2023

12-12-2023    Dr. Tao was recognized with the 2023 Best Rising Star of Science Award (ranked 10th in the United States) by Research.com. The publication of Research.com rankings is frequently an opportunity for scientists to get an overview of what is the current status of research by leading scholars in their field.

12-05-2023    Yesi's review paper entitled "Chemically Modified Platforms for Better RNA Therapeutics" was accepted for publication in Chemical Reviews. Congratulations to Yesi, Xueyan, Na, and Wei Chen!

11-30-2023   Dr. Tao chaired the 7th Aggregate Global Webinar - “Aggregate in Nanoscience and Bioengineering“ together with Prof. Ben Zhong Tang, and hosted Prof. Natalie Artzi (Harvard/MIT/BWH), Prof. Ke Cheng (Columbia University), Prof. Tony Y. Hu (Tulane University), and Prof. Daniel A. Heller (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Cornell) as Invited Distinguished Speakers on behalf of Wiley.

11-28-2023   Dylan Neal Patel re-joined our team as an undergraduate student! Welcome once again!

11-16-2023    Dr. Tao has been continuously identified to be one of the world’s most influential researchers in the Cross-Field by the Web of Science Group since 2021. He was on the 2023 Global List of Highly Cited Researchers together with the other 41 excellent colleagues at Brigham. Each year, Clarivate™ identifies the world’s most influential researchers ─ the select few who have been most frequently cited by their peers over the last decade. Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000. The 2023 list contains 7,125 Highly Cited Researchers in total: 3,793 Highly Cited Researchers in 20 fields of the sciences and social sciences and 3,332 individuals identified as having exceptional performance across several fields.  Dr. Tao is among this elite group recognized for his exceptional research influence, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in the Web of Science™. [Full list]

10-19-2023    Qiman's invited review paper entitled "Nano-bio interactions in mRNA nanomedicine: Challenges and opportunities for targeted mRNA delivery" was accepted for publication in Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. Congratulations to Qiman, Zhongyang, Seyoung, and Na!

10-05-2023    Wei Chen secured an American Society of Transplantation (AST) Career Transition Grant - Translational Science ($125,000 USD) for the Tao Lab. The purpose of the AST Research Network Career Transition Research Grants is to promote the careers of academic investigators whose independent research program is focused on the field of basic science, translational and clinical investigation in solid organ transplantation. Congratulations to Wei Chen and Yongjiang!

10-04-2023    Congrats to four Tao Lab Alumni (Xiaoyuan, Na, Jiang, and Zhongmin) who were selected in the single-year list of the Top 2% Most Influential Scientists globally ranked by Stanford University at Elsevier Data Repository this year! The selection is based on the top 100,000 scientists by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above in the sub-field. This version (6) is based on the October 1, 2023 snapshot from Scopus, updated to the end of the citation year 2022. Scientists are classified into 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields according to the standard Science-Metrix classification. It is always great to see the achievements of our lab alumni!!!

10-03-2023    Dr. Soohwan An joined our team as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow! Qian Chen joined our team as a PhD student! Welcome to both!

10-02-2023    Three articles (Nature Medicine, Nature Reviews Cancer, and Nature Reviews Methods Primers) from The Tao Lab were selected, at the same time, in the "Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023" collection at Nature Portfolio! Congrats to all of our authors!

10-01-2023    Zhongyang will soon start his new position as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Europe, which makes him the 9th Tao Lab Alumni who obtained the Faculty/PI Position. He developed "Nanosystems for Capturing Circulating Tumor Cells" in our team. Huge congrats to Zhongyang!

09-07-2023    Yongjiang's research article entitled "Nanosensitizer-mediated augmentation of sonodynamic therapy efficacy and antitumor immunity" was, in principle, accepted for publication in Nature Communications. Congratulations to Yongjiang and Wei Chen!

08-29-2023    Jiang's review paper entitled "Oral Nanomedicine: Challenges and Opportunities" was accepted for publication in Advanced Materials. Congratulations to Jiang and Seyoung!

08-28-2023    Zhongmin's research article entitled "Inhaled mRNA nanoparticles dual-targeting cancer cells and macrophages in the lung for effective transfection" was accepted for publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). Congratulations to Zhongmin, Xinru, and Yufen!

07-21-2023    Dr. Tao delivered an invited lecture on the topic of "Nano-/Microscale Materials-enabled Drug Delivery Technologies" in the Seminar series — Drug Delivery and Translational Medicine at The University of Hong Kong. 

07-06-2023   Qimanguli Saiding joined our team as a PhD student! Welcome Qimanguli!

06-29-2023   Wei Chen has once again secured an esteemed award - American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) Second Century Early Faculty Independence Award ($300,000 USD) for the Tao Lab. This Award aims to provide substantial support to exceptionally promising investigators who are dedicated to addressing critical emerging priorities, including technology-driven health care, pioneering therapeutics, and research and solutions targeting challenges faced by aging populations. The prestigious recognition has been bestowed upon the Tao Lab for their exceptional proposal and remarkable ingenuity in utilizing nanotechnologies to address the critical challenges in heart diseases. Congratulations to Wei Chen and Yongjiang!

06-29-2023   Wei Chen's research article entitled "In situ Engineering of Tumor-Associated Macrophages via a Nanodrug-Delivering-Drug (β-Elemene@Stanene) Strategy for Enhanced Cancer Chemo-Immunotherapy" was accepted for publication in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and selected as a Cover Paper and Very Important Paper (VIP). Congratulations to Wei Chen, Yongjiang and Chuang!

06-27-2023    Abby Ni joined our team as a high school student - summer intern! Welcome Abby!

06-26-2023    Dr. Tao was further selected as the recipient of the prestigious Courtney Cox Cole Lung Cancer Research Award by the American Lung Association, based on his previously awarded Lung Cancer Discovery Award ($200,000 USD). The American Lung Association will match the income from the endowed Fund, ensuring that Dr. Tao has the necessary resources to carry out his research endeavors. This award will be granted for a two-year cycle, and a new recipient will be selected every other year, following the same rigorous selection process used for the Association's other research awards and grants. This award also recognizes Dr. Tao’s exceptional commitment and groundbreaking work in the field of lung cancer research. The Courtney Cox Cole Lung Cancer Research Award was established in honor of the late Courtney Cox Cole, who fought valiantly against EGFR-mutant lung cancer while inspiring countless individuals and families impacted by this disease. This endowed fund recognizes the awardee (only one awardee every two years) who will continue to make remarkable contributions to the field of lung cancer research and carry forward Courtney’s legacy with great pride!

06-20-2023    Novo Nordisk will fund The Tao Lab and start to collaborate with us on the development of targeted mRNA delivery technologies and mRNA cardiovascular medicine. This funding aims to validate innovative translational ideas, and fuel the next generation of life-saving science and technologies. The awardee should (i) be passionate about translating innovative ideas into drug discovery and development, and (ii) has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and potentially wants to develop their idea into their own Biotech start-up in the future. The Tao lab is always open regarding suitable industry collaborations (under the guidelines of our institution) for developing new technologies together to fulfill unmet medical needs in healthcare!

06-19-2023    Xiaodi's review paper entitled "Electrical Stimulation System Based on Electroactive Biomaterials for Bone Tissue Engineering" was accepted for publication in Materials Today, and selected as a 'Highlighted Paper' and Cover Paper. Congratulations to Xiaodi!

06-08-2023    Shuying's review paper entitled "Nanotechnology-based mRNA vaccines" was, in principle, accepted for publication in Nature Reviews Methods Primers. Congratulations to Shuying and Xiangang!

06-07-2023    Wei Chen secured another prestigious award, American Lung Association Lung Cancer Discovery Award ($200,000 USD), for the Tao lab. The Lung Cancer Discovery Award is granted to highly meritorious research projects with the potential to significantly improve and transform therapeutic paradigms, foster innovation, and expedite progress in lung cancer research, ultimately enhancing patient care and saving lives. The award recognizes projects within Tao’s lab that demonstrate innovative approaches, novel perspectives, and outstanding creativity in utilizing mRNA technology for the treatment of lung diseases. Congratulations once again to Wei Chen!

06-05-2023   The Tao Lab Members/Alumni - Wei Chen, Na, and Xiaoyuan - were invited to contribute an article to the 2024 Nanoscale Emerging Investigator Award-themed collection, which will highlight the very best work from nanoscience researchers in the early stages of their careers. Congrats to all of you for being recognized to have the potential to influence future directions in nanoscience and nanotechnology!

06-05-2023   Bijan Emiliano Ferdows re-joined our team as an undergraduate summer intern! Welcome once again!

06-01-2023    Wei Chen, as a co-investigator, secured an American Heart Association (AHA) Transformational Project Award ($300,000 USD) for the Tao Lab. This prestigious award recognizes and supports highly innovative and impactful projects that have the potential to drive critical discoveries and advance the field of cardiovascular and/or cerebrovascular research. The award highlights projects within Tao's lab that embody innovative approaches, novel perspectives, and exceptional creativity in utilizing mRNA nanotechnology for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Congratulations to Wei Chen and Yongjiang!

05-28-2023    Dr. Tao, invited by the Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivered an online lecture on the topic of "Nano-/Microscale Materials-enabled Drug Delivery Technologies", which had over 17,000 audiences during the event!

05-16-2023    Chuang secured a 2023 Health & Technology Innovation Fund for the Tao Lab! This is a competitive grant that recognizes and supports high-risk, high-impact projects at the Brigham Research Institute. Chuang led the grant application process as a co-investigator and delivered a compelling presentation in ‘Shark Tank’ (live pitch session), showcasing the expertise and commitment of the Tao Lab to advancing knowledge in the emerging field of mRNA nanomedicine. Congratulations to Chuang!

05-15-2023    Dr. Muhammad Muzamil Khan joined our team as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow! Zhuoming Zhou joined our team as a PhD student! Natalie Tang joined our team as a Master student! Welcome to all!

04-26-2023    Jiang's research article entitled "Oral hydrogel microbeads-mediated in situ synthesis of selenoproteins for regulating intestinal immunity and microbiota" was accepted for publication in Journal of the American Chemical Society, and was selected as a cover paper. Congratulations to Jiang!

04-18-2023    Prof. Peer Dan, Professor and Vice President for Research and Development at Tel Aviv University, visited our lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School!

04-18-2023    Prof. Ben Zhong Tang, Distinguished Presidential Chair Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), visited our lab and delivered an invited distinguished lecture on the topic of “There’s Huge Room beyond Molecules: A Call for Paradigm Shift from Reductionism to Holism“ at Harvard Medical School!

03-31-2023    Dr. Tao was once again selected as one of the Most Outstanding Referees (Top 10% Reviewers) for Angewandte Chemie, in terms of the number of reports completed in 2022.

03-15-2023    Chuang's review paper entitled "mRNA-based cancer therapeutics" was, in principle, accepted for publication in Nature Reviews Cancer. Congratulations to Chuang and Na!

03-10-2023 Haijun's research article entitled "Glutathione-scavenging nanoparticle-mediated PROTACs delivery for targeted protein degradation and amplified antitumor effects" was accepted for publication in Advanced Science. Congratulations to Haijun and Wei Chen!

03-06-2023 Our research article entitled "In situ separable nanovaccines with stealthy bioadhesive capability for durable cancer immunotherapy" was accepted for publication in Journal of the American Chemical Society, and selected as a cover paper. Congratulations to Wei Chen!

02-27-2023 Xiaodi's research article entitled "Bioinspired Mild Photothermal Effect-Reinforced Multifunctional Fiber Scaffolds Promote Bone Regeneration" was accepted for publication in ACS Nano. Congratulations to Xiaodi!

02-22-2023    Dr. Tao delivered an invited lecture on the topic of "Nano-/Microscale Materials-enabled Drug Delivery Technologies", for one of the Cell Press Webinars hosted by iScience.

02-08-2023 The Tao Lab received a special gift of $200,000 USD from an anonymous philanthropist, who believes the micro- and nanotechnologies developed by Dr. Tao and his team can change the way of disease treatment and benefit the healthcare of human beings in the near future! This generous donation will be managed by Brigham and be used for accelerating the development of new micro-/nanotechnology in the Tao lab to help improve the lives of patients with different diseases (cancers, cardiovascular diseases, etc.). We are very grateful for this generous support, and expect more contributions from different resources to help us do meaningful research to help patients in need and create a better world for human beings!!!

Scientific research is expensive, difficult, and time-consuming. Researchers are often low-paid but we are still sticking to doing very meaningful work to help advance science progress, help patients and save lives. Our studies would not be possible without the generous support from different funding agencies, companies, and altruistic donors like you. Every donation, no matter the size, helps us develop cures for major human diseases!!!

01-11-2023    Jiang's review paper entitled "Oral drug delivery platforms for biomedical applications" was accepted for publication in Materials Today, and selected as a 'Highlighted Paper'. Congratulations to Jiang and Zhongyang!