News: Three questions for Tania Lopez Silva: Developing advanced biomaterials for biomedical applications

Tania Lopez Silva designs advanced biomaterials that mimic and interact with the immune system and other biological environments.

Mindy Blodgett | IMES

Tania Lopez Silva joined MIT on July 1, as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), and as a core faculty member of IMES. Tania, who has a PhD in chemistry from Rice University, comes to MIT from the National Cancer Institute, where she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Her research sits at the intersection of biomaterials and immuno-engineering, with a focus on soft matter, self-assembling peptides, and new materials for health. Her group, the Immunomodulatory Biomimetic Materials (IMBM) Lab at MIT, focuses on three main areas: 1) understanding key factors, properties, and interactions that allow materials to control biological systems; 2) integrating that knowledge for the targeted rational design of bioactive materials, initially focusing on materials for immunomodulation; and 3) developing advanced biomaterials for a range of biomedical applications, including cancer immunotherapy, cell-based therapeutics, and tissue engineering.

Q. Your research explores the potential of material-based immunomodulation using self-assembling peptide-based hydrogels, as well as the development of biomimetic materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Can you tell us more about how your research addresses critical health challenges?

Finding new ways to modulate and engineer the immune system is one of the most promising frontiers in medicine. The immune system plays a central role in conditions ranging from cancer and autoimmune disease to tissue repair and wound healing. In cancer, particularly, advances in immunology and cancer biology have demonstrated the crucial role of the immune system in either preventing or promoting tumor growth. We now have access to immunotherapies, including small molecules, proteins, and engineered cells, that have revolutionized treatment for several types of cancer. Yet for some solid tumors, these therapies have had very limited success. One of the most challenging is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which has the lowest survival rate in the U.S. In my research group, we are developing advanced biomaterials that interact with the immune system to reprogram the tumor microenvironment and drive stronger anti-tumor responses against PDAC.

To achieve our mission, we are developing next-generation materials built from self-assembling peptides. These short peptides assemble into highly hydrated nanofibrous scaffolds that not only mimic the structure of native tissues but can also encode specific bioactivities. Because of these features, self-assembling peptides have been investigated for a wide range of medical applications, including wound healing, tissue regeneration, and drug delivery. So far, only two peptide-based hydrogels have received FDA approval, for wound healing and hemostatic uses, but I believe that their therapeutic potential in immunomodulation is enormous and largely unexplored. In my previous work, I have demonstrated that by fine-tuning the molecular design and material properties of these systems, it is possible to elicit distinct immune responses, from neutrophil-driven acute inflammation to tolerance and macrophage-mediated repair. Importantly, by engineering both the chemistry and delivery of peptide gels, we can also control where and to what extent these responses occur. These gels have great potential for cancer treatment, as they create localized immune microenvironments or depots, providing new opportunities to recruit and activate immune cells directly within tumors.

Our long-term goal is to enable the rational design of peptide materials that can induce precise immune responses. To achieve this, our research is organized around three main areas. First, we are uncovering the fundamental principles that govern how immune cells interact with peptide materials and identifying the key properties and interactions that drive those responses. This foundational knowledge will provide the basis for the rational and targeted material design. Second, using what we know today, we are developing a first-generation immunomodulatory peptide gel for the treatment of PDAC. These initial materials are designed to selectively recruit immune cells, form depots for immunotherapy, and provide localized delivery of drugs. Third, we are creating biomimetic materials to support cell manufacturing and to advance in vitro organoid models. These models will allow us to study immune–material interactions in more physiologically relevant systems and accelerate translational progress in both bioengineering and cancer research.

Q. In addition to being a core faculty member of IMES, you are an assistant professor at the MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE). How are you hoping to leverage cross-disciplinary affiliations within MIT, and do you plan to nurture connections within the medical and research community in the greater Boston as well?

Being a member of IMES and DMSE puts me in a great position to build a highly multidisciplinary program. These affiliations provide the networks and connections necessary to ensure that we develop strong, well-characterized biomaterials and that our research remains clinically relevant and aligned with current medical needs. These communities bring together excellent researchers, opening great opportunities for collaboration, while also allowing me to train and work with outstanding young scientists from diverse backgrounds and expertise, all united around our mission. Additionally, MIT provides access to great infrastructure and state-of-the-art techniques that allow us to ask ambitious questions and accelerate the development of our materials.

Within MIT, I am working to strengthen ties with the cancer and immunology communities at the Koch and Ragon Institutes. These connections will expand opportunities to partner with colleagues in key areas and to collaborate on the development and translation of immunomodulatory materials for different applications. Beyond MIT, the greater Boston area offers an exceptional environment for translational research, with its rich network of hospitals, research institutes, and biotech companies. This collaborative, multidisciplinary ecosystem is essential for my research program, and I am excited to continue building connections both within MIT and across the Boston area.

Q: Can you talk a bit about your background, and about how you became interested in biomaterials and immune-engineering? What are your goals for your research, and for your career?

From a very young age, I knew I wanted to be involved in health and medicine. I debated whether to attend medical school, become a veterinarian, or pursue a field that would enable me to be a scientist. Ultimately, I decided to study chemistry and pursue a PhD, where I could apply my knowledge to solve medical problems. I was fortunate to work with Professor Hartgerink at Rice University, who introduced me to the fascinating field of self-assembling peptides and biomaterials, and who allowed me to explore their applications as scaffolds for cell culture, drug delivery, and tissue regeneration. It was during that time that I first recognized the potential of these materials for immunomodulation, as well as the limited understanding we had about how peptide material design influences the interaction between the body and the immune system. I still remember observing how dramatically different the immune responses were to two peptide gels that differed by only four amino acids.

After my PhD, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Chemical Biology Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute, working with Dr. Joel Schneider. That was an incredible opportunity to expand my toolkit in the molecular design of diverse self-assembling peptide materials. Being at the NCI also exposed me to the cancer research community, and it made me recognize the urgent need for alternative immunomodulatory strategies that could bring hope to patients facing some of the most challenging types of cancers.

In my lab, we are working on developing material-based technologies to harness the immune system and address some of the most pressing health challenges, starting with cancer. We are also committed to creating better materials as tools for highly tunable and more accurate in vitro models, with applications in drug screening, organoids, studying cell–material interactions, and cell manufacturing. Looking forward, I am excited to collaborate with amazing colleagues and to support students and early-career scientists in their research endeavors. At the same time, I aim to expand our understanding of how materials interact with the immune system and, hopefully, in the future, translate our successful technologies into therapies that benefit patients.