Devices such as ours will enable decentralised bioproduction of cell therapy treatments, reducing research costs and improving accessibility to cutting-edge personalised treatment around the world.

PhD student Asmay Gharia

Asmay, who is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program, has developed a novel technique for cellular electroporation that promises to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of gene modification.

Asmay’s technique can shrink down the electroporation process (used to modify cells via an electric pulse) with the aid of a conducting polymer that enables the creation of small, low-cost devices that can efficiently modify cells, anywhere, using only a few volts.

His innovative method, which has already attracted significant interest and acclaim within the scientific community, has been honoured by the International Biomedical Research Alliance (IBRA), with the 2024 John and Alice O’Shea Innovation Award for Novel Solutions in Biology or Medicine.

Asmay’s discovery comes at an important time, given recent advances in personalised cell therapies, wherein a patient’s cells are engineered into a living treatment such as CAR-T cell therapy – personalised immunotherapy for cancer, which is already commercially available.

“We are exploring several cell types with therapeutic potential. While T cell-based therapies (e.g. CAR-T) are better known and commercially available, they haven’t historically worked well in solid tumours,” said Asmay.

“We are working with groups at the National Cancer Institute in the US to explore other cell types, like macrophages, that work better in solid tumours but are difficult to modify.”

Asmay spent the first two years of his PhD (2020-22) in the Department of Engineering's Bioelectronics Laboratory designing, fabricating, and testing early prototypes of his electroporation technology.

He said: “The huge benefit of our technology is that we maintain high efficiency in difficult-to-transfect cell types, which can open a new frontier in the types of cells feasible for use in cancer therapy.

“Despite their great promise, cell therapies are incredibly expensive, ranging from $500k-2m per patient due to complex logistics and expensive production equipment.

“Devices such as ours will enable decentralised bioproduction of these treatments, reducing research costs and improving accessibility to cutting-edge personalised treatment around the world.”

He added: “It is an incredible honour to receive the John and Alice O’Shea Innovation Award in recognition of my research in high efficiency bioelectronic cell engineering systems. My long-standing goal has been, and continues to be, reshaping manufacturing of personalised therapies to accelerate their development and promote accessibility.”

An IBRA spokesperson said: “Asmay Gharia has invented a groundbreaking method for cellular electroporation with the potential to revolutionise the field of biomedical science. His innovative work has already attracted significant interest and acclaim within the scientific community.”

Reflecting on his time spent in the Bioelectronics Laboratory under the leadership of Professor George Malliaras, Asmay said that his colleagues in the lab continue to be major sources of support and inspiration to him today.

“Professor Malliaras cultivated a highly collaborative and innovative lab culture of brilliant people who would constantly troubleshoot each other’s problems while planning how they are going to change the world,” he said. “It was the perfect environment to take scientific risks while learning how to be an engineer and a scientist.”

• For more information on IBRA awards, email Alexandra Ambrico, Director of Communication, Education, and Professional Development.

Adapted from an IBRA news article.