Principal Investigator Ariel Furst
Project Website https://furstlab.mit.edu/
Project Start Date July 2024
The Furst Lab applies electrochemical, biological, and materials engineering tools to study electron transfer at abiotic-biotic interfaces. We apply our learnings to develop technologies to improve human and environmental health equity. Disenfranchised groups are disproportionately burdened by pollution without benefitting from the infrastructure causing it, exacerbated by limited healthcare access. We develop inexpensive, easy-to-use technologies for human health, environmental remediation, and sustainability based on our understanding of biological redox processes.
Research Area 1: Human health: Detecting and treating infectious disease Point-of-use diagnostics and shelf-stable therapeutics are critical for equitable healthcare. As diagnostics, electrochemical biosensors balance high sensitivity with low cost and simplicity. Biomolecule-electrode interactions impact device behavior but are poorly characterized. We control biomolecule immobilization for informed device engineering, improving specificity and detection limits.
To treat infectious disease, antibiotics are the standard of care, but increasing rates of antibiotic resistance have led to the use of microbes as antibiotic replacements. These microbes are delicate, preventing their production and transport. We have a self-assembled inorganic-organic network that forms on microbial surfaces to protect them. Characterizing the microbe-material interface enables better coating engineering against stressors.
Research Area 2: Environmental Remediation: Biomaterials for environmental remediation Chemicals of concern enter runoff and groundwater, damaging environmental and human health. Some compounds are not removed by conventional water treatment (e.g., perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) and N-nitrosamines such as NDMA), and others are especially toxic (e.g., organophosphate (OP) pesticides), making these compounds especially concerning (Fig 3a). Effective, affordable water treatments are needed to mitigate the impact of these chemicals. We have a platform technology to display enzymes on microbial surfaces. We observe improved protein stability and activity with our scaffolded materials as compared to free protein and can capture or degrade environmental contaminants.
Research Area 3: Sustainability: Bio-inspired catalysis towards a net zero carbon future Despite major advances in clean energy technology, the energy sector continues to emit carbon dioxide (CO2); in fact, more than half of the electricity generated comes from burning fossil fuels. Thus, a major challenge in clean energy is the development of equitable technologies to provide access to clean energy tech. We take inspiration from biology to modify electrode surfaces with small-molecule catalysts to improve CO2 valorization.
The Group believes the best science can only be realized by embracing inclusivity and diversity, and is committed to creating an open environment in which all feel welcome and supported.