Research Spotlight: Creating microfluidic transistors that control the movement of fluids to autonomously execute miniature lab operations
Kaustav Gopinathan, an MD-PhD and Mehmet Toner, PhD, are authors of a recent paper published in Nature.
Avanish Mishra, PhD
Dr. Mishra’s research is focused on developing translational tools at the intersection of engineering and medicine.
Center for Engineering in Medicine & Surgery
114, 16th Street
Charlestown,
MA
02129
Phone: 713-503-7966
Fax: 617-724-2999
Email: amishra2@mgh.harvard.edu
About Dr. Mishra
Brief Biography
Avanish Mishra, PhD, received his BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, where he contributed to the development of a microfluidic optoelectrical tweezers technology. Dr. Mishra joined the Center as a postdoctoral fellow in March 2017 under the mentorship of Prof. Mehmet Toner and was promoted to Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in 2020.
Dr. Mishra’s research is focused on developing translational tools at the intersection of engineering and medicine, with emphasis on liquid biopsy, cell therapy manufacturing, large scale microfluidics, and high-throughput cell sorting. He has more than 15 publications spanning PNAS, Trends in Biotechnology, Physical Review Fluids, Lab on a Chip, and ACS Nano.
Research Summary
The central theme of Dr. Mishra’s research is rare cell isolation from large sample volumes (tens of mL to hundreds of mL) for robust liquid biopsy-based cancer monitoring, early-stage diagnostics, and cell therapy manufacturing. Rare analytes, by definition, require large sample volumes to be processed to improve the statistical reliability of detection. We engineer innovative large scale microfluidic devices to sort cells from liters of sample volume.
Current projects include the development of ultra-high throughput microfluidic chips for tumor cell isolation from leukapheresis products and ascites fluids. We are also engineering approaches for high efficiency automated microfluidic isolation of immune cells for cell therapy manufacturing.
Education
- BTech, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-ISM), Dhanbad, India, 2009
- MSc, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, UK, 2011
- PhD, School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 2016
- Postdoc, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, 2017
- Instructor, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, 2020
Research Thrusts
Center for Engineering in Medicine & Surgery
A place where scientific rigor and creativity are matched by a sense of community, the Center for Engineering in Medicine & Surgery is a relatively young and vibrant enterprise that draws strength from its diversity and collective spirit, and from its affiliations with surrounding biomedical research institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital, the Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.