PhD

Dr. Matt Bochenek is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Anderson/Langer lab at MIT, and his research focuses on the development of an immuno-protected cell-based therapy for the treatment of type I diabetes. He originally started as a mechanical and control system engineer before realizing that the human body is the most complicated machine. He then became engrossed in biological processes and how to manipulate materials/cells to solve diseases. This led him to pursue a PhD in bioengineering at the University of Illinois Chicago and combine both engineering and biology to solve diseases. A family member with diabetes led him to work with Dr. Jose Oberholzer: a leading diabetes expert and transplant surgeon. Currently, Dr. Bochenek is collaborating with synthetic chemists to design materials that can protect insulin producing beta cells from the immune system, while simultaneously manipulating beta cell architecture to improve insulin production. Hopefully, this synergistic approach of immune acceptance and better functioning beta cells will lead to a “functional cure” for diabetes.