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Newsletter
Stay connected with the latest breakthroughs in biological design with The Biodesign Bulletin. This recurring digest highlights new research, major publications, center updates, and upcoming opportunities.
Current Edition
The Biodesign Bulletin – Feb. 05, 2026
Previous Edition
BU Biomedical Engineer Wins a 2024 National Institutes of Health Director’s Transformative Research Award
Honor for Alexander A. Green will support high-risk project that could lead to improved cancer treatments and other therapies: Before a new car rolls onto the road, engineers measure how it reacts to different forces, from passengers plonking into the seats to jarring collisions. Understanding the impact of these forces... More
Career Development Professorships Awarded to Five BU Researchers
This year’s recipients are rising stars in the study of Latin American literature, molecular and cellular processes, religious history, chemistry, and physics-inspired computing:They’re scholars of Latin American literature and Asian history, experts in biomedical engineering and computing, organic chemistry, and biology—and now, five rising star Boston University faculty are also... More
New BU Postdoctoral Awards Celebrate Excellence in Mentorship and Research
"Postdocs bring a wealth of experience to the table. My role is to provide them with the freedom to explore their ideas while also offering support for everyday challenges, from breaking down paper writing into manageable tasks to cheering them on during tough times." Mary Dunlop
Investigating and advancing the medical applications of synthetic biology
The Wong Lab has built a design-driven research program in synthetic biology to develop innovative technologies for therapeutics and diagnostics that will help combat maladies like autoimmune disease and cancer. Professor Wilson Wong (Biological Design Center) talked about his research, his unexpected path to becoming a bioengineer, and his love of... More
A New Type of RNA Could Revolutionize Vaccines and Cancer Treatments
It all started in the lab. Two Boston University doctoral students, Joshua McGee (ENG’26) and Jack Kirsch (ENG’23), were creating and testing different types of RNA—strands of ribonucleic acid, built from chains of chemical compounds called nucleotides, that help carry out genetic instructions in cells. They were determined to see... More
Dunlop, Holmes, and Stringhini Earn ENG Honors
Named the 2024 Distinguished Faculty Fellows: Dean ad interim Elise Morgan has announced that three mid-career faculty members have been named Distinguished Faculty Fellows.
Modified Self-Amplifying RNA Provides Opportunities For New Vaccines And Treatments
Researchers Joshua McGee, lead author, senior authors Mark Grinstaff, Wilson Wong, and Florian Douam and other colleagues from Boston University solved a longstanding challenge with self-amplifying RNA. They used modified building blocks, called NTPs to build their saRNA. Once they established proof of concept in cells, they tested their method... More
Six BU Researchers Win Prestigious Early-Career Award to Advance Their Work
NSF CAREER awards recognize BU researchers innovating in biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, molecular biology, and more: The prestigious, highly competitive NSF CAREER awards mark a significant achievement for early-career scientists and come with five years of continuous funding. All the researchers receiving funding this year are also laying the foundation... More
Boston Teens Pitch Biotech Concepts to BU “Investors” at Biological Design Center’s STEM Pathways Event
Seniors from New Mission High School compete in annual Shark Tank–like event, with help from BU undergrad and grad student mentors: Swallowing jitters and marshaling a semester’s worth of research, 11 teams of local high schoolers arrived at Boston University on a recent spring day to pitch products to a... More
Three BU Researchers Elected AAAS Fellows. World’s largest scientific society gives lifetime honor to BU biologist, engineer, and physicist
Being named an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow puts scholars in distinguished company—and a trio of Boston University researchers have just been selected for the honor. Electrical and computer engineer Siddharth Ramachandran, physicist Bradley Lee Roberts, and biologist Daniel Segrè have been named AAAS Fellows for... More