ABOUT THIS Innovation

Our invention and platform enable the spatial and temporal activation of peptide and protein drugs by light and other stimuli for more efficacious and less toxic therapeutics. Furthermore, our technologies open exciting new opportunities for novel drug targets that otherwise not suited for traditional approaches.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

A fundamental impediment in drug development is the limited therapeutic index, due to the on-target/off-tumor toxicity. Our approach is to mask (or cage) peptides and proteins, rendering them inactive. Our invention and platform enable both the chemo-enzymatic site-specific conjugation and the engineered chemistry tailored for the controlled re-activation (unmasking or uncaging). For clinical applications, after administering to the patients, then upon exposure to light (or other stimuli), the mask is removed, the active form is regenerated with precise spatial and temporal controls, thereby expanding therapeutic index.

Project Leadership

Professor Sunny Zhou’s laboratory, aka SunnyLand, applies protein chemistry, analysis and engineering to biology and medicine. Their “Hybrid Modality Engineering of Proteins” platform introduces non-canonical chemical moieties and/or scaffolds into peptides and proteins to confer novel functions (mode of action) otherwise unavailable via recombinant technology. Dr. Amissi Sadiki (Sunny’s former student), Professor Bryan Spring (expert in photomedicine) and Sunny are co-founders of NIRa Biosciences, which focuses on photo-immunotherapy and has received Series A VC funding.

ABOUT PROF. RANDY ERB AND JASON BICE

Randy Erb leads and Jason Bice is a core member of the DAPS Lab that leverages colloidal physics to direct the assembly of material microstructures enabling new and enhanced materials properties. Here, Randy and Jason are developing advanced manufacturing processes for the generation of textured all-ceramics that offer the next generation of thermal management solutions.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

Certain types of ceramics known as phononic crystals exhibit the remarkable combination of thermal conductivity and electrical insulation. These properties offers a route toward thermal management solutions that are deeply demanded by high density electronics, RF systems, and battery packs. Here, Randy and Jason are developing knowledge around new advanced manufacturing platforms that can process these all-ceramics into intricate parts at high rates of production.

Project Leadership

Randy Erb, Ph.D. has been investigating the interplay between material microstructure and properties for over a decade. His key expertise lies in leveraging colloidal physics within advanced manufacturing systems to drive the assembly of mesoscale material structures. He has a strong track record of successfully commercializing advanced manufacturing technologies.

Jason Bice, MS is defending his Ph.D. thesis soon on the processing-structure-property relationships of phononic crystals. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and seeks to bring his thesis work to bear on the high value market of thermal management solutions.

ABOUT Professor Shrivastava’s Lab

The Shrivastava Lab develops analog computing based ultra-low power connectivity system-on-chip (SoC) technologies. We envision developing the circuit design, radio architecture, and application software for ultra-low power wake-up radio technology.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

Maintaining continuous connectivity among IoT devices remains a technological challenge owing to the large power consumption of radios. This research focuses on reducing the power consumption of radios by over 6-orders of magnitude. We aim to develop <20 nano-watts, wake-up radio circuits that can achieve a sensitivity greater than -90 dBm, to realize approximately 100-feet connectivity. The radio architecture is based on the energy detection of the incoming radio signal implemented using high sensitivity passive energy detection circuits to realize ultra-low power operation. We have demonstrated the design feasibility with a proto-type chip that shows connectivity over 10-feet distance.

Project Leadership

Aatmesh Shrivastava, PhD will lead the overall project and technical vision

Ankit Mittal, PhD candidate will lead the Wake-up Radio technology development.

Nikita Mirchandani, PhD candidate and Ziyue Xu, PhD candidate will lead on developing the supporting analog computing and energy harvesting technologies.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

The Woolston lab is developing a symbiotic co-culture to enable the high-yield conversion of carbon-rich waste gases to high-value fuels and chemicals. The use of multiple microbes with specialized metabolic capabilities enables the generation a wider portfolio of products and more stable operation than is possible with a single microbe.

PROJECT LEADERSHIP

Benjamin Woolston, PhD is focused on developing engineered microbes to solve challenges in sustainable energy and the human gut microbiota. His interdisciplinary research program draws on expertise in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, microbiology and biochemistry.

ABOUT PROFESSOR RUBERTI’s LAB

The Extracellular Matrix Engineering Research Laboratory (EMERL) examines the formation of collagenous matrices based on mechanochemistry. Our fundamental hypothesis is that collagen is an active energetic molecule whose energy state is lowered when subjected to mechanical tensile force and that this behavior or an analog of it is responsible for the construction of animals across the all Phyla. Ultimately, the work done at EMERL is aimed at translation to clinical mechanotherapies.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

There are currently few reliable sources of human active collagen. To construct therapeutics that deliver active collagen to injuries, the EMERL lab has been working to enhance the production of this very important molecule using the CRISPR Cas-9 promotional system. Thus the work will be focused on developing and optimizing methods to induce human fibroblasts to produce large amounts of type I collagen. In addition, the packaging of collagen into a metastable liquid crystal for in vivo delivery of active collagen is also part of this effort.

PROJECT LEADERSHIP

Jeffrey Ruberti, Ph.D. has been focused on collagen mechanochemistry for almost two decades. The results of his investigations have uncovered a substantial opportunity to develop therapies that will alleviate the healing issues associated with connective tissue injuries.

Alexandra Silverman, MS. Alex has been working with human cells since she joined Professor Ruberti’s lab as a freshman. She has been focused on cell-mediated assembly of collagen and will be working to translate her work into collagen production for this project. She will be leading the student team on the CRISPR work.

ABOUT PROFESSOR ZHENG’s LAB

Prof. Zheng leads a growing lab featuring nano energy from multiple disciplines in materials science, physics, and engineering. He emphasizes the basic and applied study of thermal transport through multifunctional materials. The lab aims to offer energy solutions for applications in the areas of renewable energy harvesting, energy management, thermophotovoltaics, water desalination, and nano sensing.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

Compressor-based cooling systems, providing comfortable interior environments for infrastructure, account for about 20% of total worldwide electricity consumption. The resultant greenhouse gas emissions intensify global warming and accelerate climate change. As such, an carbon-neutral, eco-friendly cooling approach is vital. Emerging passive cooling technologies are the perfect solution to this problem, without any energy consumption.

Such an approach, with great market opportunities in both highly developed and developing regions and countries, is becoming an attractive candidate for improving energy efficiencies for buildings, because it eliminates the need for the coolant fluids, electricity, and compressors required by traditional mechanical cooling systems.

PROJECT LEADERSHIP

Yi Zheng, PhD is an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University. In this project, he will conduct the prototype manufacturing and lead the product and business plan development. He is also the Founder and President of a start-up Planck Energies, which produces cost-reducing and energy saving technologies and helps mitigate worldwide environmental crises. In this project, he will conduct the prototype manufacturing and lead the product and business plan development.