases are reported throughout the world each year. Injuries to the peripheral nervous system are often caused by trauma to the extremities. Main causes include car accidents, gunshot injuries, and stretching/crush injuries with a high (83%) prevalence in people under the age of 55, especially military personnel. With the increase in trauma incidents as well as the increase in medical capabilities (patients can survive more extensive injuries), it is expected that the number of injuries occurring per year will increase. Schwann cells are paramount in promoting and guiding regenerating neurons after injury. However, severely injured tissue lacks sufficient Schwann cells to facilitate the repair process. Our research focuses on differentiating Olfactory Mucosa-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells towards a Schwann cell to offer an alternative source for surgical intervention. The success of this project will shift the way surgeons handle traumatic injury, allowing more synthetic material to be utilized in the repair of injury, saving the very limited donor tissue for critical needs.

PROJECT LEADERSHIP

Dr. Ryan Koppes has been an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University since 2015, where he has founded the Laboratory for Neuromodulation and Neuromuscular Repair (LNNR). Ryan received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York in 2013. Dr. Koppes has been working on new solutions for peripheral nerve repair for over ten years now. He is also working on the development of innervated, human organs-on-a-chip. Dr. Koppes also enjoys teaching Chemical Engineering Experimental Design Lab II (Unit Operations II) for senior engineers, as well as mentoring undergraduates in the laboratory.

Dr. Abigail Koppes joined the department of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University in 2014 where her group, the Advanced Biomaterials for Neuroengineering Laboratory (ABNEL), harnesses biochemical engineering methods to address challenges in nervous system disorders and dysfunction.

Katelyn Neuman is an ABD PhD student in Chemical Engineering at Northeastern. She has spearheaded this research thrust and has been responsible for stem cell isolation, differentiation protocol development, and characterization.

ABOUT PROFESSOR LI’S LAB

The Mechanics, Biomimetics, and 3D/4D Printing Research Lab focuses on exploring the mechanics and innovative design of new engineering materials including mechanical metamaterials, bio-inspired composites, and smart and adaptive architected materials. We aim to leverage mechanics, materials, biomimetics, and advanced additive manufacturing to not only design and fabricate the new generation of materials with unusual mechanical properties, but also revolutionize the material design and manufacturing framework.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

We will design and fabricate new three-dimensional tiled auxetic metamaterial (3D TAM), targeting applications in battery enclosure designs and packaging. 3D TAM are composed of tiled elements with relative locomotion to each other to achieve programmable auxeticity and superior impact resistance and energy dissipation capability. Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Finite Element (FE) simulations will be used to design and systematically quantify the mechanical properties of 3D TAM. Selected designs will be fabricated via a multi-material 3D printer. Mechanical experiments will be performed on the 3D printed prototypes to evaluate their mechanical performance under both static and dynamic loads.

PROJECT LEADERSHIP

Yaning Li, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. She leads the Mechanics, Biomimetics and 3D/4D printing research lab. She will bring her expertise in mechanics and design of mechanical metamaterials, finite element simulations, bio-inspired engineering and additive manufacturing to this project. Dr. Tiantian Li and Richard Nash (Ph.D candidate), who are two core members of the project, will lead the project. Graduate students Yunzheng Yang, Shengbin Zhang, Lin Gu, Siyao Liu, Ammar Batwa from the group, and Dr. Anastassios Mavrokefalos from Rogers will peripherally support the project.

ABOUT PROFESSOR LOGOTHETIS’S LAB

The Logothetis lab focuses on the molecular details of how the signaling membrane phospholipid, PIP2, controls gating of ion channels, such as the G-protein gated inwardly rectifying K+ channels (GIRKs). GIRK activation inhibits excitability and is involved in conditions, such as epilepsy, pain/opioid addiction and cardiac arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation. Small molecule drugs can activate GIRKs allosterically. Computer simulations of GIRKs with PIP2 and small molecule activators have captured the details of channel gating, offering a platform for dynamic structure-based drug design.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

Dravet Syndrome (DS) is a rare pediatric epilepsy starting as early as 6 months of age, characterized with severe prolonged, recurrent seizures, and considerable risk of sudden unexplained death from epilepsy (SUDEP). No cure for DS is known, and current FDA-approved treatments are ineffective and poorly tolerated by the patients.
In a properly functioning brain, firing of inhibitory and excitatory neurons maintains a balance in electrical activity. However in DS, silencing mutations in sodium channels, found mainly in inhibitory interneurons, cause an imbalance and hyperexcitability leading to seizures. Our drug candidates can reduce hyperexcitability and restore balance by selectively acting on the GIRKs found in the regions of the brain associated with seizure generation. Our approach to drug discovery mitigates the risk of off-target effects and toxicities (i.e. cardiac toxicity), as shown by our lead drug candidate.

PROJECT LEADERSHIP

Diomedes E. Logothetis, Ph.D. is a professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, leading research efforts in the field on the molecular basis of function and malfunction of ion channels. Currently, he is affiliated with the Center for Drug Discovery and the Roux Institute of Northeastern University.
Stelios Smirnakis, M.D./Ph.D. is an associate professor of Neurobiology and practicing neurologist at Harvard Medical School & Brigham and Women’s Hospital while also conducting research on neural circuit function and malfunction during disease states.
Andrew Zorn, M.S. and Greg Jones, Ph.D. are industry experts and products of the industrial Ph.D. program at Northeastern University. Greg is an expert in pre-clinical drug development and translation, while Andrew is a pharmacologist who brings his life science business and corporate strategy expertise to GRIK Therapeutics.