Three STI Professors win ERC Consolidator Grants

Democratization of Solar Renewable Energy Adapted for the New Millennium (DREAM) - Sophia Haussener, LRESE: This project will provide the tools and devices to enable a transition towards a renewable but also democratic and distributed energy economy. Focusing on solar fuels and materials processing, DREAM seeks to increase the process efficiency (i.e. utilizing significantly more of the solar spectrum) by integrating thermal synergies and (high-temperature) thermal transport in the field of photoelectrochemistry. We propose a high-temperature (>400 K) solid-state photoelectrochemical (PEC) device, avoiding wasting thermal energy, lowering overpotentials, and enabling the use of abundant materials. The synergistic combination of thermochemistry and photoelectrochemistry in a single device will allow for increased reaction rates and for running reactions that have so far not been successful in (photo)electrochemical mode only.

Control for Safety-Constrained Interactive Systems (CONCISE) - Maryam Kamgarpour, SYCAMORE: This research program proposes a framework for ensuring safety and performance for multiagent stochastic dynamic games. Dynamic game theory provides a powerful foundation for addressing interactive decision-making problems. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have led to the development of scalable algorithms for such decision-making challenges, but such algorithms lack provable performance guarantees when applied to real-world systems. CONCISE will address this gap by developing a theoretical framework guided by real-world challenges. It will notably integrate recent breakthroughs in the fundamental fields of stochastic control, game theory and learning theory. The program will verify the developed algorithms on real-world problems in transportation, power systems, and robotics. Anticipated outcomes include foundational advances in multiagent stochastic control systems, and provable algorithms for their safety and predictability. These advances will help build trust in applying modern control and artificial intelligence tools to safety-critical engineering systems in our society.

Mechanical sensing and reprogramming of CAR-engineered lymphocytes for next-generation ACT cancer immunotherapy (MechanoCAR) - Li Tang, Laboratory of Biomaterials for Immunoengineering: Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) with cytotoxic lymphocytes, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, is a powerful immunotherapy already demonstrating success against certain blood cancers. However, its efficacy in treating solid tumors remains limited, with durable responses being rare. MechanoCAR explores a novel, under-explored approach: mechanical reprogramming of cytotoxic lymphocytes, including CAR-T and CAR natural killer (NK) cells. We hypothesize that enhancing the mechano-sensitivity of the lymphocytes could overcome some key limitations of ACT therapies, particularly against resistant tumors. First, we aim to uncover and characterize the mechano-sensing and mechano-transduction mechanisms of CARs. Next, we will develop and test innovative mechanical reprogramming strategies to enhance the cytotoxic potential of CAR-T/NK cells in advanced tumor models and explore the therapeutic potential using patient-derived organoids. If successful, this work will provide insights into mechano-immunology, offer a blueprint for next-generation ACT immunotherapies, and improve outcomes for patients with challenging cancers.