Advancing Both Materials Science and Cancer Research Through NSF/NCI Partnership

Biomechanics of Cancer Invasion

Ming Guo is currently an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and associated faculty in the MIT Physics of Living Systems Center and Center for Multi-Cellular Engineered Living Systems. Before joining MIT in 2015, Guo obtained his PhD degree in 2014 in applied physics and MS degree in 2012 in mechanical engineering at Harvard University, and BS degree in engineering mechanics at Tsinghua University. He has won numerous awards including the Alfred P, Sloan Fellow in Physics and International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Young Scientist Prize in Biological Physics. Guo is an associate editor of the Journal of Biological Physics.

A Decade of Bridging a Research Program Between NSF and NCI

Roger Kamm is the Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  His research has focused on problems at the interface of biology and mechanics, formerly in cell and molecular mechanics, and in engineered living systems.  Current interests include developing a microphysiological system (MPS) of healthy and diseased organ function with a focus on vascularization.  Kamm is a recipient of the Lissner Medal, the Nerem Medal and the Shu Chien Award, and is a Fellow of the US National Academies of Medicine and Engineering. He is co-founder of AIM Biotech, a manufacturer of microfluidic systems for 3D culture.

Engineering Exosome-Based Biomaterials as Living Materials

Jin Kim Montclare is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, Biomaterials and Radiology at New York University. She is performing groundbreaking research in engineering proteins to mimic nature and, in some cases, work better than nature. She exploits nature’s biosynthetic machinery and evolutionary mechanisms to design new artificial proteins.  Her lab focuses on two research areas: (1) developing protein biomaterials and (2) engineering functional proteins/enzymes for particular substrates with the aim of targeting human disorders, drug delivery, tissue regeneration and the environment. Montclare leads the multidisciplinary Convergence of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Institute and the Computationally Designed-Genetically Engineered Materials (CD-GEM). She has garnered several awards and honors including but not limited to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, American Chemical Society (ACS) Women Chemists Committee Rising Star Award, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Leshner Fellowship on Human Augmentation, inducted into the National Academy of Inventors, and most recently the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Convergence Program Fellowship.

Biological Inspiration for Tough Gels

David Mooney is the Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a Core Faculty Member of the Wyss Institute. His laboratory designs biomaterials to promote regeneration and immunotherapy. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors.  His inventions have been licensed by over 20 companies, leading to commercialized products.  He has founded companies and is active on industrial scientific advisory boards.

Division Director, Division of Materials Research (DMR)
Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)
National Science Foundation

new.nsf.gov/staff/giannacc