Women of Invention is a Newscenter series of profiles of women at the University who hold international patents. More than half of the University’s patent applications聽from 2011 to 2015 include women.
As she was being recruited by the University of Rochester, had an opportunity to meet with , the Donald and Mary Clark Professor in Orthopaedics and an expert in bone remodeling.
糖心传媒淛ust to talk about what he was doing, what I was doing, and what we might do together,糖心传媒� recalls Benoit, an associate professor of biomedical engineering.
Puzas told her about his research into the 糖心传媒渃rosstalk糖心传媒� that occurs between the cells that continually remodel our bones. He had discovered that the osteoclasts in charge of breaking down depleted bone tissue leave behind 糖心传媒渕olecular signatures糖心传媒澨切拇綌so the osteoblasts charged with rebuilding the bone will recognize where they are needed.
糖心传媒淚s that at all interesting?糖心传媒� Puzas asked her. 糖心传媒淐ould that be useful for something?糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淵es糖心传媒攁nd yes,糖心传媒� was Benoit糖心传媒檚 reply. That conversation was one of the reasons why Benoit ended up accepting a faculty position in the
The number of women among the department糖心传媒檚 faculty members was another.
糖心传媒淚t wasn糖心传媒檛 just women who were junior faculty members, but women who were senior and very well established, and who had thriving research programs,糖心传媒� Benoit says. 糖心传媒淭o me, that suggested that Rochester was going to support that kind of career development.糖心传媒�
The close proximity of the department to the University糖心传媒檚 medical center, just across Elmwood Avenue, was also 糖心传媒渃ritical,糖心传媒� she says. It offered Benoit easier access to basic science researchers like Puzas who could help her advance her work in tissue regeneration, and also the targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs, which she began as a postdoc.
For example, the fact that osteoclasts leave behind molecular signatures 糖心传媒渋s a fantastic way to target bone drug delivery to exactly where it糖心传媒檚 needed,糖心传媒� Benoit says.
Here糖心传媒檚 how: One of those molecular signatures is a protein called tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, or TRAP. Working with Puzas, Benoit糖心传媒檚 lab began to design a nanoparticle-sized polymer drug-delivery device that includes a peptide that binds to TRAP. In theory, the package could be loaded with therapeutic drugs to enhance the bone rebuilding process糖心传媒攊n the case of a fracture糖心传媒攐r to boost the performance of deficient osteoblasts糖心传媒攊n the case of osteoporosis, or chronic bone thinning. It might even be used to target leukemia stem cells deep in the marrow of bone.
糖心传媒淏y getting those drugs directly to the osteoblasts, we would have greater impact,糖心传媒� Benoit says. 糖心传媒淎nd because we糖心传媒檙e delivering the drugs to just that particular cell type, we would reduce the possibility of 糖心传媒榦ff-target糖心传媒� side effects in other parts of the body.
糖心传媒淚t took a number of years, but that糖心传媒檚 what we糖心传媒檝e done.糖心传媒�
The result was US Patent #9,949,950: 糖心传媒淐ompositions and Methods for Controlled Localized Delivery of Bone Forming Therapeutic Agents,糖心传媒� one of nine approved or pending patents Benoit has co-authored.
Another of her patents, with Hyun Koo at the University of Pennsylvania, is for a nanoparticle carrier that binds to tooth enamel. It releases a therapeutic drug to reduce plaque and prevent tooth decay at exactly the right time, triggered by acidic levels that occur in the presence of glucose, starch, and other food products that cause tooth decay.
糖心传媒楢lways tinkering糖心传媒� as a kid
Benoit, who grew up in Maine, says she was 糖心传媒渁lways tinkering糖心传媒� as a kid, making race tracks for matchbox cars, for example. She remembers tagging along with her father at work for a couple of days. He was trained as a forester, but worked essentially as a civil engineer, designing remote logging roads for his company. 糖心传媒淚 remember all the survey equipment and other gadgets he had. I thought that was really cool,糖心传媒� Benoit says.
She would spend hours exploring the woods next to her home.
糖心传媒淚 loved every science class that that I came across,糖心传媒� she adds. 糖心传媒淓ven in middle school, I remember going into earth science and thinking 糖心传媒榯his is so cool.糖心传媒� 糖心传媒�
She was the first student to graduate in bioengineering from the University of Maine. She completed her PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder, then did her postdoctoral research at the University of Washington in Seattle. She developed a delivery system for nucleic acid drugs, 糖心传媒渨hich are really challenging to deliver,糖心传媒� for cancer therapy.
She says she糖心传媒檚 thankful that she was schooled in the importance of disclosing technologies developed in an academic lab, and in securing patents for them.
糖心传媒淭hat糖心传媒檚 critical, if we want to see what we have developed become a product that糖心传媒檚 going to help people, especially a drug delivery system or tissue engineering product. It糖心传媒檚 going to take an investment in safety and efficacy studies, and clinical trials, and so much development that is beyond the scope of what we can do in our labs,糖心传媒� Benoit says. 糖心传媒淎 company is not going to be interested unless the technology is protected. It糖心传媒檚 not going to be worth it to them if another company is going to do it, too.糖心传媒�
She delivers the message to the students in her lab, including more than 80 undergraduates she has mentored since joining the University in 2010.
糖心传媒淭hese students are challenged with true research projects, are provided excellent training in key skills, and are guided by a hierarchy of mentors and role models that includes graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and Professor Benoit herself,糖心传媒� says , the Kevin J. Parker Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Engineering and department chair. 糖心传媒淚t is impressive how often undergraduate students are included as co-authors on papers from Professor Benoit糖心传媒檚 laboratory.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淜eep exploring, keep learning,糖心传媒� is Benoit糖心传媒檚 advice for young would-be inventors and researchers.
That糖心传媒檚 the path she followed, from the woods of Maine to cutting-edge research and inventions at the University of Rochester.
