News Release

Wyss Institute core faculty member elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

David Mooney honored for his contribution to the nation's health

Grant and Award Announcement

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard

David Mooney, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard

image: This is an image of David Mooney, Ph.D. view more 

Credit: Wyss Institute

BOSTON -- David Mooney, Ph.D., a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and the Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, which is one of the highest honors in the field of medicine in the United States.

The IOM is an organization with more than 1,900 members and foreign associates that recognizes individuals who have made seminal contributions to medicine, healthcare and public health. Its members serve on committees and boards that advise government agencies, policy makers and professionals on healthcare issues. Mooney joins 70 new members and ten foreign associates elected this year.

Mooney is being honored for his pioneering work in the tissue-engineering field, and his substantial contributions to the fields of biomaterials, drug delivery, and mechanotransduction. In addition, his recent work in therapeutic cancer vaccines could transform the treatment of cancer. Mooney leads the Programmable Nanomaterials Platform at the Wyss Institute. Scientists in that platform create therapeutic biomaterials that seek out injury sites, deliver drugs, and promote tissue repair.

"I'm deeply honored to be elected to this illustrious organization and join such an extraordinary group of medical scientists and physicians," Mooney said.

"Dave has made seminal contributions to biomaterials science and tissue engineering, including the development of a therapeutic cancer vaccine that recently entered human clinical trials," said Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D. "We're proud of his accomplishments and extremely pleased to have him as a core faculty member and platform leader at the Institute."

"The boundaries between engineering, life sciences, and medicine are blurring in ways that are leading to new knowledge and innovative new therapies for patients," said Cherry Murray, Ph.D., dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. "Dave, who was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2010, is not only a path-breaking applied scientist at the forefront of the cross-disciplinary field of engineering the body's own immune system, he is also a great teacher and mentor."

In addition to Mooney, Ingber and Wyss Institute core faculty member James Collins, Ph.D. are also IOM members. Mooney will be formally inducted to the IOM at next year's annual meeting in October 2014.

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PRESS CONTACT

Dan Ferber
dan.ferber@wyss.harvard.edu
+1 617-432-1547

About the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University uses Nature's design principles to develop bioinspired materials and devices that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world. Working as an alliance among Harvard's Schools of Medicine, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences, and in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston University, Tufts University, and Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Institute crosses disciplinary and institutional barriers to engage in high-risk research that leads to transformative technological breakthroughs. By emulating Nature's principles for self-organizing and self-regulating, Wyss researchers are developing innovative new engineering solutions for healthcare, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing. These technologies are translated into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators, corporate alliances, and new start-ups.

About the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard's teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology. Through collaboration with researchers from all parts of Harvard, other universities, and corporate and foundational partners, we bring discovery and innovation directly to bear on improving human life and society. For more information, visit: http://seas.harvard.edu.


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