Engineering a new material type is impressive; anticipating long-term health and ecosystem impacts of an engineered material takes real foresight. Within the Harvard University system, the Wyss Institute develops improved, nature-inspired materials to solve real-world problems through concerted engineering and scientific R&D, culminating in commercialization. As global regulatory agencies increasingly scrutinize materials used in manufacturing, medicine, and agricultural systems for far-reaching environmental consequences, industry-ready solutions are welcome.
Scientists making a positive environmental impact
The Wyss Institute is a non-profit at Harvard University with a mission to develop biologically inspired materials and devices to solve critical medical and environmental problems. First, they identify which new material options are in demand in the marketplace, and then their engineers and scientists develop solutions that are patented and commercialized. The institute was primed to recognize that man-made material pollution is driving chronic health conditions. About 90% of its research focuses on human health. The Wyss’s Laboratory for Sustainable Materials Research and Innovation supports early-stage research into technologies to transform how materials are sourced and used. The laboratory focuses on developing technologies to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining performance in real-world applications.
Dr. Emily Stoler is a Principal Scientist in the Sustainable Materials group at the Wyss. Furthermore, she is an Advanced Technology member with industry experience developing sustainable materials. As a chemist, she teams with synthetic biologists, medical doctors, engineers and business development team members in an academic setting focused on solving critical environmental problems.
Labconscious and New England Biolabs thank Dr. Stoler for giving her talk about this work at our Go Green Symposium. The innovations shared in this quick talk will give you hope for the future. The Wyss Institute is also working to address the plastic waste crisis and to develop eco-friendly, affordable air and water purification systems.
“We aren’t going to build a sustainable future by exerting more control, instead we need to think about designing materials that align with our living system.’
— Emily Stoler, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, Sustainable Materials Lab, The Wyss Institute
Designing Materials for a Living Planet
For much of the last century, materials were optimized for durability, performance, and cost, often without considering what happens when those materials enter biological and environmental systems. Advances in biology, artificial intelligence, and materials chemistry are beginning to change that perspective by bringing biological thinking into the design of new materials and technologies. Closer collaboration between chemists, engineers, and biologists opens new pathways for innovation and sustainability, helping us imagine solutions that better align with the dynamics of our living world.
The More you know: the push for sustainably designed Materials
Dependence on materials with few or no practical greener substitutes poses a major challenge to integrating environmental sustainability into modern life. How did we get here? There may have been a bit of cognitive dissonance involved. However, I like to think that picture has just gotten clearer over time. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a well-known example of the challenges to replacing high-performing materials that have become deeply embedded in modern infrastructure and manufacturing. Health threats associated with PFAS were once murkier. PFAS-related effects were gradual enough that, as a society, we tended to hold our noses to keep critical systems moving. Then things changed. In recent years, standard detection methods evolved. Labs can now detect more PFAS types using non-targeted approaches. More diverse samples (drinking water, soil, human tissue, blood, etc.) can be tested. Analyses are supported by more data, available from higher-throughput methods. Clearer patterns emerged from epidemiological population studies. In other words, industry leaders and global regulators can now consider accumulated evidence to better balance public health risks from PFAS for each particular use case. There is openness to equally performing material alternatives that are economically feasible. That is progress that scientists can build on.
LEARN aBOUT mORE sUSTAINABILITY tRENDS iN lIFE sCIENCE
Since launching a grassroots sustainability initiative in 2020, the Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) Green Labs program has expanded, helping to save the equivalent of the energy used by 89 homes each day—and reducing lab freezer failures by 68%. What’s behind all the improvements? A compelling “why.”