ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Paula Hammond - Medical researcher and educator
Paula Hammond, head of MIT's Department of Chemical Engineering, is developing new technologies to kill cancer cells.

Why you should listen

Professor Paula T. Hammond is the Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and David H. Koch Chair Professor in Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, the MIT Energy Initiative and a founding member of the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology. She has recently been named the new head of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChemE). She is the first woman and the first person of color appointed to the post. She also served as the Executive Officer (Associate Chair) of the Chemical Engineering Department (2008-2011).

Professor Hammond was elected into the 2013 Class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is also the recipient of the 2013 AIChE Charles M. A. Stine Award, which is bestowed annually to a leading researcher in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of materials science and engineering, and the 2014 Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research. She was also selected to receive the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Teal Innovator Award in 2013. She has been listed in the prestigious Highly Cited Researchers 2014 list, published by Thomson Reuters in the Materials Science category. This list contains the world's most influential researchers across 21 scientific disciplines based on highly cited papers in the 2002-2012 period. She is also included in the report: The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014.

Professor Hammond serves as an Associate Editor of the American Chemical Society journal, ACS Nano. She has published over 250 scientific papers and holds over 20 patents based on her research at MIT. She was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Institute of Biological and Medical Engineers, and the American Chemical Society Polymer Division. In 2010, she was named the Scientist of the Year by the Harvard Foundation.

Professor Hammond received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT in 1984, and her M.S. from Georgia Tech in 1988 and earned her Ph.D. in 1993 from MIT.

More profile about the speaker
Paula Hammond | Speaker | TED.com
TED Talks Live

Paula Hammond: A new superweapon in the fight against cancer

Paula Hammond: Uma nova superarma na luta contra o câncer

Filmed:
1,601,223 views

O câncer é uma doença muito inteligente e adaptável. Para derrotá-lo, diz a pesquisadora médica e educadora Paula Hammond, nós precisamos de um novo e poderoso modo de ataque. Com seus colegas no MIT, Hammond construiu uma nanopartícula 100 vezes menor que a espessura de um fio de cabelo humano que pode tratar os cânceres mais agressivos e resistentes às drogas. Saiba mais sobre essa superarma molecular e junte-se à missão da Hammond para combater uma doença que afeta a todos nós.
- Medical researcher and educator
Paula Hammond, head of MIT's Department of Chemical Engineering, is developing new technologies to kill cancer cells. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Cancer affects all of us --
0
838
2183
O câncer afeta todos nós,
00:15
especially the ones that come
back over and over again,
1
3045
3367
especialmente os que sempre retornam,
00:18
the highly invasive
and drug-resistant ones,
2
6436
2996
os muito invasivos
e os resistentes às drogas,
00:21
the ones that defy medical treatment,
3
9456
2379
os que resistem ao tratamento médico,
00:23
even when we throw our best drugs at them.
4
11859
2516
mesmo quando usamos
nossas melhores drogas.
00:27
Engineering at the molecular level,
5
15247
2920
A engenharia em nível molecular,
00:30
working at the smallest of scales,
6
18191
2648
trabalhando na menor das escalas,
00:32
can provide exciting new ways
7
20863
2523
pode prover novas e excitantes formas
00:35
to fight the most aggressive
forms of cancer.
8
23410
2928
para combater os tipos
mais agressivos de câncer.
00:39
Cancer is a very clever disease.
9
27260
2477
O câncer é uma doença muito inteligente.
00:42
There are some forms of cancer,
10
30346
1577
Há alguns tipos de câncer,
00:43
which, fortunately, we've learned
how to address relatively well
11
31947
4735
que, por sorte, aprendemos
como tratar relativamente bem
00:48
with known and established
drugs and surgery.
12
36706
3392
com drogas conhecidas
e eficientes, e cirurgia.
00:52
But there are some forms of cancer
13
40627
1977
Mas há alguns tipos de câncer
que não reagem a essas abordagens,
00:54
that don't respond to these approaches,
14
42628
2232
00:56
and the tumor survives or comes back,
15
44884
2628
e o tumor sobrevive ou ressurge,
00:59
even after an onslaught of drugs.
16
47536
2129
mesmo depois de um massacre de drogas.
01:02
We can think of these
very aggressive forms of cancer
17
50053
3994
Podemos pensar nesses tipos
muito agressivos de câncer
01:06
as kind of supervillains in a comic book.
18
54071
2866
como supervilões
de histórias em quadrinhos.
01:09
They're clever, they're adaptable,
19
57455
2705
Eles são inteligentes, adaptáveis,
01:12
and they're very good at staying alive.
20
60184
2809
e muito bons em permanecer vivos.
01:15
And, like most supervillains these days,
21
63744
2662
E, como a maioria
dos supervilões hoje em dia,
01:18
their superpowers come
from a genetic mutation.
22
66996
3910
seus superpoderes surgem
de uma mutação genética.
01:24
The genes that are modified
inside these tumor cells
23
72740
2942
Os genes que são modificados
dentro das células do tumor
01:27
can enable and encode for new
and unimagined modes of survival,
24
75706
5267
podem habilitar e codificar novos
e inimagináveis modos de sobrevivência,
permitindo à célula cancerosa
sobreviver a até mesmo
01:32
allowing the cancer cell to live through
25
80997
2475
01:35
even our best chemotherapy treatments.
26
83496
2365
nossos melhores
tratamentos quimioterápicos.
01:38
One example is a trick
in which a gene allows a cell,
27
86789
4507
Um exemplo é um truque
no qual um gene permite a uma célula,
01:43
even as the drug approaches the cell,
28
91320
2484
mesmo quando a droga aborda a célula,
01:46
to push the drug out,
29
94390
2649
expulsar a droga,
antes da droga poder ter algum efeito.
01:49
before the drug can have any effect.
30
97850
2173
01:52
Imagine -- the cell effectively
spits out the drug.
31
100047
3686
Imagine: a célula efetivamente
cospe a droga.
01:56
This is just one example
of the many genetic tricks
32
104393
2930
Esse é apenas um exemplo
dos muitos truques genéticos
01:59
in the bag of our supervillain, cancer.
33
107347
2600
na bolsa do nosso supervilão, o câncer,
02:01
All due to mutant genes.
34
109971
2160
tudo isso devido aos genes mutantes.
02:04
So, we have a supervillain
with incredible superpowers.
35
112717
4721
Então, nós temos um supervilão
com superpoderes inacreditáveis,
02:09
And we need a new and powerful
mode of attack.
36
117462
3122
e precisamos de um novo
e poderoso modo de ataque.
02:13
Actually, we can turn off a gene.
37
121704
3084
Na verdade, podemos desligar um gene.
02:17
The key is a set of molecules
known as siRNA.
38
125328
3341
A chave é um conjunto de moléculas
conhecidas como siRNA.
02:21
siRNA are short sequences of genetic code
39
129143
3603
As siRNA são sequências
pequenas de código genético
02:25
that guide a cell to block a certain gene.
40
133253
3081
que guiam uma célula
para bloquear um certo gene.
02:28
Each siRNA molecule
can turn off a specific gene
41
136982
3575
Cada molécula siRNA pode
desligar um gene específico
02:32
inside the cell.
42
140581
1570
dentro da célula.
02:35
For many years since its discovery,
43
143292
2021
Por muitos anos desde sua descoberta,
02:37
scientists have been very excited
44
145337
1950
cientistas têm estado muito animados
02:39
about how we can apply
these gene blockers in medicine.
45
147311
3357
com a possibilidade de aplicar
bloqueadores genéticos na medicina.
02:43
But, there is a problem.
46
151216
1718
Mas, existe um problema.
02:44
siRNA works well inside the cell.
47
152958
2460
A siRNA funciona bem dentro da célula.
02:47
But if it gets exposed to the enzymes
48
155854
2994
Mas se ficar exposta às enzimas
02:50
that reside in our bloodstream
or our tissues,
49
158872
2500
que vivem no nosso sangue ou tecidos,
02:53
it degrades within seconds.
50
161396
1855
ela se degrada em segundos.
02:55
It has to be packaged, protected
through its journey through the body
51
163769
4316
Ela tem que ser empacotada,
protegida em sua jornada pelo corpo
03:00
on its way to the final target
inside the cancer cell.
52
168109
3070
a caminho do alvo final
dentro da célula cancerosa.
03:03
So, here's our strategy.
53
171740
2317
Então, aqui está nossa estratégia:
03:06
First, we'll dose the cancer cell
with siRNA, the gene blocker,
54
174468
3803
primeiro, vamos dosar a célula cancerosa
com siRNA, o bloqueador de gene,
03:10
and silence those survival genes,
55
178295
1596
e silenciar os que sobreviverem,
03:11
and then we'll whop it with a chemo drug.
56
179915
2088
e então vencê-lo com uma quimioterapia.
03:14
But how do we carry that out?
57
182501
1678
Mas como vamos realizar isso?
03:16
Using molecular engineering,
58
184764
1780
Usando engenharia molecular,
03:19
we can actually design a superweapon
59
187705
3188
podemos na verdade projetar uma superarma
03:23
that can travel through the bloodstream.
60
191648
2251
que pode atravessar a corrente sanguínea.
03:25
It has to be tiny enough
to get through the bloodstream,
61
193923
2996
Tem que ser pequena o bastante
para atravessar o sangue,
03:28
it's got to be small enough
to penetrate the tumor tissue,
62
196943
2871
suficientemente pequena
para penetrar no tecido do tumor,
03:32
and it's got to be tiny enough
to be taken up inside the cancer cell.
63
200368
4145
e pequena o bastante para ser absorvida
dentro da célula cancerosa.
Para fazer bem esse trabalho,
03:37
To do this job well,
64
205049
1602
03:38
it has to be about one one-hundredth
the size of a human hair.
65
206675
4805
ela tem que ser 100 vezes menor
que a espessura de um cabelo humano.
03:44
Let's take a closer look
at how we can build this nanoparticle.
66
212224
3381
Vamos olhar de perto como podemos
construir esta nanopartícula.
03:49
First, let's start
with the nanoparticle core.
67
217146
2397
Primeiro, vamos começar com o seu núcleo.
03:51
It's a tiny capsule that contains
the chemotherapy drug.
68
219567
3800
É uma cápsula minúscula
que contém a droga quimioterápica.
03:56
This is the poison that will
actually end the tumor cell's life.
69
224089
3477
Esse é o veneno que vai acabar
com a vida da célula do tumor.
04:00
Around this core, we'll wrap a very thin,
70
228152
3785
Em volta desse núcleo,
vamos envolver uma muito fina,
04:03
nanometers-thin blanket of siRNA.
71
231961
2833
nanometricamente fina camada de siRNA.
Esse é o nosso bloqueador de gene.
04:06
This is our gene blocker.
72
234818
1634
04:09
Because siRNA is strongly
negatively charged,
73
237093
3589
Porque a siRNA tem uma carga
fortemente negativa,
04:12
we can protect it
74
240706
1557
podemos protegê-la
com uma camada protetora
de polímero com carga positiva.
04:14
with a nice, protective layer
of positively charged polymer.
75
242287
4725
04:19
The two oppositely charged
molecules stick together
76
247503
3257
As duas moléculas
com cargas opostas ficam juntas
pela atração das cargas,
04:22
through charge attraction,
77
250784
1436
04:24
and that provides us
with a protective layer
78
252244
2134
e isso nos dá uma camada protetora
que previne a degradação
da siRNA na corrente sanguínea.
04:26
that prevents the siRNA
from degrading in the bloodstream.
79
254402
3051
04:30
We're almost done.
80
258106
1300
Estamos quase lá.
04:31
(Laughter)
81
259430
1460
(Risos)
04:32
But there is one more big obstacle
we have to think about.
82
260914
4078
Há mais um grande obstáculo
em que temos que pensar.
04:37
In fact, it may be the biggest
obstacle of all.
83
265016
2392
Na verdade, pode ser
o maior obstáculo de todos.
04:39
How do we deploy this superweapon?
84
267432
1974
Como posicionar essa superarma?
Digo, toda boa arma
precisa ser direcionada,
04:41
I mean, every good weapon
needs to be targeted,
85
269430
2554
temos que direcionar essa superarma
para as células supervilãs
04:44
we have to target this superweapon
to the supervillain cells
86
272008
4065
04:48
that reside in the tumor.
87
276097
1950
que vivem no tumor.
04:50
But our bodies have a natural
immune-defense system:
88
278071
3273
Mas nossos corpos têm um sistema
imunológico de defesa natural:
04:53
cells that reside in the bloodstream
89
281916
1951
as células que vivem no sangue
e selecionam os corpos estranhos,
04:55
and pick out things that don't belong,
90
283891
2345
04:58
so that it can destroy or eliminate them.
91
286260
2299
para que os destruam ou os eliminem.
E adivinhem? Nossa nanopartícula
é considerada um objeto estranho.
05:00
And guess what? Our nanoparticle
is considered a foreign object.
92
288583
4436
05:05
We have to sneak our nanoparticle
past the tumor defense system.
93
293718
4099
Temos que disfarçá-la perante
o sistema de defesa do tumor..
Temos que passá-la por esse mecanismo
de se livrar do objeto estranho,
05:09
We have to get it past this mechanism
of getting rid of the foreign object
94
297841
6254
05:16
by disguising it.
95
304119
1420
disfarçando-a.
05:17
So we add one more
negatively charged layer
96
305563
4345
Adicionamos mais uma camada
com carga negativa
05:21
around this nanoparticle,
97
309932
1324
ao redor da nanopartícula,
o que serve a dois objetivos.
05:23
which serves two purposes.
98
311280
1438
05:25
First, this outer layer is one
of the naturally charged,
99
313140
3968
Primeiro, essa camada externa
é um dos polissacarídeos
altamente hidratados,
05:29
highly hydrated polysaccharides
that resides in our body.
100
317132
3713
e naturalmente carregados
que vivem no nosso corpo.
05:33
It creates a cloud of water molecules
around the nanoparticle
101
321456
4833
Ela cria uma nuvem de moléculas
de água ao redor da nanopartícula
05:38
that gives us an invisibility
cloaking effect.
102
326313
3071
que nos dá um efeito
de capa de invisibilidade.
05:42
This invisibility cloak allows
the nanoparticle
103
330257
2717
Essa capa de invisibilidade
permite a nanopartícula
05:44
to travel through the bloodstream
104
332998
1606
viajar pelo sangue
05:46
long and far enough to reach the tumor,
105
334628
2765
pelo tempo e distância suficiente
para alcançar o tumor,
05:49
without getting eliminated by the body.
106
337417
2139
sem ser eliminada pelo corpo.
05:52
Second, this layer contains molecules
107
340121
4392
Segundo, essa camada contém moléculas
que se ligam especificamente
à nossa célula do tumor.
05:56
which bind specifically to our tumor cell.
108
344537
3199
06:00
Once bound, the cancer cell
takes up the nanoparticle,
109
348190
4520
Uma vez ligadas, a célula
do câncer aceita a nanopartícula,
e agora temos nossa nanopartícula
dentro da célula do câncer
06:04
and now we have our nanoparticle
inside the cancer cell
110
352734
4374
06:09
and ready to deploy.
111
357132
1673
e pronta para o combate.
06:11
Alright! I feel the same way. Let's go!
112
359304
2237
Isso aí! Eu sinto o mesmo
que vocês. Vamos lá!
06:13
(Applause)
113
361565
6182
(Aplausos)
06:20
The siRNA is deployed first.
114
368057
3226
A siRNA entra em ação primeiro
06:24
It acts for hours,
115
372287
1626
Ela age por horas,
06:25
giving enough time to silence
and block those survival genes.
116
373937
4568
dando tempo suficiente para silenciar
e bloquear os genes sobreviventes.
06:31
We have now disabled
those genetic superpowers.
117
379398
3938
Agora nós já desabilitamos
os superpoderes genéticos.
06:35
What remains is a cancer cell
with no special defenses.
118
383725
3229
O que resta é uma célula de câncer
sem defesas especiais.
06:38
Then, the chemotherapy drug
comes out of the core
119
386978
2902
Então, a droga quimioterápica
sai do núcleo
06:41
and destroys the tumor cell
cleanly and efficiently.
120
389904
3584
e destrói a célula do tumor
pura e eficientemente.
06:46
With sufficient gene blockers,
121
394228
2337
Com genes bloqueadores suficientes,
06:48
we can address many
different kinds of mutations,
122
396589
3210
podemos abordar vários tipos
de mutações diferentes,
06:51
allowing the chance to sweep out tumors,
123
399823
2361
permitindo a chance de varrer os tumores,
06:54
without leaving behind any bad guys.
124
402208
2191
sem deixar para trás quaisquer vilões.
Então, como funciona nossa estratégia?
06:56
So, how does our strategy work?
125
404811
2716
07:01
We've tested these nanostructure
particles in animals
126
409543
3961
Nós testamos essas partículas
de nanoestrutura em animais
usando uma forma muito agressiva
de câncer de mama triplo-negativo.
07:05
using a highly aggressive form
of triple-negative breast cancer.
127
413528
3583
Esse câncer de mama
triplo-negativo contém o gene
07:09
This triple-negative breast cancer
exhibits the gene
128
417135
2555
07:11
that spits out cancer drug
as soon as it is delivered.
129
419714
3475
que cospe a droga tão logo ela é entregue.
07:15
Usually, doxorubicin -- let's call
it "dox" -- is the cancer drug
130
423742
5171
Normalmente, a doxorrubicina,
vamos chamá-la de "dox",
é a droga que se usa primeiro
no tratamento de câncer de mama.
07:20
that is the first line of treatment
for breast cancer.
131
428937
2809
07:24
So, we first treated our animals
with a dox core, dox only.
132
432178
5770
Então, tratamos nossos animais primeiro
com um núcleo de dox, somente dox.
07:30
The tumor slowed their rate of growth,
133
438661
2207
O tumor reduziu sua taxa de crescimento,
07:32
but they still grew rapidly,
134
440892
1440
mas ainda cresceu rapidamente,
dobrando de tamanho em duas semanas.
07:34
doubling in size
over a period of two weeks.
135
442356
2328
Então, tentamos nossa
combinação de superarma.
07:37
Then, we tried
our combination superweapon.
136
445297
3098
07:41
A nanolayer particle with siRNA
against the chemo pump,
137
449415
4412
Uma partícula de nanocamada com siRNA
contra a bomba quimioterápica,
e mais, nós temos a dox no núcleo.
07:45
plus, we have the dox in the core.
138
453851
2995
07:48
And look -- we found that not only
did the tumors stop growing,
139
456870
4315
E veja, descobrimos que os tumores
não apenas pararam de crescer,
07:53
they actually decreased in size
140
461209
2516
eles realmente diminuíram de tamanho
07:55
and were eliminated in some cases.
141
463749
2415
e foram eliminados em alguns casos.
07:58
The tumors were actually regressing.
142
466188
3256
Os tumores estavam realmente regredindo.
(Aplausos)
08:01
(Applause)
143
469859
6982
08:09
What's great about this approach
is that it can be personalized.
144
477820
3808
O que é ótimo nessa abordagem
é que pode ser personalizada.
08:13
We can add many different layers of siRNA
145
481652
2836
Podemos adicionar várias
camadas diferentes de siRNA
08:16
to address different mutations
and tumor defense mechanisms.
146
484512
3558
para abordar diferentes mutações
e mecanismos de defesa do tumor.
08:20
And we can put different drugs
into the nanoparticle core.
147
488094
3285
E podemos colocar drogas variadas
no núcleo da nanopartícula.
08:23
As doctors learn how to test patients
148
491946
3207
Uma vez que os médicos aprendam
como testar os pacientes
08:27
and understand certain
tumor genetic types,
149
495177
3774
e entendam certos tipos
genéticos de tumor,
08:30
they can help us determine which patients
can benefit from this strategy
150
498975
3742
podem ajudar a determinar quais pacientes
podem se beneficiar dessa estratégia
e quais bloqueadores
de genes podemos usar.
08:34
and which gene blockers we can use.
151
502741
2278
08:38
Ovarian cancer strikes
a special chord with me.
152
506410
2903
O câncer de ovário mexe comigo
de uma maneira especial.
08:41
It is a very aggressive cancer,
153
509337
1973
É um câncer muito agressivo,
em parte porque é descoberto
em fases muito avançadas,
08:43
in part because it's discovered
at very late stages,
154
511334
2885
08:46
when it's highly advanced
155
514243
1447
quando está bem desenvolvido
08:47
and there are a number
of genetic mutations.
156
515714
2276
e há um número grande
de mutações genéticas.
08:50
After the first round of chemotherapy,
157
518566
2989
Depois da primeira rodada
de quimioterapia,
esse câncer volta em 75% dos pacientes.
08:53
this cancer comes back
for 75 percent of patients.
158
521579
4390
08:58
And it usually comes back
in a drug-resistant form.
159
526333
2826
E normalmente reaparece
numa forma resistente à droga.
09:02
High-grade ovarian cancer
160
530215
1694
O câncer de ovário de alto grau
é um dos maiores supervilões por aí.
09:03
is one of the biggest
supervillains out there.
161
531933
2167
09:06
And we're now directing our superweapon
162
534124
1912
E agora estamos apontando
nossa superarma para vencê-lo.
09:08
toward its defeat.
163
536060
1316
Como pesquisadora,
09:11
As a researcher,
164
539375
1262
09:12
I usually don't get to work with patients.
165
540661
2855
normalmente não trabalho com pacientes.
09:16
But I recently met a mother
166
544164
2417
Mas recentemente conheci uma mãe
09:18
who is an ovarian cancer survivor,
Mimi, and her daughter, Paige.
167
546605
4897
que é uma sobrevivente de câncer
de ovário, Mimi, e sua filha, Paige.
09:24
I was deeply inspired
by the optimism and strength
168
552257
4104
Fui profundamente inspirada
pelo otimismo e força
09:28
that both mother and daughter displayed
169
556385
2093
que mãe e filha mostraram
09:31
and by their story of courage and support.
170
559495
2692
e pela história delas de coragem e apoio.
09:35
At this event, we spoke
about the different technologies
171
563119
3403
Naquele evento, falamos
sobre as diferentes tecnologias
09:38
directed at cancer.
172
566546
1379
direcionadas ao câncer.
E Mimi estava chorando
09:40
And Mimi was in tears
173
568355
1309
enquanto explicava como aprender
sobre esses esforços
09:41
as she explained how learning
about these efforts
174
569688
2827
09:44
gives her hope for future generations,
175
572539
2210
dava a ela esperança
para as gerações futuras,
09:46
including her own daughter.
176
574773
1885
incluindo sua própria filha.
09:49
This really touched me.
177
577449
1414
Isso realmente me tocou.
Não se trata apenas de construir
uma ciência realmente elegante.
09:51
It's not just about building
really elegant science.
178
579524
3179
09:55
It's about changing people's lives.
179
583140
2099
Trata-se de mudar as vidas das pessoas.
09:58
It's about understanding
the power of engineering
180
586330
3211
É sobre entender o poder da engenharia
10:01
on the scale of molecules.
181
589565
1881
na escala das moléculas.
10:03
I know that as students like Paige
move forward in their careers,
182
591470
4083
Uma vez que estudantes como Paige
avancem em suas carreiras,
10:07
they'll open new possibilities
183
595577
1440
abrirão novas possibilidades
10:09
in addressing some of the big
health problems in the world --
184
597041
3390
de enfrentar alguns dos grandes
problemas de saúde do mundo,
10:12
including ovarian cancer, neurological
disorders, infectious disease --
185
600455
4999
incluindo câncer de ovário, desordens
neurológicas, doenças contagiosas,
10:18
just as chemical engineering has
found a way to open doors for me,
186
606104
3941
assim como a engenharia química achou
uma forma de abrir portas para mim,
10:22
and has provided a way of engineering
187
610437
2634
e tem provido uma forma de engenharia
10:25
on the tiniest scale,
that of molecules,
188
613095
3532
na menor das escalas,
no nível das moléculas,
10:28
to heal on the human scale.
189
616651
2563
para curar na escala humana.
Obrigada.
10:31
Thank you.
190
619797
1158
10:32
(Applause)
191
620979
8560
(Aplausos)
Translated by Rafael Gidra
Reviewed by Ruy Lopes Pereira

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Paula Hammond - Medical researcher and educator
Paula Hammond, head of MIT's Department of Chemical Engineering, is developing new technologies to kill cancer cells.

Why you should listen

Professor Paula T. Hammond is the Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and David H. Koch Chair Professor in Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, the MIT Energy Initiative and a founding member of the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology. She has recently been named the new head of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChemE). She is the first woman and the first person of color appointed to the post. She also served as the Executive Officer (Associate Chair) of the Chemical Engineering Department (2008-2011).

Professor Hammond was elected into the 2013 Class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is also the recipient of the 2013 AIChE Charles M. A. Stine Award, which is bestowed annually to a leading researcher in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of materials science and engineering, and the 2014 Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research. She was also selected to receive the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Teal Innovator Award in 2013. She has been listed in the prestigious Highly Cited Researchers 2014 list, published by Thomson Reuters in the Materials Science category. This list contains the world's most influential researchers across 21 scientific disciplines based on highly cited papers in the 2002-2012 period. She is also included in the report: The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014.

Professor Hammond serves as an Associate Editor of the American Chemical Society journal, ACS Nano. She has published over 250 scientific papers and holds over 20 patents based on her research at MIT. She was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Institute of Biological and Medical Engineers, and the American Chemical Society Polymer Division. In 2010, she was named the Scientist of the Year by the Harvard Foundation.

Professor Hammond received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT in 1984, and her M.S. from Georgia Tech in 1988 and earned her Ph.D. in 1993 from MIT.

More profile about the speaker
Paula Hammond | Speaker | TED.com