News Stories and Press Releases
Dr. James C. Weaver
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July, 2023
Made of cement, carbon black, and water, these devices could provide cheap and scalable energy storage for renewable energy sources
https://news.mit.edu/2023/mit-engineers-create-supercapacitor-ancient-materials-0731
April, 2023
Novel ear tubes combine liquid-infused materials with optimized geometry to enable better performance and improve treatment outcomes for patients with ear infections
March, 2023
New nano-composite phases could turn concrete into a robust carbon-sink
MIT engineers discover new carbonation pathways for creating more environmentally friendly concrete.
https://news.mit.edu/2023/new-additives-concrete-effective-carbon-sink-0328
February, 2023
Custom, 3D-printed heart replicas look and pump just like the real thing
The soft robotic models are patient-specific and could help clinicians zero in on the best implant for an individual.
https://news.mit.edu/2023/custom-3d-printed-heart-replicas-patient-specific-0222
January, 2023
Riddle solved: Why was Roman concrete so durable?
An unexpected ancient manufacturing strategy may hold the key to designing concrete that lasts for millennia
https://news.mit.edu/2023/roman-concrete-durability-lime-casts-0106
October, 2022
Tentacle robot can gently grasp fragile objects
Jellyfish-like soft gripper mimics the mechanics of curly hair
https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2022/10/tentacle-robot-can-gently-grasp-fragile-objects
March, 2022
Unexplored dimensions of porous metamaterials
Researchers unlock hidden potential in a long-studied group of materials
https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2022/03/unexplored-dimensions-porous-metamaterials
September, 2021
How to protect structures from blowing winds and flowing water? Look to marine sponges
Research finds the skeletal structure of a marine sponge suppresses vortex shedding better than current technologies
September, 2021
Astronomers create the first 3D-printed stellar nurseries
New advances in 3D printing reveal features often obscured in traditional renderings and animations
https://news.ucsc.edu/2021/09/touching-stars.html
August, 2021
Rare Cambrian fossils from Utah reveal unexpected anatomical complexity in early comb jellies
November, 2020
Ultra-sensitive and resilient sensor for soft robotic systems
Newly engineered slinky-like strain sensors for textiles and soft robotic systems survive the washing machine, cars and hammers
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/ultra-sensitive-and-resilient-sensor-for-soft-robotic-systems/
September, 2020
Marine sponges inspire the next generation of skyscrapers and bridges
Bioinspired architecture could pave the way for stronger, lighter structures
August, 2020
Seven million face shields and counting
How a Wyss Institute COVID-19 project led to regional, scalable PPE production
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/seven-million-face-shields-and-counting/
July, 2020
Robotic textiles are fueled up and take action
A new smart fabric that can be inflated and deflated by temperature-dependent liquid-vapor phase changes could enable a new range of mechanotherapeutic and industrial applications
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/robotic-textiles-are-fueled-up-and-take-action/
May, 2020
Harvard researchers deliver hundreds of face shields to frontline medical personnel
Engineers lead project to design mass-producible personal protective equipment
April, 2020
The Wyss Institute’s response to COVID-19: Beating back the coronavirus
Harvard's Wyss Institute researchers are confronting the coronavirus crisis on all fronts – by rapidly developing much needed diagnostic and therapeutic inventions
February, 2020
The Tentacle Bot
Octopus-inspired robot can grip, move, and manipulate a wide range of objects
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/the-tentacle-bot/
February, 2020
Someday, this prosthetic heart valve might be the only one a child needs
A breakthrough design could spare children from repeated operations to replace outgrown valves, and could also benefit adults with valve defects.
https://discoveries.childrenshospital.org/bileaflet-heart-valve/
January, 2020
Printing objects that can incorporate living organisms
A 3D printing system that controls the behavior of live bacteria could someday enable medical devices with therapeutic agents built in.
https://news.mit.edu/2020/3-d-bioprinting-living-materials-0123
November, 2019
Wyss Institute is proud to have 11 Highly Cited Researchers in 2019
Both Faculty and Staff researchers rank in top 0.1% of cited researchers for the year
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/wyss-institute-is-proud-to-have-11-highly-cited-researchers-in-2019/
September, 2019
How to make a book last for millennia
Study of Dead Sea Scroll sheds light on a lost ancient parchment-making technology.
https://news.mit.edu/2019/temple-scroll-ancient-preservation-0906
May, 2019
Blurring the Line Between Science, Art, and Design
Wyss Institute projects featured in 2019 Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/blurring-the-line-between-science-art-and-design/
February, 2019
A bioengineered factory for T-cells
Injectable sponge-like gel enhances the quantity and quality of T-cells
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/a-bioengineered-factory-for-t-cells/
December, 2018
Predicting leaky heart valves with 3D printing
New integrated workflow improves valve sizing accuracy during aortic valve replacement procedures
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/predicting-leaky-heart-valves-with-3d-printing/
July, 2018
Studying aliens of the deep
Folding polyhedron sampler enables easy capture and release of delicate underwater organisms
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/studying-aliens-of-the-deep/
June, 2018
Straight to the heart
Device can deliver drugs, proteins, and stem cells directly to a diseased heart
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/straight-to-the-heart/
May, 2018
Creating piece of mind
New 3D printing technique enables faster, better, and cheaper models of patient-specific medical data for research and diagnosis
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/creating-piece-of-mind/
March, 2018
Personal cancer vaccines get their own boost
A facile biomaterial approach that educates the immune system with tumor-specific peptides could help eradicate tumors more effectively while preventing them from recurring
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/personal-cancer-vaccines-get-their-own-boost/
February, 2018
A gut reaction…on a chip
First study of radiation exposure in human gut Organ Chip device offers hope for better radioprotective drugs
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/a-gut-reaction-on-a-chip/
August, 2017
Slippery liquid surfaces confuse mussels to stop them from sticking to underwater structures
Non-toxic, lubricant-infused coatings deter mussels and prevent their attachment by disrupting their mechanosensory and adhesive systems
May, 2017
Engineering human stem cells to model the kidney’s filtration barrier on a chip
A glomerulus-on-a-chip lined by human stem cell-derived kidney cells could help model patient-specific kidney diseases and guide therapeutic discovery
April, 2017
Setting a trap for autoimmunity
An approach that attracts and captures elusive immune disease cells in vivo could one day be used to better understand diabetes and other autoimmune disorders
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/setting-a-trap-for-autoimmunity/
February, 2017
Mimicking nature’s cellular architectures via 3D printing
Research offers new level of control over the structure of 3D-printed materials
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/mimicking-natures-cellular-architectures-via-3d-printing/
February, 2017
Wyss Institute’s human gut-on-a-chip goes viral
An Institute team provides first proof-of-concept that its human gut-on-a-chip can model infection with enteroviruses
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/wyss-institutes-human-gut-on-a-chip-goes-viral/
January, 2017
Soft robot helps the heart beat
Sleeve attaches directly around the heart
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/soft-robot-helps-the-heart-beat/
January, 2017
A toolkit for transformable materials: How to design materials with reprogrammable shape and function
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/a-toolkit-for-transformable-materials/
October, 2016
Mimicking life-like cigarette smoke exposure and patient-specific responses in human lung airway chips
An instrument that smokes cigarettes like a human, and delivers whole smoke to the air space of microfluidic human airway chips, enables new insights into how non-smokers and COPD patients respond to smoke
March, 2016
Self-actuating materials
3D materials can transform into prescribed shapes and sizes
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/self-actuating-materials/
September, 2015
Printing transparent glass in 3-D
New system is the first to create strong, solid glass structures from computerized designs.
https://news.mit.edu/2015/3-d-printing-transparent-glass-0914
August, 2015
Inciting an immune attack on cancer cells
A new minimally invasive vaccine that combines cancer cells and immune-enhancing factors could be used clinically to launch a destructive attack on tumors
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/inciting-an-immune-attack-on-cancer-cells/
July, 2015
A jump for soft-bodied robots
By seamlessly blending soft and rigid body parts - a structural innovation used by animals and insects - a team of Harvard scientists has created a new kind of durable, soft-bodied jumping robot
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/a-jump-for-soft-bodied-robots/
April, 2015
Glass sponges hold internal secrets to structural strength
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/glass-sponges-hold-internal-secrets-to-structural-strength/
April, 2015
Cerebral curiosity
Graduate student Steven Keating takes a problem-solving approach to his brain cancer.
https://news.mit.edu/2015/student-profile-steven-keating-0401
February, 2015
A mollusk of a different stripe
Optical features embedded in marine shells may help develop responsive, transparent displays.
https://news.mit.edu/2015/optical-structures-in-limpet-shell-0226
October, 2014
Bioinspired coating for medical devices repels blood and bacteria
Developed using FDA-approved materials, the coating prevented flowing blood from clotting in a large animal efficacy study
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/bioinspired-coating-for-medical-devices-repels-blood-and-bacteria/
May, 2014
Researchers 3D print biomimetic shark skin
The advance allows for accurate measurement of the hydrodynamic properties of synthetic shark skin, and could inspire improved swimsuit, boat, and aircraft designs
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/researchers-3d-print-biomimetic-shark-skin/
May, 2014
Researchers use light to coax stem cells to repair teeth
Noninvasive laser therapy could radically shift dental treatment and lead to a host of broader clinical applications in regenerative medicine
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/researchers-use-light-to-coax-stem-cells-to-repair-teeth/
May, 2014
Bone marrow-on-a-chip unveiled
Device captures complexity of living marrow in the laboratory; could help test new drugs to prevent lethal radiation exposure
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/bone-marrow-on-a-chip-unveiled/
May, 2013
Biologically mediated additive manufacturing:
Spinning up a Silk Pavilion
https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/spinning-up-a-silk-pavilion/
June, 2012
Imaginary Beings:
James Weaver’s electron micrographs on display in Paris
