26th Annual NanoDay!
Thursday, November 19, 2026
11:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Student Life Center
Keynote Lecture
Modified Self-Amplifying RNAs Are the Next Frontier in RNA Therapeutics
听Dr. Mark W. Grinstaff, William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University,
Dr. Grinstaff will present groundbreaking advances in self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) technology and discuss how modified nucleotides can dramatically improve the potency, durability, and therapeutic potential of RNA-based medicines. His lecture will highlight recent discoveries that challenge long-standing assumptions in the field and open new possibilities for vaccines, cell therapies, and protein replacement therapies.
NanoDay Details
11:30听LUNCH听begins for poster presenters
12:00 NETWORKING LUNCH / STUDENT POSTER SESSION
2:00听Opening Remarks Sharon Weiss
2:20 Featured Research Talks Asheley Chapman (ChBE), Matthew Day (Phys) Janet Macdonald (Chem)
3:40 Networking Break 鈥� Refreshments Served
4:10 Keynote Lecture 鈥� Modified Self-Amplifying RNAs Are the Next Frontier in RNA Therapeutics听Mark Grinstaff
5:00 Networking Reception 鈥� Poster Awards / Jacket Drawing
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Mark Grinstaff
Boston University
Mark W. Grinstaff is the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, and Medicine at Boston University. He also serves as Director of Boston University鈥檚 Nanotechnology Innovation Center and Director of the NIH T32 Biomaterials Program.
An internationally recognized leader in biomaterials, nanotechnology, and translational medicine, Dr. Grinstaff has received numerous honors, including the ACS Nobel Laureate Signature Award, NSF CAREER Award, Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences Award, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, ACS Award in Applied Polymer Science, RSC Centenary Prize, and the National Science Foundation Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award. He is a Fellow of multiple scientific and engineering societies and a Founding Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
Dr. Grinstaff鈥檚 research accomplishments include more than 450 peer-reviewed publications, over 250 patents and patent applications, and more than 57,000 citations. His work has contributed to several commercialized medical technologies and products that have improved patient care worldwide.
The discovery by Karik贸 and Weissman of the role of modified nucleotides in RNA transformed messenger RNA (mRNA) into a powerful therapeutic platform. However, the short half-life of mRNA often requires high doses, limiting accessibility and increasing the risk of side effects. Self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) offers an alternative approach by enabling prolonged protein expression at substantially lower doses, but its effectiveness has been constrained by strong innate immune responses that trigger RNA degradation and inhibit translation.
Recent work from the Grinstaff laboratory has demonstrated that specific modified nucleoside triphosphates, including 5-methylcytidine triphosphate (m5C), can be incorporated into saRNA at full substitution, resulting in enhanced immune evasion and significantly improved protein expression. Published in听Nature Biotechnology听(2025), this discovery overturns decades of conventional thinking that modified nucleotides are incompatible with self-amplifying RNA.
In preclinical studies, m5C-modified saRNA demonstrated substantially improved protein expression across multiple cell types, prolonged in vivo expression exceeding 30 days, reduced interferon responses, and enhanced vaccine performance. These findings greatly expand the therapeutic possibilities of saRNA technology, enabling more potent vaccines and creating opportunities for applications in cell therapy, protein replacement, and other non-vaccine modalities.
Date:听November 19, 2026
Time:听4:10 p.m.
Location:听Ballroom, Student Life Center
1st $500 | 2nd $250 | 3rd $100
Each participant is given a 48鈥� wide and 36鈥� tall space on which to mount their poster, and must submit their poster title and abstract.
Judging is based on scientific content, visual and oral presentation.
Students are expected to be at their poster during viewing sessions.听