NSF Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technologies for Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio)

生物系统保存高级技术研究中心(ATP-Bio)的目标是“停止生物时间”，并通过团队方法从根本上扩展储存和传输细胞、水生胚胎、组织、皮肤、整个器官、微生理系统(“芯片上的器官”)，甚至整个生物体的能力，以建立先进的生物保存技术。为了建立一支更加强大和多样化的STEM劳动力队伍，特别是在需要生物保存技术的越来越多的领域，ATP-Bio还致力于在中心所有组成部分之间实现公平的STEM教育。因此，ATP-Bio的劳动力发展计划旨在提高所有学生对STEM的兴趣和参与度。ATP-Bio将利用生物保存科学和技术吸引初中生和高中生，为本科生在ATP-Bio实验室的大量研究实习提供资金，在ATP-Bio实验室资助数十名研究生和博士后研究人员，并为数十个生物保存行业的实习提供便利。ATP-Bio还将包括道德和公共政策方面的重点工作，以便中心的技术将从法律和道德上转化为公共利益。与一大批活跃的工业合作伙伴一起，ATP-Bio旨在通过细胞治疗、组织和器官移植、药理研究、水产养殖、生物多样性努力和许多其他领域的现成生物保存技术来产生巨大的社会效益。ATP-Bio将通过在降温前、在零下降温和停滞期间以及在复温到正常生物温度期间为生物系统设计技术来实现其目标。在每个阶段，ATP-Bio汇聚科学团队将致力于消除或控制冰的形成，减轻低温保存剂的毒性，并消除热应力和机械应力。将工程和劳动力发展、多样性和包容文化整合到ATP-Bio的所有组件中，旨在创建一支更多元化的STEM员工队伍，了解团队科学，特别是对于需要生物保存技术的越来越多的领域。ATP-Bio将利用ERC的长期性质，开展研究，为所有学生发展积极的STEM身份，并改善K-12和本科STEM教育的STEM途径，特别是针对在学术和工业STEM领域代表性不足的妇女和少数群体。ATP-Bio还将包括伦理和公共政策方面的重点研究，以便中心的技术将在法律和伦理上转化为公共利益。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The ERC for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio) aims to “stop biological time” and radically extend the ability to bank and transport cells, aquatic embryos, tissue, skin, whole organs, microphysiological systems (“organs-on-a-chip”), and even whole organisms through a team approach to build advanced biopreservation technologies. In order to build a more robust and diverse STEM workforce, especially in the growing number of fields needing biopreservation technologies, ATP-Bio also aims for equitable STEM education across all components of the Center. As such, ATP-Bio’s workforce development plan is purposefully designed to promote interest and engagement in STEM for all students. ATP-Bio will engage middle schoolers and high schoolers with biopreservation science and technology, fund numerous research internships in ATP-Bio labs for undergraduates, sponsor dozens of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in ATP-Bio labs, and facilitate dozens of internships in the biopreservation industry. ATP-Bio will also include a focused effort on Ethics and Public Policy so that the Center’s technology will be legally and ethically translated to public benefit. Together with a large and active group of industrial partners, ATP-Bio aims to produce massive social benefit through “off-the-shelf” biopreservation technologies for cell therapies, tissue and organ transplantation, pharmacological research, aquaculture, biodiversity efforts, and many other fields.ATP-Bio will accomplish its goals by engineering technologies for biological systems before cooling, during cooling and stasis at subzero temperatures, and during rewarming to normal biological temperatures. At each stage, ATP-Bio convergent science teams will aim to eliminate or control ice formation, mitigate the toxicity of cryopreservation agents, and eliminate thermal and mechanical stress. The integration of Engineering and Workforce Development and Diversity and Culture of Inclusion across all components of ATP-Bio is aimed at creating a more diverse STEM workforce that understands team science, especially for the growing number of fields needing biopreservation technologies. ATP-Bio will leverage the long-term nature of an ERC to conduct research on developing positive STEM identity for all students and improving STEM pathways for K-12 and undergraduate STEM education, especially for women and minorities under-represented in academic and industrial STEM fields. ATP-Bio will also include focused research on Ethics and Public Policy so that the Center’s technology will be legally and ethically translated to public benefit.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.