School of Systems Biology

Unlocking value from silicon-rich waste with help from biology

tdonnel — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:20:34 +0000

Unlocking value from silicon-rich waste with help from biology tdonnel Mon, 10/05/2026 - 13:20

Mine tailings and other silicon-rich wastes may look like materials with little value left. But locked within their tough mineral structures can be valuable elements and resources that are difficult—and often energy-intensive—to recover.

Mine tailings, one of the silicon-rich waste streams being considered in the project. Photo: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain.

As part of a newly funded National Science Foundation collaborative research project, 911�� researchers are exploring whether nature can offer a different way to unlock those resources.

“Many of these materials still contain valuable resources, but they are locked inside very stable silicate structures,” said Xijin (Emma) Zhang, an assistant professor in 911��’s Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering. "We would like to explore alternative and sustainable ways to break down these materials and recover what is valuable from them."

Silicon is the second most abundant element in Earth’s crust and is a major component of minerals in rocks, mine tailings, concrete, and many industrial materials. Yet breaking down these stable silicate structures can require high temperatures, substantial energy, or highly corrosive chemicals. Zhang and her collaborators are investigating whether biological processes can accomplish some of these transformations under much milder conditions.

Xijin (Emma) Zhang. Photo provided.

The effort brings together researchers from five institutions, including 911��, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the University of Maryland, the University of California San Diego, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. By combining expertise in engineering, biology, geochemistry, and materials science, the researchers hope not only to develop new approaches for processing silicon-rich materials, but also to establish a new interdisciplinary field they call “Si-X TechnoBioGeoChemistry.”

At 911��, Zhang is working with Monique Van Hoek, a professor in the School of Systems Biology in the College of Science, to explore how microorganisms and the molecules they produce interact with silicate minerals. The collaboration brings together biological and engineering perspectives to better understand how natural processes can be harnessed to transform materials that are otherwise difficult to break down.

Monique Van Hoek. Photo: Creative Services, Office of University Branding.

The project builds on Zhang’s years of research in biomineralization. After studying calcium-based biomineralization during her PhD work, Zhang expanded her work to silicon-rich materials while continuing to explore how biological systems can reshape materials in sustainable ways.

The researchers are especially interested in waste streams such as mining residues, demolished concrete, and industrial byproducts. Rather than viewing these materials simply as waste to be managed, the team sees them as potential resources. According to Zhang, these materials often contain valuable elements trapped within strong silicate matrices, while the silicon-rich material itself may also have potential for reuse.

"We can turn these waste resources into useful material, and that can first create new value, and second, reduce some waste and reduce some management cost associated with the waste," she said.

Zhang's lab is developing bio-enabled methods to break down and transform silicate materials under mild conditions. They are investigating how microorganisms, biological molecules, and other nature-inspired processes can replace or complement conventional approaches that rely on extreme temperatures and harsh chemicals.

"We're focusing on how to use sustainable and bio-enabled pathways to break these waste materials down in a low-energy and low carbon–emission way,” Zhang said. “At the same time, we want to understand how we can release valuable components and make the remaining materials useful again."

Silica-based skeletons in glass sponges. Photo: Randolph Femmer/USGS, Public Domain.

The approach could open new pathways for using resources recovered from silicon-rich waste. Silicon-containing materials produced through these processes could potentially be reused in a wide range of applications, including new cement and concrete materials, glass products, electronic technologies, while valuable elements released from the silicate matrix could contribute to the recovery of critical minerals. During the initial two-year phase, researchers will investigate the fundamental biological, chemical, and geological processes that control these transformations and evaluate the feasibility of the overall approach. Those findings will help the team identify the most promising directions for future development.

Beyond the scientific advances, the initiative will provide interdisciplinary training opportunities for graduate students and researchers working across traditional disciplinary boundaries. By bringing together biology, geology, and engineering, Zhang and her collaborators aim to rethink how society extracts value from secondary resources and how materials now considered waste might become resources for the next generation of technologies.

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of building a more climate-resilient society.

Discover more GCI climate research >>

Learn about other solutions >>

911�� is one of the first 14 institutions to receive Carnegie's new classification for sustainability. Read More >>

In This Story

Emma (Xijin) Zhang

Topics

Sustainability

Department of Civil Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE)

School of Systems Biology

Systems Biology

Research

College of Engineering and Computing

College of Science

GCI-Climate

Bioengineers and biologists team up to battle cancer cells

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:41:07 +0000

Bioengineers and biologists team up to battle cancer cells Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/21/2021 - 14:41

In This Story

Remi Veneziano

Bioengineers—like Remi Veneziano—find solutions to some of the world’s grand problems. But sometimes, it takes collaboration with scientists to find out the questions that need to be answered to properly apply and maximize these engineering solutions.

Veneziano, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering and Computing, is partnering with Amanda Haymond, a research assistant professor in the School of Systems Biology, to apply DNA nanotechnology to create a drug that boosts the immune response to fight breast cancer.

Amanda Haymond is a research assistant professor in the School of Systems Biology in the College of Science.

Their work entitled “New Hybrid Molecular Modalities Comprised of DNA-Origami and Interfering Peptides as Inhibitors of Protein-Protein Interactions” received a grant of nearly $530,000 from the National Institutes of Health’s Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies program, which funds explicitly creative technologies for cancer detection or treatment. “There are two big things we are trying to do with this work, one is to answer a biological question, and the other is to provide a proof of concept for a new drug modality,” says Haymond.

On the biology side, Veneziano and Haymond are looking to target a specific protein’s complex. When a body is infected with cancer, a protein called IL-33 will signal the immune system to flood the cancerous area with immune cells to combat cancer and stop further damage. “However, in a chronic inflammatory cancer context, the flood of IL-33 can recruit a number of other cell types, including MDSCs, that are activated by binding to IL-33 and tamp down on the immune response,” says Haymond.

The influx of suppressive immune cells can be detrimental as the body stops fighting the cancer. In addition, the protein structure created from the interaction of IL-33 and MDSCs is quite large, which makes it difficult to target with conventional small molecule drugs. This is where Veneziano’s work in DNA nanotechnology comes in.

“With the technology we are developing, instead of testing multiple drug combinations for efficiency, we can take into consideration the structural parameters of the protein we are trying to target, and use DNA nanotechnology to build rigid nanoscale objects that would have the same dimensions and organization as the protein to target multiple sites of the protein simultaneously,” says Veneziano.

Remi Veneziano is using his DNA nanotechnology to test a new drug modality to fight breast cancer.

Therefore, the drugs they are developing will act as adaptors that will prevent the proteins from interacting together. Veneziano’s nanotechnology research makes it possible to precisely target multiple sites on these proteins concurrently to increase the success of their drug. So, instead of using three separate drugs that possibly won’t work in tandem properly to prevent this immune response, Haymond and Veneziano are developing a new drug modality that is exactly designed with the target in mind.

Veneziano is hopeful that this process could be completely automated, making it easier to target certain proteins to combat different types of cancer and diseases. This expansion will require even more collaboration between scientists and engineers in the future, Haymond and Veneziano say.

“This work can’t be done by bioengineers or biologists independently. It takes synergy between the two of us, and Mason and its institutes promote these types of collaborations,” says Veneziano.

Topics

Bioengineering

biology

School of Systems Biology

Department of Bioengineering

Breast Cancer

cancer research

CEC faculty research

Monique Sweeney is September Employee of the Month

ckearney — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 17:05:33 +0000

Monique Sweeney is September Employee of the Month ckearney Tue, 08/31/2021 - 13:05

Monique Sweeney. Photo provided

Monique Sweeney, administrative assistant for 911��’s School of Systems Biology (SSB), is known for her friendly presence and eagerness to support the Mason community.

“She has been one of the most dedicated, passionate, and positive employees in the SSB department,” said June Kang, a PhD candidate in bioinformatics and computational biology.

For her hard work, Sweeney is September Employee of the Month.

“When I received the news that I was chosen as the September Employee of the Month, I was very surprised. I couldn’t stop smiling,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney, who has worked in SSB since August 2015, reinforces the Mason value of “our students come first” through her organization of many important student events for SSB, such as Student Research Day and Departmental Student Orientation, said Donald Seto, professor for SSB and director of the master’s program in bioinformatics and computational biology.

“I enjoy the opportunity to assist others. At the end of the day, I feel a satisfaction knowing that I was able to make a difference providing support to the students and my colleagues,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney also provides customer service for students and faculty, prepares the monthly faculty meeting agenda and meeting minutes, prepares affiliate faculty contract letters, works on special projects as needed by the school, and assists with student services, including scheduling thesis defenses.

“It is not an overstatement to say that I would not be on the path to a PhD next year without Monique’s support,” said Megan Herceg, a PhD student in bioinformatics and computational biology. “Throughout the ups and downs of graduate school, Monique celebrated my successes, supported me during my failures, and challenged me to think of both in new ways.”

Sweeney’s colleagues shared how she is a real asset to SSB and Mason.

“It is not an overestimation to state that without her help, care, and thoughtfulness, the SSB as a unit will not run smoothly,” said Dmitri Klimov, professor for SSB and director of the PhD program in bioinformatics and computational biology.

How she got to Mason:

I was afforded the opportunity to work at Mason through a good friend of mine, who also works at the university. In August 2015, she informed me that there was a part-time position at the Sci-Tech Campus, and that I should consider applying for the position. I was a stay-at-home mom at the time, and her encouragement is what made me apply.

Best day on the job:

To see the satisfaction on the students’ face after providing service to them.

What she likes best about working at Mason:

I enjoy the autonomy and the support that is provided by my leadership. They motivate me and provide the necessary training needed to grow in my position. Also, I enjoy seeing the student diversity. Working with diverse students gives me the opportunity to interact with them and learn about their culture.

What she does when she’s not working:

When I’m not working, I love spending quality time with my family and friends.