I-BEAM Collaborative Groups take shape

Collaborative Description 

The Anti-Cancer Immunoengineering Collaborative seeks to integrate biomedical engineering and cancer immunology to develop personalized, patient-specific immunotherapies. This program focuses on two main themes: (1) reprogramming immune cells using RNA/DNA nanotechnology, and (2) profiling tumor-immune interactions through patient organoids to predict therapeutic responses. The goal is to overcome the challenges posed by tumor heterogeneity, which complicates treatment effectiveness. By leveraging advanced technologies like RNA lipid nanoparticles, DNA scaffolds for immune activation, and patient-derived organoids, this initiative aims to enhance immune cell function and predict how patients will respond to therapies. For example, the collaborative will develop RNA-based treatments for macrophages and natural killer cells, DNA nanotechnology for precise immune modulation, and patient-derived organoid models to recapitulate tumor-immune interactions. The team–joining experts in immunoengineering, biomaterials, and cancer therapeutics–is uniquely positioned to address current cancer therapies' challenges, advancing preclinical and clinical applications. In two years, the team aims to produce co-authored publications. In five years, the group aims to integrate these innovations toward personalized immunotherapies and larger center-level grant submissions. 

Co-Investigators include Michelle Dawson (Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Legoretta Cancer Center); Tejal Desai (School of Engineering, Legoretta Cancer Center); Megan E. Kizer (Chemistry, Legoretta Cancer Center); Sean Lawler (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Legoretta Cancer Center); Theresa Raimondo (School of Engineering, Legoretta Cancer Center); Robert Sobol (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Legoretta Cancer Center); Kimani Toussaint (School of Engineering); and Lanlan Zhou (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Legoretta Cancer Center). 

Collaborative Description 

The Cardiovascular Bioengineering Collaborative is a hub to accelerate new therapeutics for treating cardiovascular (CV) disease. By bringing together cardiovascular scientists, clinicians, and engineers, the CV BioE Collaborative at Brown leverages strengths in regenerative medicine to re-engineer healthy function in the diseased heart and vasculature across the lifespan. CV disease focus areas include atherosclerosis, heart failure, and congenital heart defects (CHD), united by etiologies involving the immune system, fibrosis, and aging. Initial projects use engineered tissues composed of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) to restore conduction pathways in pediatric CHD or replenish muscle after a heart attack. Other projects investigate RNA-based therapeutics to treat heart failure with advanced RNA delivery systems, immune modulation in atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction in ischemia, and revascularization by customized biomaterials to target heart attack and limb ischemia. These efforts will culminate in preclinical studies and clinical applications, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and training in cardiovascular bioengineering. With a strong focus on translational research, the CV BioE Collaborative is dedicated to securing funding, advancing trials, and establishing partnerships with biomanufacturing and regulatory agencies to bring innovative cardiovascular therapies to patients in need. 

Co-Investigators include Theresa Raimondo (School of Engineering); Tejal Desai (School of Engineering); Anita Shukla (School of Engineering), Diane Hoffmann-Kim (Neuroscience), Bum-Rak Choi (Medicine), and Betsy Blume (Medicine (Boston Children’s Hospital), Brown Alumna).

Collaborative Description 

The Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Collaborative will target the global crisis of AMR, a silent pandemic that already claims millions of lives each year. AMR threatens to escalate, potentially causing 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the team of engineers, scientists, and clinicians is developing cutting-edge solutions to detect, prevent, and treat drug-resistant infections. Key strategies include the development of antimicrobial biomaterials and therapeutics, innovative host-directed therapies, advanced diagnostic technologies, and predictive models for resistance dynamics. The group is poised to make significant strides in combating AMR, improving patient outcomes, and preventing its devastating global impact by combining engineering, biology, and medicine expertise. 

Co-Investigators include Peter Belenky (Molecular Microbiology and Immunology); Karthikeyani Chellappa (Molecular Microbiology and Immunology); Christina Cuomo (Molecular Microbiology and Immunology); Eric Darling (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine); Tejal Desai (School of Engineering); Robert Hurt (School of Engineering); Amanda Jamieson (Molecular Microbiology and Immunology); George Karniadakis (Applied Mathematics, School of Engineering); Megan Kizer (Department of Chemistry); Edith Mathiowitz (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine); Sean Monaghan (Department of Surgery); Theresa Raimondo (School of Engineering); Louis Rice (Department of Medicine); Jacob Rosenstein (School of Engineering); Vikas Srivastava (School of Engineering); Anubhav Tripathi (School of Engineering); and Ian Y. Wong (School of Engineering, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine).

Collaborative Description 

Our collaborative seeks to address critical gaps in understanding complex maternal and neonatal health processes to engineer innovative solutions for diagnostics and medical devices. During our initial stage, we will focus on breastfeeding and lactation. Breastmilk is the optimal form of infant nutrition, yet challenges like low milk flow and pain often prevent mothers from breastfeeding exclusively for the recommended six months. By combining experimental and computational methods, we will explore the physical and physiological factors that regulate milk expression, focusing on milk viscosity and local shear rates in the mammary ducts. We aim to identify physics-based breastfeeding techniques to improve milk flow and support maternal health. This multidisciplinary effort, led by engineering and clinical experts, aligns with the mission of Brown University’s Institute for Biology, Engineering, and Medicine (I-BEAM) to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovative solutions to global health challenges. 

Co-Investigators include Roberto Zenit (School of Engineering, Fluids and Thermal Sciences); Anita Shukla (School of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering); Eric Darling (The Warren Alpert Medical School, Laboratory Medicine); and Francois Luks (The Warren Alpert Medical School, Department of Surgery).