Suman Bose, Ph.D.
Faculty Candidate Peds/BioE
Research Scientist
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT
Seminar Information
Cellular interactions are central to several biological processes, and understanding and controlling how cells interact is critical for designing effective cell-based therapies. This talk will discuss how precision-engineered devices can be designed to interrogate, manipulate, and control cells in vitro and in vivo.
First, I will describe the development of a micro-engineered implant that can protect and maintain xenogeneic cells secreting therapeutic factors inside hosts without the need for immune suppression. I will show how we can use precision designs to control interactions of immune cells with the transplant to ensure long-term viability of the xenograft. I will demonstrate pre-clinical device development and testing in rodents and ongoing evaluations in non-human primates. These implants act as living drug factories inside the body, and we are exploring the potential of this platform to treat chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes, blood disorder and liver failure.
Next, I will present our most recent work on creating platforms for sequencing non-coding RNAs in single cells. We have developed a high-throughput microfluidic device that can rapidly enrich and barcode microRNAs from single cells and process them for analysis through next-generation sequencing. I will discuss the potential of this technology as a tool for disease diagnosis and to study cell function.
Finally, I will conclude my talk with a high-level overview of problems my future lab is interested in and our interdisciplinary approach to solving them.
Suman Bose is a Research Scientist at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, working in the laboratories of Professor Robert Langer and Daniel Anderson. He obtained his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, and went on to receive master's and doctorate degrees also in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. Suman’s graduate research focused on developing bio-inspired microfluidic technologies for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. At the Koch Institute, Suman combines precision biomaterial engineering, microtechnology, and cellular engineering to build implantable devices that work as living drug factories inside patients. He is also working with Professor Phillip Sharp to develop new technologies to enable rapid high-throughput sequencing of non-coding RNAs at a single-cell resolution.