Sangeeta Bhatia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sangeeta N. Bhatia
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Bhatia in 2023 at MIT
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| Born | June 24, 1968 |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Brown University (B.S.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.S., Ph.D.) Harvard Medical School (M.D.) |
| Known for | Nanotechnology for tissue repair and regeneration |
| Awards | Packard Fellowship (1999–2004) Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator (2008) Lemelson–MIT Prize Heinz Award (2015) Othmer Gold Medal (2019) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Nanotechnology, Tissue engineering |
| Institutions | Massachusetts General Hospital University of California, San Diego (1998–2005) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2005– ) |
| Academic advisors | Mehmet Toner |
Sangeeta N. Bhatia (born 1968) is an American biological engineer. She is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Bhatia studies how to use very tiny technology, called micro- and nano-technology, to fix and regrow body tissues.
She uses ideas from computer science and engineering to create small tools for studying and treating diseases. These diseases include liver disease, hepatitis, malaria, and cancer.
In 2003, MIT Technology Review named her one of the top 100 innovators under 35. The Scientist also called her a "Scientist to Watch" in 2006. She has won many awards and is a member of several important national academies. These include the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
Contents
Becoming a Scientist: Early Life and Education
Sangeeta Bhatia's parents moved to Boston, Massachusetts, from India. Her father was an engineer, and her mother was one of the first women in India to earn an MBA (Master of Business Administration).
Sangeeta decided to become an engineer after a biology class in 10th grade. She also visited an MIT lab with her father. There, she saw a machine that used ultrasound to treat cancer. This experience inspired her.
She studied bioengineering at Brown University. She joined a research group that was working on artificial organs. This made her want to continue studying in this field. After graduating in 1990, she went on to graduate school. She earned her PhD in 1997 and her MD (medical degree) in 1999. She also did more training at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Her Career Journey
In 1998, Dr. Bhatia became a professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). In 1999, she received a special Packard Fellowship. This award helped her research for five years. UCSD also named her "Teacher of the Year" in 2001.
In 2005, she moved to MIT to join their faculty. She became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator in 2008. This is a very respected position for scientists.
Today, Dr. Bhatia leads the Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative Technologies at MIT. She also works with Brigham and Women's Hospital. She strongly supports gender equality in STEM fields. She helped start a program called "Keys to Empowering Youth." This program brings middle-school girls to visit high-tech labs. It helps encourage them to get involved in science and technology.
In 2015, she was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was for her work in tissue engineering and creating new ways to grow tissues.
Amazing Research: Tiny Tech for Health
Dr. Bhatia's early work focused on keeping liver cells alive and working outside the body. She used ideas from computer chip design to create special surfaces for liver cells to grow on. She used techniques like photolithography to make tiny patterns on petri dishes. This helped create a working "microliver" in a dish.
Her lab also uses 3D printing to build frameworks for artificial blood vessels. This could help support larger artificial organs, like a full artificial liver. Her work was one of the first projects at MIT to combine biology with tiny mechanical systems, known as Bio-MEMS.
Her research continues to use micro- and nanotechnology to help repair and regrow tissues. She studies how liver cells (called hepatocytes) interact with their surroundings. She develops tools to improve treatments for liver disease. This field is called hepatic tissue engineering. The goal is to make liver cells work their best and to understand liver diseases better. This approach has helped study diseases like hepatitis and malaria.
Since 2008, her lab has worked on developing tests for malaria parasites. These tests help scientists study the parasites and find new medicines to fight malaria.
Dr. Bhatia's lab also develops nanomaterials. These are tiny materials that can be used as tools for biological studies. They can also act as "smart" agents for cancer treatments. These nanoparticles can be designed to find tumors, signal changes in cells, improve medical imaging, or release medicine.
For example, she has created special nanoparticles that react with diseased tissue. This creates synthetic biomarkers that can be found in blood or urine samples. Another project involves engineering helpful probiotics that can detect or even treat cancer cells.
Dr. Bhatia holds many patents for her inventions. In 2015, her company Glympse Bio received funding. In 2018, Glympse received $22 million to develop "activity sensors." These sensors can identify diseases and see how patients respond to medicines.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Bhatia has received many important awards, including:
- 2023, Overseas Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (FTSE)
- 2019, Othmer Gold Medal
- 2018, honorary Doctorate from Utrecht University
- 2017, Catalyst Award from Science Club for Girls
- 2015, Heinz Award for her work in tissue engineering and disease detection. This award also recognized her efforts to help women advance in STEM fields.
- 2014, Lemelson-MIT Prize for her inventions that improve human health and patient care. This award also recognized her dedication to inspiring new scientists.
- 2011, BEAM (Brown Engineering Alumni Medal) Award from Brown University School of Engineering
- 2008, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator
- 1999, Packard Fellowship from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation
See also
In Spanish: Sangeeta N. Bhatia para niños
