Abigail N. Koppes
Associate Professor,
Chemical Engineering
Affiliated Faculty,
Bioengineering
Office
- 340 Mugar
- 617.373.6221
Lab
- 111 Mugar
- 617.373.8161
Research Focus
Bioelectric medicine, development of novel interventions and tissue engineered platforms for nerve regeneration and repair, body-on-a-chip for enteric-gut interactions
About
Joined the Chemical Engineering Department in Fall 2014.
The main focus of the Advanced Biomaterials for NeuroEngineering Laboratory (ABNEL) is advancing treatments for persons suffering from debilitating disorders and injuries of the central and peripheral nervous system. Using a combinatorial approach, we seek to create therapeutic strategies for improved nerve guidance channels that incorporate biomaterial manufacturing, biophysical (optogenetics) cues, structural (nanotopography) cues, and/or biochemical (cytokine) stimulation to modulate neuronal and non-neuronal support cell behavior. We are interested in probing the underlying mechanisms of neural growth and regeneration while engineering future modalities for neural tissue engineering applications.
Through tissue engineering of the enteric nervous system, the ‘Brain in the Gut,’ we hope to improve drug discovery platforms and regenerative medicine interventions for the millions of people suffering from disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, such as irritable bowel diseases. This work will combine primary small intestinal organoid culture with neuro-engineering techniques to recapitulate this complex biological system. Ultimately, we aim to understand the underlying mechanisms of cellular responses to engineered systems and their native biological niches towards rationally designed therapies. Our research utilizes techniques from bioengineering, chemical engineering, materials science, and cellular, molecular, and systems biology.
Education
- B.S. (Biomedical Engineering) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2007
- M.S. (Biomedical Engineering) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2010
- PhD (Biomedical Engineering) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2013
Honors & Awards
- 2021 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
- 2020 Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award
- 2020 Young Innovator of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (BMES Society)
- NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators
Research Overview
Bioelectric medicine, development of novel interventions and tissue engineered platforms for nerve regeneration and repair, body-on-a-chip for enteric-gut interactions
Advanced Biosystems for Neuroengineering Laboratory
Research in the Advanced Biosystems for Neuroengineering Laboratory (ABNEL) focuses on neural engineering and the interface between neurons and surrounding tissues. Specifically ABNEL develops novel and transformative devices, biomaterials, and biophysical-based therapies for this aims. Current work centers on the gut, heart, and central/peripheral nervous system.
Selected Research Projects
- Bioengineer Long-lasting 3D Neurovascular Microphysiological System to Model Chronic Inflammation-mediated Neurodegeneration
- – co-Principal Investigator, NASA
- Engineered Probiotics for Closed-Loop Control of Disease-Associated Gut Metabolites in Gut-On-Chip Models
- – co-Principal Investigator, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
- Defining the Regulators of Enteric Plasticity in Engineered Microfluidic Environments
- – Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation, CAREER Award
- Biomanufactured Nerve Guidance Channels for Complex Nerve Repair
- – Co-Principal Investigator, Northeastern University
- GUMI: New in Vitro Platforms to Parse the Human Gut-Epithelial-Microbiome-Immune Axis
- – Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health
- Trailblazer: Engineering a Humanized Gut-Enteric-Axis
- – Principal Investigator, National Institutes of Health
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Bindas, Adam J., Kulkarni, Subhash, Koppes, Ryan A., Koppes, Abigail N. (2021). Parkinson’s Disease and the Gut: Models of an Emerging Relationship. Acta Biomaterialia, . 10.1016/J.ACTBIO.2021.03.071
- Diaz Vera, David, Soucy, Jonathan R., Lee, Audrey, Koppes, Ryan A., Koppes, Abigail N. (2021). Light irradiation of peripheral nerve cells: Wavelength impacts primary sensory neuron outgrowth in vitro. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 215,112105. 10.1016/J.JPHOTOBIOL.2020.112105
- Ventre, Daniel M., Cluff, Avery, Gagnon, Christian, Diaz Vera, David, Koppes, Ryan A., Koppes, Abigail N. (2021). The effects of low intensity focused ultrasonic stimulation on dorsal root ganglion neurons and Schwann cells in vitro. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 99(1),374-391. 10.1002/JNR.24700
- S. Hosic, W. Lake, E. Stas, R. Koppes, D. Breault, S. Murthy, A. Koppes, Cholinergic Activation of Primary Human Derived Intestinal Epithelium does not Ameliorate TNF-α Induced Injury, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (Journal of BMES), CMBE 2020 Young Innovator Issue, 2020
- S. Hosic, M. Puzan, F. Zhou, R. Koppes, D. Breault, S. Murthy, A. Koppes, Rapid Prototyping of a Multilayer Microphysiological System for Primary Human Intestinal Epithelial Culture, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 2020
- K. Nichols, R. Koppes, A. Koppes, Recent Advancements in Microphysiological Systems for Neural Development and Disease, Invited Review; Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering, 2020
- M. Puzan, S. Hosic, C. Ghio, A.N. Koppes, Enteric Nervous System Regulation of Intestinal Stem Cell Differentiation and Epithelial Monolayer Function, Scientific Reports, 8(1), 2018, 6313
- D. Ventre, M. Puzan, E. Ashbolt, A.N. Koppes Enhanced Total Neurite Outgrowth and Secondary Branching in Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons Elicited by Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound, Journal of Neural Engineering, 15(4), 2018, 046013
Feb 07, 2025
Spring 2025 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several COE, COS, and Khoury students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Spring 2025 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Sep 12, 2024
Investigating the Gut-Brain Axis in Patients With Sjögren’s Syndrome
ChE Associate Professor Abigail Koppes received a 2024 Sjögren’s Foundation Pilot Research Grant for “Parsing Dysautonomia in a Dish: Neural Exposure to Exogenous Sjögren’s Patient Derived Serum.” She is developing an organ-on-a-chip to controllably study and disrupt the nervous system in the gut-brain axis environment of Sjögren’s patients typically inaccessible in vivo.
Sep 04, 2024
New Modeling for Intestinal Health
Research conducted by Kyla Kaiser, PhD’24, chemical engineering, Jessica Snyder, PhD’23, bioengineering, ChE Associate Professors Ryan Koppes, and Abigail Koppes on “A Pumpless, High-Throughput Microphysiological System To Mimic Enteric Innervation of Duodenal Epithelium and the Impact on Barrier Function” was published in Advanced Functional Materials.
Aug 28, 2024
Long COVID: What We’re Learning From Scientists and Patients About Pathogens and Chronic Illness
ChE Associate Professor Abby Koppes was featured in the episode “Long COVID: What We’re Learning From Scientists and Patients About Pathogens and Chronic Illness” on the American Chemical Society (ACS) Tiny Matters podcast, where she discussed her research in neural engineering and experiences with Long COVID.
Mar 22, 2024
Four Years on: The Career Costs for Scientists Battling Long COVID
ChE Associate Professor Abigail Koppes was featured in the Nature article “Four Years on: The Career Costs for Scientists Battling Long COVID” for her experiences dealing with long COVID.
Jan 11, 2024
Spring 2024 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
A record number of engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Spring 2024 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Sep 15, 2023
Fall 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Fall 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Apr 27, 2023
Summer 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Summer 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Jan 25, 2023
Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Dec 07, 2022
NIH Trailblazer Award for Engineering Smarter Gut Metabolites To Affect Human Health
ChE Assistant Professor Benjamin Woolston is leading a $628K NIH Trailerblazer Award with Assistant Professor Ryan Koppes, Associate Professor Abigail Koppes, and Professor Rebecca Carrier for “Engineered Probiotics for Closed-Loop Control of Disease-Associated Gut Metabolites in Gut-On-Chip Models.”