If you happen to had requested Adama Sesay as a toddler what she needed to be when she grew up, the reply would have been a health care provider, an architect, and a firefighter. Now a Senior Engineer specializing in sensors and microsystems, it’s possible you’ll suppose she’s gone in a totally totally different course, however by following the passions that led her to these concepts – science, design, and saving lives – she’s discovered a profession she loves. On the Wyss, Adama is a member of the Superior Know-how Staff and works on a variety of tasks that span from sensor-integrated Organ Chips to make medication safer to an enzyme that converts sugar to fiber to make meals more healthy, whereas concurrently main the Girls’s Well being Catalyst. Study extra about Adama and her work on this month’s People of the Wyss.
What tasks are you concerned with?
I specialise in biosensing, microfluidics, and microsystems, and my tasks span over fairly a various space. The primary mission I’ve been managing is a BARDA mission, which is a federally funded mission taking a look at integrating sensors to measure biomarkers like cytokines, from a lymph node tissue mannequin, or a lymphoid follicle (LF) Chip. On this mission, I’ve largely targeting the instrumentation facet, offering the precise {hardware} (which is a type of sensor-integrated cartridge) and retrofitting it right into a business Organ Chip system.
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Adama Sesay, Senior Engineer II. Credit score: Wyss Institute at Harvard College
Then I’ve one other mission the place we’re growing an enzyme-encapsulated particle that reduces sugar in meals as soon as it’s consumed, changing it to dietary fiber. Principally, this is able to be a “good meals” ingredient, the place the enzyme is simply activated when you devour it. That means, the meals tastes the identical, however the precise quantity of sugar your physique metabolizes is decrease.
I’m engaged on a 3rd mission the place we’re growing and microfabricating a microfluidic Blood Clotting Chip to review clotting time for sufferers which have mesothelioma, a most cancers brought on by publicity to asbestos. We’re collaborating with Massachusetts Normal Hospital and Boston Youngsters’s Hospital.
What are biosensors, microfluidics, and microsystems?
A biosensor is a tool that mixes a organic element with a sensor transducer and might measure a organic or chemical response by producing indicators to point the focus of the analyte, or element of curiosity, within the monitored pattern. Microfluidics refers to a system that has small channels that may transfer and ship low volumes of fluid. The idea is that fabrication-wise, a microfluidic channel is something that has dimensions within the micrometer vary. The benefit of microfluidics is which you can ship very low volumes to totally different areas and manipulate these flows a traditional instance is a an Organ Chip. A microsystem gadget on this context takes it a bit additional and is the combination of sensors, microfluidics, and utility. The three are a carefully built-in package deal.
What real-world issues do these tasks tackle?
With the BARDA mission, we are able to use the LF Chips to observe the immune system’s response to several types of medication. We are able to use affected person samples to get time resolved information concerning the irritation response. Along with serving to display medication for security, this might assist us decide which therapies can be utilized on immuno-compromised sufferers or what a vaccine response shall be in a sure inhabitants.
![](https://robohub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Organ-on-a-Chip-Flu-Vaccine-Response_illustration.jpg)
This illustration demonstrates the construction of the LF Chip that Adama is engaged on. Credit score: Wyss Institute at Harvard College
The sugar fiber mission will assist tackle America’s ever-growing issues with weight problems and diabetes. Regardless of these points, there’s a large meals trade right here that depends on refined sugars, particularly excessive fructose corn syrup. Along with these different points, excessive fructose diets contribute to metabolic syndrome. Plus, the American eating regimen is low in fiber. We began this mission taking a look at how you can make meals extra satisfying whereas additionally being accountable. Our enzyme encapsulation will hopefully tackle diabetes and metabolic syndrome, whereas rising fiber, which is able to make folks’s intestine microbiomes more healthy.
We hope to make use of the Blood Clotting Chip to know the clotting time and the thrombosis components of mesothelioma. It will also be used as a diagnostic device. Understanding a affected person’s blood clotting issue is important once they go into surgical procedure, even past these affected by this illness. This turned much more obvious to me just lately when my father wanted to have emergency surgical procedure, however they needed to wait till he could possibly be off blood thinners for a time frame. If we may use this as a diagnostic take a look at, surgeons would know when a affected person’s clotting issue was such that they have been prepared for surgical procedure.
What’s your particular function on the workforce?
I’m a Senior Engineer right here and a part of the Superior Know-how Staff, I lead the biosensing, microfluidics, and microsystems effort on the Wyss. I’m additionally accountable for the microfabrication room and efforts, and work carefully with Pawan Jolly, who’s the lead on sensors. That entails however shouldn’t be restricted to analysis mission administration, writing funding proposals, mentorship, and overseeing relationships with inner and exterior collaborator.
How are you serving to to advance ladies’s well being on the Wyss?
One in all my largest pursuits in the intervening time is to construct up the Girls’s Well being Catalyst. In a spot just like the Wyss that’s taking a look at unmet wants, it’s pure that we’ve got various tasks already in our pipeline devoted to ladies’s well being as a result of therapeutics and diagnostics particularly aimed toward ladies’s well being points are one of many largest unmet medical wants on this planet. All this work is being executed inside our present Focus Areas. A lot of our researchers are extremely devoted to rising our information and discovering real-world options.
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Adama and the opposite audio system on the Wyss’ occasion celebrating Girls on the Intersection of Science and Artwork on Worldwide Girls’s Day. Credit score: Wyss Institute at Harvard College
So, proper now we’re aiming to coalesce all these tasks to carry collectively our sensible scientists, clinicians, and know-how groups to advance analysis and make medication and gadgets to assist folks. We purpose to have the ability to spotlight these tasks to draw exterior collaborators to work with our Wyss know-how translation engine, and someday turn into a world-class beacon the place folks wish to come and actually make advances in ladies’s well being.
How are you serving to to bridge the hole between academia and trade on the Wyss?
I’ve a various group of researchers on my workforce together with biologists, biotechnologists, biomedical engineers, and mechanical engineers who take a look at challenges very in a different way, whereas I take a look at the commercial want and see how we are able to translate the science into one thing to deal with the gaps. I believe what it boils all the way down to is facilitating the communication between scientists and engineers on the analysis facet and translating that acquired information into know-how, companies, and merchandise on the enterprise and industrial sides.
“I believe what it boils all the way down to is facilitating the communication between scientists and engineers on the analysis facet and translating that acquired information into know-how, companies, and merchandise on the enterprise and industrial sides.”
– Adama Sesay
For instance, if I’m designing a diagnostic gadget, I’ll take heed to the scientists about how the elemental biology works of their system and use my expertise in sensor growth, microsystems, and growing point-of-care gadgets to talk to extra virtually minded engineers about how you can construct the gadget, discovering a typical language between the 2. Then, we have to talk why this gadget is helpful to a enterprise viewers so as to efficiently commercialize it.
What introduced you to the Wyss?
I needed to be in a spot that was busy doing what I had been doing for some time in Europe, which is translational science. The primary place on my want listing was the Wyss Institute. I liked the work happening right here; the organs-on-chips and the translational nature of the place. It’s fairly distinctive in its construction. So, I bought in contact with folks working right here, particularly in Donald Ingber’s lab, and I used to be fortunate that there was a place open once I utilized.
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Members of Don Ingber’s lab, together with Adama, on the Wyss Retreat in 2022. Credit score: Wyss Institute at Harvard College
How has your earlier work expertise formed your method to your work right now?
Beginning with my grasp’s and Ph.D., a lot of my work has targeted on know-how switch. It’s formed my method to work as a result of it has taught me to speak to totally different folks, carry numerous viewpoints and expertise collectively, actually take heed to the place the issues are, and discover options. I believe typically, particularly earlier in your profession, it’s straightforward to suppose that your concept is sensible, however on the finish of the day, it is likely to be a fantastic know-how that’s exhausting to translate right into a product. I’ve discovered that you’ll want to take your ego out of it, hear, and discover one of the simplest ways ahead, even when it isn’t your means. Having a crucial mass of recent information round you means you’ll all the time be on the forefront; you simply should be open to making an attempt new issues and making the sum of the components higher than the person items.
What’s your largest piece of recommendation for an educational scientist trying to translate their know-how?
“Keep a stage of curiosity and marvel. Be ready to maintain on enhancing and studying.”
– Adama Sesay
Keep a stage of curiosity and marvel. Be ready to maintain on enhancing and studying. Don’t be discouraged if you happen to get knocked again, as a result of even when your first method doesn’t work, it’s since you undergo that and also you’re prepared to get again up once more that you’ll succeed.
What impressed you to get into this area?
If you happen to had requested me what I needed to be once I was a child, I might all the time say a health care provider, an architect, or a firefighter. A physician as a result of I actually appreciated science and I didn’t know there was anything on the market apart from that. My mother and father have been within the medical area, so I assumed that was it. An architect as a result of I appreciated artwork, and I really like buildings. I assumed structure was the sensible technique to apply that. I used to be unaware there was a occupation referred to as an engineer. And a firefighter as a result of I get pleasure from being lively and I assumed they have been so heroic. I simply admired them.
I spotted in a short time that none of these issues have been precisely for me, however I adopted the passions that led me to these concepts – science, design, and saving lives – and by doing what I really like I discovered my technique to a profession in translational analysis targeted on sensors and microsystems. If you happen to actually get pleasure from what you do, it doesn’t really feel like a job.
What continues to inspire you?
Making a distinction and dealing with a fantastic workforce in a tremendous work setting. I believe that figuring out that the folks I’m working alongside are really having an affect, even when they’re not on my mission immediately, could be very inspiring. It makes me really feel that I’m part of one thing that may trigger optimistic change in my lifetime.
“I believe that figuring out that the folks I’m working alongside are really having an affect, even when they’re not on my mission immediately, could be very inspiring. It makes me really feel that I’m part of one thing that may trigger optimistic change in my lifetime.”
– Adama Sesay
When not on the Wyss, how do you prefer to spend your time?
I like curler skating. I began enjoying my clarinet once more, which I used to do once I was an adolescent, and that’s given me a variety of pleasure. I additionally like watching movies. My favourite latest movies have been Every part, In all places, All at As soon as and The Girl King. Every part, In all places, All at As soon as manages to be mild whereas additionally touching some fairly thought-provoking ideas. I really like the kinds of movies which you can spend time speaking about. The Girl King, whereas it has confronted some criticism for being inaccurate, opens a dialogue about African historical past on a world stage between people whom audiences within the west have by no means identified and even questioned about it. Though a few of these discussions is likely to be uncomfortable, no less than individuals are starting to have them. Once more, I like a movie that begins a dialog.
What’s one thing distinctive about you that somebody wouldn’t know out of your resume?
My mom suffered from Alzheimer’s illness, and it lastly took her this previous Christmas. In her reminiscence, my sister and I are working in direction of constructing a sensible metropolis in her village in Sierra Leone. To do that, we’re elevating consciousness and funding to construct an agricultural college for ladies and empower them to reap crops based mostly on new know-how that’s sustainable and acceptable for the land, on condition that it’s a wildlife sanctuary space, and create companies from farming. Hopefully, by subsequent yr we are able to begin engaged on the curriculum for the varsity. We’re placing a variety of work into this, however we predict it’s an effective way to honor our mom’s legacy and allow ladies to get out of poverty and turn into future entrepreneurs.
What does it really feel prefer to be working in direction of translating cutting-edge know-how that has the potential to have an actual and important affect on folks’s lives and society?
It feels nice to be a part of such a dynamic setting. I believe as an engineer and a know-how switch specialist, it’s the perfect of all worlds. I’m fortunate sufficient to have labored at some distinctive institutes in some superb international locations, however the Wyss is sort of particular in that we’ve got a crucial mass of world-class, high-impact tasks ripe for translation. I’m in my fifth yr now and it’s been a fantastic journey to this point. I’m wanting ahead to what comes subsequent.
Wyss Institute
makes use of Nature’s design rules to develop bioinspired supplies and gadgets that can rework drugs and create a extra sustainable world.
Wyss Institute
makes use of Nature’s design rules to develop bioinspired supplies and gadgets that can rework drugs and create a extra sustainable world.