The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $250,000 Partnerships for Innovation – Technology Translation (PFI-TT) grant to ChE Assistant Professor Sidi A. Bencherif for “Cell Culture System with Enzyme-based Control of Oxygen Concentration to Enhance Biomedical Research”. The team includes graduate student Zachary Rogers, CEO of Cryoxia Biosciences, and technology commercialization expert/consultant Dr. James Sherley, CEO of Asymmetrex.
Prof. S.A. Bencherif (Left), Z. Rogers (Middle), Dr. J. Sherley (Right)
In the proposed project, the Bencherif Lab will develop an Oxygen-Controlling Cell Culture (OCC) system, an enzyme-based approach adaptable to standard vessels used routinely in cell culture.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this PFI-TT project is to enhance biomedical research by controlling oxygen in cell culture. Cell culture, in which scientists attempt to grow cells in conditions like those in the body, is one of the most useful techniques in biomedical research. However, oxygen, a critical factor for cell behavior and physiology, is not controlled during standard cell cultures. In fact, cells in laboratory cell culture experience up to 50-fold higher oxygen concentrations than they do in the body. By changing the status quo of cell culture from non-oxygen-controlled to oxygen-controlled, the proposed technology can advance the scientific understanding of oxygen’s role in disease development, biological processes, and human tissues. In addition, the technology can improve human health by (i) fueling the discovery of new drugs and drug targets, (ii) improving the accuracy of the drug screening process, reducing the attrition rate, cost and time spent on failed drugs, and (iii) accelerating the commercialization of cell-based therapies for cancer treatment and regenerative medicine.
The project includes an entrepreneurial education and leadership development plan for graduate student Zach Rogers that will include prototyping/optimizing the OCC system and customer discovery activities, mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs in biotechnology and physiologic/hypoxic cell culture, and innovation and entrepreneurship activities. The project activities will also support graduate student Zachary Rogers and provide research opportunities for undergraduate students from diverse groups.
This award reflects NSF’s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation’s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Congrats to Prof. Bencherif for being named an influential researcher by the largest and most-cited general chemical engineering research journal in the world. The journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (I&EC), which is published by the American Chemical Society for Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, named its incoming 2021 class in the Dec. 8 edition. Prof. Bencherif was among 36 researchers selected from institutions around the world.
The global team of editors and editorial advisory board members identified this class of influential, early career researchers based on the quality and impact of their research. ACS I&EC is the largest, oldest, most cited, and highly selective general interest chemical engineering journal with global visibility across all facets of the chemistry profession.
For more information on the 2021 Class of Influential Researchers, you can visit the ACS I&EC website here.
For more information about this story, you can visit the COE website here.
In collaboration with researchers from Shiraz University in Iran, the Bencherif Lab recently published a review article titled “Avian Egg: A Multifaceted Biomaterial for Tissue Engineering” in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research by the American Chemical Society. This review summarizes the advantages and status of egg components in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as well as their current limitations and future perspectives.
Congratulations to Jorieke Weiden and team (Marjolein Schluck, Melina Ioannidis, Eric A. W. van Dinther, Mahboobeh Rezaeeyazdi, Fawad Omar, Juulke Steuten, Dion Voerman, Jurjen Tel, Mustafa Diken, Prof. Sidi A. Bencherif, Prof. Carl G. Figdor, and Prof. Martijn Verdoes) on their recent publication. They report an approach to introduce nanoparticles (NPs) into the walls of macroporous alginate cryogels and create a fully synthetic immunostimulatory niche that stimulates dendritic cells (DCs) and evokes strong antigen-specific T cell responses.
Congratulations to Prof. Bencherif who was recently named among the top 2% scientists in the world according to Stanford–Elsevier BV report published in October 2021 [1]. Using Scopus publication impact scores, experts from Stanford University have released a complete list of the top world’s most influential scientists. This recognition places our work in the global map of excellence in research and brings great pride to the lab.
Photo of Prof. Sidi A. Bencherif | Credit: Adam Glanzman Copyright Northeastern University
The database was created to provide updated analyses and a publicly available database of top scientists. Updated databases and code are freely available in Mendeley.
Congratulations to Boting Li, alumna of Bencherif Lab, for publishing, “Hyaluronic Acid-Based Shape-Memory Cryogel Scaffolds for Focal Cartilage Defect Repair” in Tissue Engineering Part A as co-first author.
Article can be found here and more information can be found here.
In this work, in collaboration with the Griffiths lab at Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), we demonstrate that advanced biomaterials and oxygen can be leveraged to boost the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
More information can be found here. The Front Cover can be found here.
Congratulations to Khushbu Bhatt and team (Loek Eggermont and Prof. Sidi A. Bencherif) on their recent publication in Engineering Technologies and Clinical Translation. This book chapter describes how polymeric scaffolds have been harnessed for immune cell priming and how they can be leveraged to prime immune cells and activate downstream antitumor responses. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of immunomodulatory polymeric scaffolds are discussed for the successful clinical translation of current and emerging cancer immunotherapies.
Congratulations to Tuerdimaimaiti Abudula, Thibault Colombani and team (Taofeek Alade, Prof. Sidi A Bencherif, and Prof. Adnan Memic) on their recent publication. They report an approach to engineer antibacterial, antioxidant, and injectable biomimetic cryogels by combining lignin with gelatin.
In this work, we report the design of injectable oxygen-generating cryogels as a new and minimally invasive strategy to boost antitumor immune responses.
More information can be found here. The Frontispiece can be found here.
Posted: February 7, 2022 by bencheriflab
The Bencherif Lab Receives $250,000 NSF PFI-PTT Award
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $250,000 Partnerships for Innovation – Technology Translation (PFI-TT) grant to ChE Assistant Professor Sidi A. Bencherif for “Cell Culture System with Enzyme-based Control of Oxygen Concentration to Enhance Biomedical Research”. The team includes graduate student Zachary Rogers, CEO of Cryoxia Biosciences, and technology commercialization expert/consultant Dr. James Sherley, CEO of Asymmetrex.
Abstract Source: NSF
In the proposed project, the Bencherif Lab will develop an Oxygen-Controlling Cell Culture (OCC) system, an enzyme-based approach adaptable to standard vessels used routinely in cell culture.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this PFI-TT project is to enhance biomedical research by controlling oxygen in cell culture. Cell culture, in which scientists attempt to grow cells in conditions like those in the body, is one of the most useful techniques in biomedical research. However, oxygen, a critical factor for cell behavior and physiology, is not controlled during standard cell cultures. In fact, cells in laboratory cell culture experience up to 50-fold higher oxygen concentrations than they do in the body. By changing the status quo of cell culture from non-oxygen-controlled to oxygen-controlled, the proposed technology can advance the scientific understanding of oxygen’s role in disease development, biological processes, and human tissues. In addition, the technology can improve human health by (i) fueling the discovery of new drugs and drug targets, (ii) improving the accuracy of the drug screening process, reducing the attrition rate, cost and time spent on failed drugs, and (iii) accelerating the commercialization of cell-based therapies for cancer treatment and regenerative medicine.
The project includes an entrepreneurial education and leadership development plan for graduate student Zach Rogers that will include prototyping/optimizing the OCC system and customer discovery activities, mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs in biotechnology and physiologic/hypoxic cell culture, and innovation and entrepreneurship activities. The project activities will also support graduate student Zachary Rogers and provide research opportunities for undergraduate students from diverse groups.
This award reflects NSF’s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation’s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Related Faculty: SIDI A. BENCHERIF
Related Departments: Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering
Posted: December 8, 2021 by bencheriflab
Prof. Bencherif Named Influential Researcher by American Chemical Society
Congrats to Prof. Bencherif for being named an influential researcher by the largest and most-cited general chemical engineering research journal in the world. The journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (I&EC), which is published by the American Chemical Society for Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, named its incoming 2021 class in the Dec. 8 edition. Prof. Bencherif was among 36 researchers selected from institutions around the world.
The global team of editors and editorial advisory board members identified this class of influential, early career researchers based on the quality and impact of their research. ACS I&EC is the largest, oldest, most cited, and highly selective general interest chemical engineering journal with global visibility across all facets of the chemistry profession.
For more information on the 2021 Class of Influential Researchers, you can visit the ACS I&EC website here.
For more information about this story, you can visit the COE website here.
Posted: November 23, 2021 by bencheriflab
Bencherif Lab publishes “Avian Egg: A Multifaceted Biomaterial for Tissue Engineering” in ACS I&EC
In collaboration with researchers from Shiraz University in Iran, the Bencherif Lab recently published a review article titled “Avian Egg: A Multifaceted Biomaterial for Tissue Engineering” in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research by the American Chemical Society. This review summarizes the advantages and status of egg components in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as well as their current limitations and future perspectives.
Check out the article here.
Posted: November 4, 2021 by bencheriflab
Bencherif Lab in collaboration with Carl G. Figdor & Martijn Verdoes Labs publish “Robust Antigen-Specific T Cell Activation Within Injectable 3D Synthetic Nanovaccine Depots” in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
Congratulations to Jorieke Weiden and team (Marjolein Schluck, Melina Ioannidis, Eric A. W. van Dinther, Mahboobeh Rezaeeyazdi, Fawad Omar, Juulke Steuten, Dion Voerman, Jurjen Tel, Mustafa Diken, Prof. Sidi A. Bencherif, Prof. Carl G. Figdor, and Prof. Martijn Verdoes) on their recent publication. They report an approach to introduce nanoparticles (NPs) into the walls of macroporous alginate cryogels and create a fully synthetic immunostimulatory niche that stimulates dendritic cells (DCs) and evokes strong antigen-specific T cell responses.
Check out the article here.
Posted: November 1, 2021 by bencheriflab
Prof. Bencherif Named Among World’s Top 2% Scientists according to Stanford University–Elsevier Report
Congratulations to Prof. Bencherif who was recently named among the top 2% scientists in the world according to Stanford–Elsevier BV report published in October 2021 [1]. Using Scopus publication impact scores, experts from Stanford University have released a complete list of the top world’s most influential scientists. This recognition places our work in the global map of excellence in research and brings great pride to the lab.
Copyright Northeastern University
The database was created to provide updated analyses and a publicly available database of top scientists. Updated databases and code are freely available in Mendeley.
Reference:
Posted: September 28, 2021 by bencheriflab
Bencherif and Bajpayee Lab publish on Cryogel Scaffolds for Focal Cartilage Defect Repair
Congratulations to Boting Li, alumna of Bencherif Lab, for publishing, “Hyaluronic Acid-Based Shape-Memory Cryogel Scaffolds for Focal Cartilage Defect Repair” in Tissue Engineering Part A as co-first author.
Article can be found here and more information can be found here.
Posted: September 28, 2021 by bencheriflab
Our Research is Featured on Front Cover of Advanced Science
Our recent publication “Biomaterials and Oxygen Join Forces to Shape the Immune Response and Boost COVID-19 Vaccines” is featured as the Front Cover in the latest issue of Advanced Science.
In this work, in collaboration with the Griffiths lab at Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), we demonstrate that advanced biomaterials and oxygen can be leveraged to boost the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
More information can be found here. The Front Cover can be found here.
Posted: September 27, 2021 by bencheriflab
Bencherif Lab publishes a new book chapter on “Polymeric scaffolds for antitumor immune cell priming”
Congratulations to Khushbu Bhatt and team (Loek Eggermont and Prof. Sidi A. Bencherif) on their recent publication in Engineering Technologies and Clinical Translation. This book chapter describes how polymeric scaffolds have been harnessed for immune cell priming and how they can be leveraged to prime immune cells and activate downstream antitumor responses. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of immunomodulatory polymeric scaffolds are discussed for the successful clinical translation of current and emerging cancer immunotherapies.
Check it out here.
Posted: September 22, 2021 by bencheriflab
Bencherif Lab in collaboration with Memic Lab publish “Injectable Lignin-co-Gelatin Cryogels with Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties for Biomedical Applications” in Biomacromolecules
Congratulations to Tuerdimaimaiti Abudula, Thibault Colombani and team (Taofeek Alade, Prof. Sidi A Bencherif, and Prof. Adnan Memic) on their recent publication. They report an approach to engineer antibacterial, antioxidant, and injectable biomimetic cryogels by combining lignin with gelatin.
Check it out here.
Posted: September 22, 2021 by bencheriflab
Our Research is Featured as Cover in Advanced Functional Materials
One of our recent publications “Oxygen-Generating Cryogels Restore T-Cell Mediated Cytotoxicity in Hypoxic Tumors“ was featured as a Frontispiece in the latest issue of Advanced Functional Materials. Advanced Functional Materials reports breakthrough research in all aspects of materials science.
In this work, we report the design of injectable oxygen-generating cryogels as a new and minimally invasive strategy to boost antitumor immune responses.
More information can be found here. The Frontispiece can be found here.