SQI member Nathan Gianneschi co-led the development of a new microscopy method that allows scientists to see the building blocks of “smart” materials being formed through dispersion polymerization, a common process used to make medicines, cosmetics, latex and other items, often on an industrial scale.

“Our method allows us to visualize this class of polymerization in real time, at the nanoscale, which has never been done before,” Gianneschi said. “We now have the ability to see the reaction taking place, see these nanostructures being formed, and learn how to take advantage of the incredible things they can do.”

SQI faculty member Stuart Stock and colleagues used advanced imaging technology to noninvasively investigate the insides of a 1,900-year-old mummy, revealing clues about its social status. A combination of computed tomography and X-ray diffraction displayed objects inside of the wrappings, including what the researchers believe is a scarab beetle buried with the mummy to symbolize rebirth.

"The X-rays give off what is essentially a fingerprint that is characteristic of the material," Stock told CNN.

An innovative orthopedic medical device fabricated from a biomaterial pioneered in the laboratory of SQI member Guillermo Ameer has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in surgeries to attach soft tissue grafts to bone.

The biomaterial is the first thermoset biodegradable synthetic polymer ever approved for use in an implantable medical device. Its unique chemical and mechanical properties enable cutting-edge implant designs that protect the soft tissue graft during insertion and optimize graft fixation to bone.

A research team led by SQI faculty member Evan Scott has discovered a new, rapid method for fabricating nanoparticles from a simple, self-assembling polymer. The novel method — which involves using a nanoscale polymer net to trap drug molecules — presents new possibilities for diverse applications, including water purification, diagnostics and rapidly generating vaccine formulations, which typically require many different types of molecules to be either captured or delivered at the same time.

The research was published in the journal Nature Communications and partially supported by SQI’s Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine.

SQI faculty member Jonathan Rivnay has garnered two research grants totaling $1.8 million to explore different approaches for using electroactive scaffolds to affect regeneration of peripheral nerves. In both cases, the idea is to design new materials and biocomposites that will allow for electrical stimulation at the site of nerve damage, as electrical stimulation is known to influence cellular processes linked to nerve repair and regeneration.

SQI director Samuel Stupp was highlighted in a recent Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences article about how fundamental research has laid the groundwork for potential solutions for COVID-19. In Stupp’s case, his experience conducting pioneering research on peptide materials for regenerative medicine enabled him to rapidly pivot and explore the possibility of using peptide-based therapies to treat COVID-19.

“You have to draw from many parts of science to solve problems, and it’s very difficult to predict which ones will be the most useful,” Stupp said. “This pandemic illustrates a very important point: that even though I was not focused on viral infections, I was able to use my knowledge and my experience in something else that is directly applicable to the current COVID-19 challenge.”

Researchers led by SQI faculty member Nathan Gianneschi have synthesized a new form of melanin enriched with selenium that shows extraordinary promise as a shield for human tissue against harmful radiation.

Gianneschi and his team envision that this new biomaterial, called "selenomelanin," could be applied to a person’s skin, like a melanin-based sunscreen. It could also be used as a protective film to shield materials from radiation while in transit, including during space travel.

Mark Karver, director of SQI’s Peptide Synthesis Core (PSC), was highlighted in the latest “Breakthroughs” newsletter produced by the Feinberg School of Medicine Research Office. In the interview, Karver describes the research trajectory that led him to Northwestern, the wide range of collaborations that involve the PSC and a current project investigating the use of peptide-based therapies for COVID-19.

Researchers from Northwestern University and Iowa State University have developed a graphene-based electrochemical biosensor capable of detecting histamines (allergens) and toxins in food, with a low manufacturing cost and a much faster response than standard laboratory tests. SQI faculty member Mark Hersam was a co-corresponding author on the research, which showed that the printable biosensors could detect toxicologically relevant levels of histamine in both a buffer solution and fish broth.  

“These biosensors can be used in many settings such as import and export ports, food processing facilities, and supermarkets, where continuous on-site monitoring of food samples is needed,” Hersam said. “On-site testing would eliminate the need to send food samples for laboratory testing, which requires additional steps for handling and increases time and cost for analysis — consequently increasing the risk of foodborne illnesses and food wastage.”

SQI faculty member Mark Hersam has received a rapid response research (RAPID) grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new elastic material that could enable N95 face masks to be disinfected and reused dozens of times without losing their snug fit.

Medical equipment is commonly disinfected with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, which is highly effective in killing or inactivating pathogens but also rapidly ages plastics and rubber. Hersam’s team is developing a new type of elastic composite based on hydrated graphene oxide, a material that shows resistance to ultraviolet radiation and has proven intrinsic antimicrobial properties.

SQI faculty member Mark Hersam has been selected to receive the 2020 Medard W. Welch Award, the top research honor from the American Vacuum Society. The award recognizes Hersam for “pioneering contributions to the synthesis, surface science, chemical functionalization, and application of low-dimensional nanoelectronic materials.”

SQI faculty member John Rogers led the development of a flexible, wearable device the size of a postage stamp which can rest on a patient's throat and continuously track a range of coronavirus symptoms, including coughing intensity and patterns, chest wall movements, respiratory sounds, heart rate and body temperature. The wireless devices are currently being used on COVID-19 patients at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and the healthcare workers who treat them, offering monitoring both in the clinic and at home.

Data from these sensors are run through algorithms specifically tailored to catch early signs and symptoms associated with COVID-19. The researchers believe these devices could provide crucial insights at every stage, leading to earlier detection of the virus and quantifiable information about disease progression or a patient's response to treatment.

Researchers in the laboratory of SQI faculty member Nathan Gianneschi have developed a hair dye process that is much milder than traditional hair dyes, which could prevent hair damage or health risks posed by frequent coloring. The new dye uses synthetic melanin to mimic natural human hair pigmentation.

“In this study, our postdoctoral fellow Claudia Battistella wondered whether we could use a synthetic process to make a melanin coating on hair, that would mimic the appearance of real, melanized hair in the full array of natural hair colors,” Gianneschi said. “Such an approach, if done under mild conditions, could be an alternative to other kinds of hair dyes, avoiding some of the toxicity or allergies associated with those chemicals.”

SQI faculty member John Rogers coauthored a study in Science Translational Medicine that describes a new high-resolution brain mapping tool called “Neural Matrix.”

The technology is a thin, flexible sheet that rests on the surface of the brain and uses more than 1,000 measurement sites to sample a centimeter-scale brain region. It exceeds the lifespans of current neural interface systems and may enhance how brain function is measured and how efficiently neurological diseases are diagnosed and treated.

SQI faculty member Michael Jewett is part of a team of Northwestern University synthetic biologists aiming to develop a one-step diagnostic test for infectious diseases, including COVID-19. The investigators recently received a rapid response research (RAPID) grant from the National Science Foundation and hope to create an easy-to-use test that provides a result in less than an hour and costs less than a dollar to manufacture.

By simplifying the process, they believe they can overcome some of the hurdles of traditional laboratory testing and enable the large-scale testing required to reopen the economy or prepare for a predicted coronavirus resurgence in the fall. The tool combines the gene-editing tool CRISPR, custom genetic circuits and cell-free synthetic biology in order to detect the virus and signal its presence in a sample — possibly acquired via nasal swab or saliva.

Investigators at the Simpson Querrey Institute (SQI) are collaborating with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop new peptide therapies for targeting and disabling the coronavirus’ so-called “spike proteins," which attach to and infect healthy cells. 

SQI scientists involved in the project include SQI director Samuel Stupp, Peptide Synthesis Core director Mark Karver, assistant core scientist Suvendu Biswas, and Ruomeng Qiu, a graduate student in the Stupp group. 

SQI faculty members Michael Jewett and Nathan Gianneschi were among the 156 new members elected into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows, AIMBE announced March 24.

The fellows represent the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers, according to AIMBE. Membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to research, education and practice in the field, as well as those who have pioneered new technologies or developed innovative approaches to bioengineering education.

An interdisciplinary team co-led by SQI faculty member John Rogers has developed a wireless, battery-charged, affordable monitoring system for newborn babies that can easily be implemented to provide clinical-grade care in nearly any setting. The soft, flexible sensors can also monitor pregnant women during labor and could reduce risks for both mothers and infants, particularly in low-resource settings.

These devices are being deployed in hospitals in Ghana, India, Kenya and Zambia and were featured in a recent cover article in the journal Nature Medicine.

SQI faculty member Michael Jewett led newly published research that describes a system — called ribosome synthesis and evolution (RISE) — that allows the scientists to rapidly create cell-free ribosomes in vitro and then select ribosomes for specific functions. The ability to evolve ribosomes without cell viability constraints could lead to new ways to synthesize materials and therapies.

Advanced Materials published a Q&A article with SQI director Samuel Stupp on Jan. 15. In the interview, Stupp described how he became a pioneer in self-assembled materials, his interdisciplinary approach to science and his future plans for research.

My laboratory is exploring supramolecular assemblies that respond rapidly to external inputs of energy to perform tasks we expect from a living creature,” Stupp said. “The systems could therefore be labeled ‘robotic materials’ and it is indeed very exciting research, progressing toward artificial life with supramolecular systems.

I would also like to develop further the field we pioneered over the past two decades, supramolecular biomaterials.’ These supramolecular systems were structured to signal cells and with them we demonstrated their unprecedented ability to help regenerate tissues.