Lab News

The Doyle Group’s newest PhD, Dr. Lindsey S. Brown!

Dr. Lindsey S. Brown defended her dissertation, entitled “A Systems Biology Approach to the Modeling and Control of Circadian Rhythms,” on April 19th.  The Doyle group is excited to celebrate our newest Ph.D. and looks forward to seeing where her research career takes her!

Frank Doyle elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Francis J. Doyle III, Dean of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Read more here:

Doyle, Ingber elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Development of a novel insulin sensor

 

Work from the Doyle Group’s presentation at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, exploring the ability to measure insulin in real time was featured in an article on Healio.  Read the story here:

https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20200615/novel-insulin-sensor-under-development-for-pointofcare-testing-insulindelivery-devices

A Blood Test for PTSD?: Doyle group’s work featured in Harvard Magazine

Harvard Magazine featured a piece on the group’s proposed technique to identify PTSD using blood biomarkers.   Read the full story here:

https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2020/01/ptsd-blood-test

Blood Test Could Help Identify Troops Suffering From PTSD

Work from the Doyle Group was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal.  Read the full story here:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/blood-test-could-help-identify-troops-suffering-from-ptsd-11568119269

And the press release here:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-09/nlh-et090919.php

And the story by the SEAS team:

https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2019/09/experimental-blood-test-accurately-screens-for-ptsd

NIH funds closed loop in pregnancy studies at Harvard, Mt. Sinai, Mayo Clinic, and Sansum; three-year, $2.3 million grant

The NIH has awarded our group an R01 grant for the study of closed loop control of diabetes in pregnant women

Artificial Pancreas Smartphone App Shows Positive Trial Results

The results of our clinical trial are promising for the use of a phone app for diabetes management and have been featured in multiple news stories:

Harvard Researchers Report Positive Trial Results with Artificial Pancreas Smartphone App

“The results of a new clinical trial have shown the safety and efficacy of the interoperable Artificial Pancreas System smartphone app (iAPS), which can interface wirelessly with leading continuous glucose monitors (CGM), insulin pump devices, and decision-making algorithms.”

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-01-harvard-positive-trial-results-artificial.html

Read the full text of the article here:

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/dia.2018.0278?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DIA%20PR%20January%2025%202019&d=1/25/2019&mcid=655407647

Experimental phone app works with insulin pumps to control diabetes

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-diabetes-apps/experimental-phone-app-works-with-insulin-pumps-to-control-diabetes-idUSKCN1PN32D

Positive results from smartphone-app-based artificial pancreas

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2019/jan/positive-results-from-smartphone-app-based-artificial-pancreas-94138855.html

 

 

 

Open Positions with the Biomedical Systems Engineering Research Group at Harvard SEAS

Multi-omic studies towards the identification of robust biomarkers for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-doc Opening
Harvard University in School of Engineering & Applied Sciences

The aims of this Army-funded study are identifying, validating and characterizing blood-based diagnostic biomarkers for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Harvard is part of a collaborative consortium of researchers that includes NYU, UCSF, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, the Institute for Systems Biology, and the Army Center for Environmental Health Research. At Harvard, the team continues to work on (i) optimizing the panel of heterogeneous (multi-omics) markers for diagnosing PTSD, (ii) identifying dysregulated subnetworks that are related to glucocorticoid receptor regulation and Fc epsilon R1 signaling in PTSD based on changes in DNA methylation patterns, (iii) constructing, validating and characterizing polygenic risk profiles for PTSD, and (iv) identifying mechanisms underlying metabolic dysfunction in PTSD with a network based mathematical modeling using correlational and causal analysis. In the next phase of the project, in addition to refinement and further validation of these results on larger independent cohorts, we aim to characterize their properties by investigating the impact of comorbidity, demographic factors, and symptom severity range on biomarker performance. We also plan to enhance and refine (for example, by focusing on subsets of features or updating parameters) the panels as necessary with the ultimate goal of building a robust PTSD diagnostic biomarker panel.

Interested candidates should send a resume, optional cover letter, and three professional references as a single PDF to Claire Van Strien cvanstrien@seas.harvard.edu.

Diabetes Research Group

Post-doc Opening
Harvard University in School of Engineering & Applied Sciences

The Diabetes Research Group at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is seeking post-doc fellows that would like to be engaged in cutting edge interdisciplinary biomedical research and the development of novel control algorithms to improve glucose control and quality of life for people with type 1 diabetes mellitus under the supervision of Dr. Dassau.  The research activity will include algorithm development, computer simulations and translation of the work to human clinical studies.

Basic Qualifications  

A Ph.D. degree (or close to completion) in Systems and Control, Applied Mathematics, Electrical or Mechanical or Chemical Engineering, or related field is required. Ideal candidates must have a strong background in design and development of MPC algorithms, System Theory, Automatic Control, and Optimization. Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills and ability to write peer reviewed papers with limited supervision. Must have the ability to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of scientists and medical professionals on a large project at all stages. Experience using Matlab, Java is required.

Additional Qualifications

Preference for individuals familiar and interested in translational medicine or biomedical-related fields. This position requires an individual capable of consistent use of discretion, judgment, and initiative. Experience using C, embedded C and Python is a plus.

Required documents

An informal cover letter and/or personal statement, no longer than 1 page and detailed curriculum vitae with a list of publications is required. Please provide the names and contact information of three references. Please submit as one .pdf file in the above order. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Prospective candidates should send their application to APS@seas.harvard.edu with the required information. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until positions are filled.

Artificial Pancreas Clinical Database

Our Artificial Pancreas Clinical Database brings together information from published studies conducted around the world, allowing protocol-specific searches and cross-study comparisons.