Wyss InstituteRegenerative Medicine – Wyss Institute

20ish Questions with Elliot Chaikof

Jessica Leff — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:00:23 +0000

20-ish Questions shows a different side of Wyss Institute faculty, touching on aspects of their personal life, hobbies, interests, as well as their research. This round follows Elliot Chaikof, an Associate Faculty member at the Wyss Institute as well as the Chair of the Department of Surgery & Surgeon-in-Chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University…

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Innovative tissue engineering: ESCAPE, a pioneering new method explained

Jessica Leff — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 16:00:31 +0000

By Boston University Communications (BOSTON) — When it comes to the human body, form and function work together. The shape and structure of our hands enable us to hold and manipulate things. Tiny air sacs in our lungs called alveoli allow for air exchange and help us breath in and out. And tree-like blood vessels branch throughout our body, delivering oxygen from our head to our toes.

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ESCAPE Bioengineering

Jessica Leff — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 16:00:06 +0000

A research team at the Wyss Institute and Boston University has developed ESCAPE, the first method that enables the engineering of tissues across multiple length scales, ranging from the diameter of a cell to the cm scale of a heart valve. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University…

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“Suspended animation” drug could aid organ transplantation and survival from traumatic injury

Jessica Leff — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:50:33 +0000

(CAMBRIDGE, UK) – Researchers have shown that a non-addictive pain relief drug could be used to preserve cells and organs quickly and safely for transplantation, removing the need for static cold storage. The research, published today in eLife, was described by the editors as an important study providing solid evidence that the existing drug, SNC80, can rapidly and reversibly slow biochemical…

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Engineered Live Biotherapeutic Product (eLBP) to Protect the Microbiome from Antibiotics

Jessica Leff — Wed, 01 May 2024 14:44:43 +0000

Antibiotics not only kill the pathogenic bacteria causing an infection, they also indiscriminately wreak havoc on the trillions of “good” bacteria making up the human microbiome. Known as “dysbiosis,” this alteration of our gut microbial composition manifests as discomforting diarrhea in up to 35% of patients in the short term, and can take months to resolve, often requiring dietary corrections…

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Ichor: Reversing Aging

Jessica Leff — Wed, 01 May 2024 10:47:33 +0000

More than 150,000 people die each day across the globe, about two-thirds of them from age-related causes like cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular disease. If the process of aging could be slowed or reversed, the incidence of these conditions would be dramatically reduced, and more humans would live longer, healthier lives. However, aging is a complex process involving multiple…

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ReConstruct: Vascularized tissue for breast reconstruction and augmentation

Seth Kroll — Wed, 01 May 2024 10:23:28 +0000

Breast cancer, the most common cancer worldwide, affects nearly 15% of all women. Most of these women undergo some kind of mastectomy to treat their cancer, and 40% choose to have breast reconstruction surgery. However, all currently available reconstruction options come with significant health risks. Artificial implants, whether filled with silicone or saline, require frequent safety monitor and…

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Repairing patients’ dura more durably

Jessica Leff — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 17:55:14 +0000

By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — The dural membrane (dura) is the outermost of three meningeal layers that line the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and spinal cord. Together, the meninges function as a shock-absorber to protect the CNS against trauma, circulate nutrients throughout the CNS, as well as remove waste. The dura also is a critical biological barrier that…

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A new glue, potentially also for you

Jessica Leff — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:50:09 +0000

By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — Hydrogels are versatile biomaterials conquering an increasing number of biomedical areas. Consisting of water-swollen molecular networks that can be tailored to mimic the mechanical and chemical features of various organs and tissues, they can interface within the body and on its outer surfaces without causing any damage to even the most delicate parts of the…

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Soft robotic, wearable device improves walking for individual with Parkinson’s disease

Jessica Leff — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 14:21:45 +0000

By Leah Burrows / SEAS Communications (CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Freezing is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 9 million people worldwide. When individuals with Parkinson’s disease freeze, they suddenly lose the ability to move their feet, often mid-stride, resulting in a series of staccato stutter steps that…

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