In the event you had requested Adama Sesay as a toddler what she wished to be when she grew up, the reply would have been a physician, an architect, and a firefighter. Now a Senior Engineer specializing in sensors and microsystems, chances are you’ll suppose she’s gone in a totally completely 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 Group and works on a variety of tasks that span from sensor-integrated Organ Chips to make medicine 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 focused on the instrumentation aspect, offering the precise {hardware} (which is a kind of sensor-integrated cartridge) and retrofitting it right into a industrial Organ Chip system.

Adama Sesay, Senior Engineer II. Credit score: Wyss Institute at Harvard College

Then I’ve one other mission the place we’re creating an enzyme-encapsulated particle that reduces sugar in meals as soon as it’s consumed, changing it to dietary fiber. Principally, this might be a “sensible meals” ingredient, the place the enzyme is just 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 creating and microfabricating a microfluidic Blood Clotting Chip to check 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 Kids’s Hospital.

What are biosensors, microfluidics, and microsystems?

A biosensor is a tool that mixes a organic element with a sensor transducer and may 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 completely different areas and manipulate these flows a basic instance is a an Organ Chip. A microsystem gadget on this context takes it a bit additional and is the mixing of sensors, microfluidics, and software. The three are a intently built-in bundle.

What real-world issues do these tasks deal with?

With the BARDA mission, we will use the LF Chips to observe the immune system’s response to various kinds of medicine. We will use affected person samples to get time resolved information concerning the irritation response. Along with serving to display medicine 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.

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 deal with 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 tips on how to make meals extra gratifying whereas additionally being accountable. Our enzyme encapsulation will hopefully deal with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, whereas rising fiber, which can 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 instrument. Understanding a affected person’s blood clotting issue is important after they go into surgical procedure, even past these affected by this illness. This turned much more obvious to me 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 period. 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 staff?

I’m a Senior Engineer right here and a part of the Superior Know-how Group, I lead the biosensing, microfluidics, and microsystems effort on the Wyss. I’m additionally liable for the microfabrication room and efforts, and work intently 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 inside and exterior collaborator.

How are you serving to to advance ladies’s well being on the Wyss?

Considered one of my greatest pursuits in the meanwhile 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 now have numerous tasks already in our pipeline devoted to ladies’s well being as a result of therapeutics and diagnostics particularly geared toward ladies’s well being points are one of many greatest unmet medical wants on the planet. All this work is being performed inside our current Focus Areas. Lots of our researchers are extremely devoted to rising our data and discovering real-world options.

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 convey collectively our sensible scientists, clinicians, and know-how groups to advance analysis and make medicine 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 at some point develop into a world-class beacon the place folks need 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 staff together with biologists, biotechnologists, biomedical engineers, and mechanical engineers who take a look at challenges very otherwise, whereas I take a look at the economic want and see how we will translate the science into one thing to handle the gaps. I believe what it boils all the way down to is facilitating the communication between scientists and engineers on the analysis aspect and translating that acquired data into know-how, providers, 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 aspect and translating that acquired data into know-how, providers, 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 creating point-of-care gadgets to talk to extra virtually minded engineers about tips on how to 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 wished 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 checklist was the Wyss Institute. I cherished the work occurring right here; the organs-on-chips and the translational nature of the place. It’s fairly distinctive in its construction. So, I obtained 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 after I utilized.

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 at this time?

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 completely different folks, convey varied viewpoints and abilities 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 an amazing know-how that’s arduous to translate right into a product. I’ve discovered that you want to take your ego out of it, hear, and discover the easiest way ahead, even when it isn’t your means. Having a crucial mass of recent data round you means you’ll all the time be on the forefront; you simply should be open to attempting new issues and making the sum of the components higher than the person items.

What’s your greatest piece of recommendation for an educational scientist trying to translate their know-how?

“Preserve a degree of curiosity and surprise. Be ready to maintain on enhancing and studying.”

– Adama Sesay

Preserve a degree of curiosity and surprise. 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 discipline?

In the event you had requested me what I wished to be after I was a child, I might all the time say a physician, an architect, or a firefighter. A health care provider as a result of I actually preferred science and I didn’t know there was anything on the market aside from that. My mother and father have been within the medical discipline, so I assumed that was it. An architect as a result of I preferred artwork, and I like buildings. I assumed structure was the sensible strategy to apply that. I used to be unaware there was a occupation known 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 noticed 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 like I discovered my strategy to a profession in translational analysis targeted on sensors and microsystems. In the event you 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 an amazing staff in a tremendous work atmosphere. I believe that realizing that the folks I’m working alongside are actually having an affect, even when they’re not on my mission straight, could be very inspiring. It makes me really feel that I’m part of one thing that may trigger constructive change in my lifetime.

“I believe that realizing that the folks I’m working alongside are actually having an affect, even when they’re not on my mission straight, could be very inspiring. It makes me really feel that I’m part of one thing that may trigger constructive 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 after I was a teen, and that’s given me a variety of pleasure. I additionally like watching movies. My favourite current movies have been All the things, In all places, All at As soon as and The Lady King. All the things, In all places, All at As soon as manages to be mild whereas additionally touching some fairly thought-provoking ideas. I like the varieties of movies which you can spend time speaking about. The Lady 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 recognized and even questioned about it. Though a few of these discussions is likely to be uncomfortable, no less than persons 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 faculty for girls 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 12 months we will begin engaged on the curriculum for the college. We’re placing a variety of work into this, however we predict it’s a good way to honor our mom’s legacy and allow ladies to get out of poverty and develop 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 atmosphere. I believe as an engineer and a know-how switch specialist, it’s one of the best of all worlds. I’m fortunate sufficient to have labored at some distinctive institutes in some superb nations, however the Wyss is kind of particular in that we now have a crucial mass of world-class, high-impact tasks ripe for translation. I’m in my fifth 12 months now and it’s been an amazing journey to date. I’m trying ahead to what comes subsequent.