The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Natalie Artzi, Ph.D., to the newly established position of Associate Institute Director. This strategic role marks a significant milestone in the Institute’s ongoing commitment to pioneering transformative advancements at the intersection of biology and engineering. As Associate Institute Director, Dr. Artzi will collaborate intimately with Founding Director Dr. Don Ingber and the Wyss senior leadership team to chart the future course of the Institute’s multifaceted research initiatives and bolstered translational efforts.
Dr. Artzi’s leadership role will be pivotal in fostering a vibrant community within the Wyss ecosystem, expanding research frontiers, and cultivating robust partnerships across industry sectors and philanthropic ventures. Her mandate encompasses galvanizing multi-investigator collaborations aimed at securing substantial research funding, thereby driving forward innovative projects that epitomize the Institute’s mission to translate biologically inspired engineering into practical medical and environmental solutions. Her rapid ascension from Associate Faculty in 2022 to Core Faculty in 2024 illustrates her deep scientific impact and unwavering dedication to the Wyss vision.
A tribute to Dr. Artzi’s leadership, Dr. Don Ingber expressed enthusiasm for her role, emphasizing her visionary approach and dedication to collaboration as essential to continuing the Wyss legacy of groundbreaking innovation. Ingber highlighted Artzi’s capacity to inspire and mobilize the Institute’s collective talents toward breakthrough technologies that promise to enhance patient health outcomes worldwide and promote environmental sustainability. This appointment is envisioned as a catalyst for expanding the reach and influence of the Institute’s transformative bioengineering efforts.
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From her perspective, Dr. Artzi conveyed her excitement about stepping into a leadership role at an institute renowned for its fertile innovation culture. She reflected on being inspired by the intellect and ingenuity of the Wyss community and anticipated deepening strategic alliances, advancing new research paradigms, and co-steering the Wyss’s impactful translation of laboratory discoveries into real-world applications that transform global health.
Dr. Artzi directs a sophisticated research program centered on the design and development of tissue- and cell-responsive nanostructures aimed at revolutionizing disease diagnostics and therapeutics. Her laboratory focuses on targeted drug delivery systems and immune modulation strategies addressing some of the most aggressive cancers as well as infectious, neurological, and autoimmune diseases. Her pioneering work in structural nanomedicines involves engineering precise nanoscale architectures that organize therapeutic agents for enhanced targeting efficiency, therapeutic potency, and patient safety.
Her innovations include polymeric and lipid-based nanocarriers for gene and immune therapies, sustained-release delivery platforms, and microneedle arrays facilitating transdermal administration and minimally invasive diagnostic sampling. Additionally, her lab develops tissue-specific adhesive hydrogels engineered for surgical applications that respond dynamically to the biological environment. This integrative approach leverages material science, nanotechnology, and bioengineering principles to improve clinical outcomes through highly tailored therapeutic interventions.
Since 2024, Dr. Artzi has been the principal investigator on a cutting-edge ARPA-H funded initiative that leverages a novel Duplex RNA therapeutic developed by Dr. Ingber’s team, synergizing it with her advanced drug delivery modalities to amplify anti-tumor and anti-pathogen immune responses across diverse patient cohorts. This project exemplifies the collaborative ethos of the Wyss Institute, integrating expertise from core faculty member Dr. William Shih in DNA nanotechnology and EnPlusOne’s innovative enzymatic RNA synthesis capabilities.
Expanding the boundaries of translational nanomedicine, Dr. Artzi is also collaborating with Dr. James Gorman, the Wyss Senior Director of Translational R&D, on engineering nanoparticle drug carriers compatible with the Institute’s Brain Targeting Program. This initiative exploits newly identified brain shuttle peptides that facilitate passage across the notoriously restrictive blood-brain barrier, offering promise for improved treatment of neurological disorders through enhanced delivery of therapeutics to affected brain regions.
Dr. Artzi’s group further contributes to sensor technology by partnering with Wyss Core Faculty members Dr. David Walt and Dr. James Collins on ultra-sensitive diagnostic platforms for infectious diseases. These efforts emphasize the development of microneedle-enabled diagnostic assays capable of detecting Lyme disease infections from skin samples with unprecedented sensitivity and minimal invasiveness. This integration of nanotechnology and bioengineering underscores the Institute’s commitment to innovative disease detection technologies.
In her administrative capacity as Associate Institute Director, Dr. Artzi actively facilitates cross-disciplinary collaboration and supports the expansion of multi-investigator grant proposals to sustain and amplify Wyss’s pioneering research endeavors. She has partnered with the Institute’s Strategic Engagement team to support fundraising and community-building efforts, additionally initiating and managing a faculty seminar series that showcases cutting-edge research by both internal and external thought leaders, strengthening institutional cohesion.
The Wyss Institute itself stands as a global center for biologically inspired engineering, dedicated to disrupting traditional boundaries between biology, engineering, and medicine. Its mission is the acceleration of ground-breaking technologies that emulate natural processes, fostering rapid translation into startup ventures and corporate partnerships that deliver tangible societal benefits. The Institute’s diverse consortium of academic and clinical collaborators spans the Boston area and internationally renowned institutions, creating a rich ecosystem for multidisciplinary innovation.
Through its focus areas including diagnostics, therapeutics, medical technology, and sustainability, the Wyss Institute leverages the collective expertise of Harvard’s Schools of Medicine, Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Design alongside leading hospitals and universities worldwide. This strategic collaborative environment fosters creativity and breaks down silos, catalyzing innovations that hold promise to transform healthcare delivery and address pressing environmental challenges.
Dr. Artzi’s appointment as Associate Institute Director marks a critical evolution in the Wyss Institute’s leadership, reinforcing its commitment to fostering interdisciplinary science and engineering breakthroughs with profound biomedical implications. Her vision combines fundamental biomedical engineering advances with strategic leadership to amplify the Institute’s global impact, ushering in a new era of translational research excellence that bridges laboratory discovery and clinical application.
With decades of expertise and a prolific record of innovation in nanomedicine and bioengineering, Dr. Artzi is poised to drive the next generation of transformative technologies. Her leadership will undoubtedly influence the trajectory of therapeutic development, diagnostic technologies, and biomaterials engineering, nurturing a culture of innovation and partnership that aligns seamlessly with the Wyss Institute’s ambitious goals of improving human health and environmental stewardship worldwide.
Subject of Research: Biologically inspired engineering, translational nanomedicine, targeted drug delivery, immune modulation, diagnostic technologies.
Article Title: Wyss Institute Appoints Dr. Natalie Artzi as Associate Institute Director to Lead Next Generation of Translational Bioengineering Innovations
News Publication Date: May 29, 2025
Web References:
– https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/core-faculty/natalie-artzi-ph-d/
– https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/executive-team/donald-ingber/
– https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/core-faculty/william-shih/
– https://wyss.harvard.edu/technology/controlled-enzymatic-rna-oligonucleotide-synthesis/
– https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/advanced-technology-team/james-gorman/
– https://wyss.harvard.edu/collaboration/brain-targeting-program/
– https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/core-faculty/david-walt/
– https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/core-faculty/james-collins/
Keywords: Translational research, biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, immunotherapy, drug delivery, medical technology, diseases and disorders, immune system, health care, therapeutics, diagnostics, applied sciences and engineering
Tags: Associate Institute Director roleDr. Natalie Artzi appointmentfostering research collaborationsHarvard University research initiativesleadership in scientific communityphilanthropic ventures in sciencesecuring research funding for innovationstrengthening industry partnershipstransformative advancements in biology and engineeringtranslating biological engineering into medical solutionsvision for future research at Wyss Institute.Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering