Sangeeta Bhatia

John and Dorthy Wilson Professor

Department

Health Sciences and Technology Program

Technology Areas

Chemicals & Materials: Nanotechnology & Nanomaterials, Polymers, Composites, Catalysis & Synthesis / Drug Delivery: Microparticles & Nanoparticles / Therapeutics: Proteins & Antibodies, Small Molecules, Nucleic Acids, Cell Based Therapy, Regenerative Medicine / Biotechnology: Sensors & Monitoring, Cell Separation, Synthetic Biology, DNA & RNA Editing, Biomedical Devices & Systems / Diagnostics: Imaging Agents, Assays / Drug Discovery and Research Tools: Cell Interrogation / Sensing & Imaging: Chemical & Radiation Sensing, Optical Sensing / Biomaterials & Bioelectronics: Health Monitoring

Impact Areas

Healthy Living

Integrating tissue engineering, nanotechnology, and microfabrication to create innovative liver models, diagnostic tools, and regenerative medicine strategies.

Background and Experience

The Bhatia Laboratory engineers micro and nanotechnologies, also called “tiny technologies,” to address complex challenges in human health ranging from cancer to liver disease and acquired infections. Operating at the interface of living and synthetic systems, the Bhatia group uses these miniaturization tools to improve areas of medicine including diagnostics, drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and disease modeling. In cancer, Bhatia’s multidisciplinary team develops tools for use in diagnostics and detection, and in precision therapeutics to specifically target tumors. Nanosensors designed by the Bhatia team are capable of detecting and profiling very early-stage tumors, and can be analyzed via a simple urine test. The same technology may also yield insights into a tumor’s response to certain therapies. The Bhatia Lab has also created human microlivers, which model human drug metabolism, liver disease, and interaction with pathogens.

Sangeeta Bhatia earned her BS at Brown University, followed by an MS in Mechanical Engineering at MIT, a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and an MD at Harvard Medical School. Prior to her appointment at MIT, Bhatia held a tenured position at UCSD. She and her trainees have launched multiple biotechnology companies to improve human health.

Awards and Honors

Overseas Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) | 2023
Othmer Gold Medal, Science History Institute and others | 2019
honorary Doctorate, Utrecht University | 2018
Catalyst Award, Science Club for Girls | 2017
Heinz Award, Heinz Family Foundation, in the Technology, the Economy and Employment category | 2015
Lemelson-MIT Prize, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2014
BEAM (Brown Engineering Alumni Medal) Award, Brown University School of Engineering | 2011
Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator | 2008
Packard Fellowship, David and Lucile Packard Foundation | 1999

Technologies