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Jagan Srinivasan Shruti Shastry Liz DiLoreto Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), in collaboration with researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, have developed a simple, scalable method to study how specific neuropeptides affect behavior by programming common lab bacteria to deliver peptides directly to worms.  The research also suggests a possible microbial approach for the future design of peptide therapeutics.  The study, “Harnessing microbial tools: Escherichia coli as a vehicle for neuropeptide functional analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans,” was published in GENETICS in August 2025. Neuropeptides—small protein messengers that fine-tune brain circuits—are notoriously tricky to evaluate one by one. Traditional approaches often rely on creating transgenic animals or purchasing synthetic peptides, both of which are time-consuming and expensive.  The WPI team instead engineered the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) to produce single neuropeptides, then fed those bacteria to Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) worms with a neuropeptide loss-of-function genetic mutation. The researchers then measured whether native behaviors—such as mate-searching, chemotaxis, and pheromone avoidance—were restored. “Our approach turns bacteria into on-demand couriers for the nervous system,” says Jagan Srinivasan, senior author and associate professor in WPI’s Department of Biology and Biotechnology. “When a behavior snaps back only if the matching receptor is present, you get direct, in-vivo evidence for which peptide talks to which circuit—and which ones are redundant versus uniquely powerful.” Because the method delivers intact, sequence-defined peptides through engineered microbes, it suggests a new peptide therapeutic strategy: using microbial “chassis” to produce and deliver short, bioactive peptides in vivo. While this study focuses on worms, the same design principles—sequence control, receptor specificity, dosing through diet—could guide the development of next-generation microbial or probiotic therapies in more complex systems. “We see this as a proof of concept for microbial peptide therapeutics,” says first author Liz DiLoreto, PhD '25. “In true WPI fashion—hands-on and collaborative—our tiny teachers (C. elegans) let us learn the rules fast: which sequences work, how to dose them, and how receptor context shapes outcomes. Those rules can guide adapting the approach to mammalian models.” “What excites me is the accessibility,” adds second author and graduate student Shruti Shastry. “Because the method uses standard E. coli and simple feeding, it’s easy to scale and share, empowering more labs and students to test many peptides and build the design playbook for translational work.” Beyond developing a new toolkit for worm neuroscience, the method opens the door to broader discoveries. Because it cleanly separates individual peptides, it can help researchers identify new peptide-receptor pairs, examine peptide processing and uptake, and investigate how neuromodulators change circuit “states” during complex decision-making.

As the fall season approaches and A term is underway, we in University Advancement want to express our gratitude to WPI’s faculty and staff. Your commitment and care are central to the experiences of our students and the strength of our community. Thank you for sharing your time, your expertise, and your ideas. Whether you’re collaborating with donors, mentoring students, supporting campus life, or engaging in community -your work and your partnership matter deeply. We know that the impact of our efforts is greatest when we work together. As we look ahead, we are grateful for your partnership—and we look forward to deepening our shared efforts to ensure that WPI continues to be a place where innovation, belonging, and student success are possible for all. With appreciation, University Advancement  

Please save the date for our upcoming Wellness, Engagement & Belonging Employee Symposium  Thursday, October 16, 2025  Rubin Campus Center | Full-day event  This symposium will bring together employees from across campus to explore themes of psychological safety, wellness, and belonging through engaging sessions and meaningful conversations.  Keynote Speaker: Dr. Kyle A. Reyes  Author of Lenses of Humanity, Dr. Reyes will share insights on human-centered leadership and inclusive community building. His work invites us to reflect through four transformative lenses: See, Become, Belong, and Believe.  Featured Sessions Include:  Psychological Safety in the Workplace  Wellness Strategies for a Thriving Community  Leadership Panels on Cultivating Belonging at WPI  Lunch will be provided for all registered attendees. You do not have to attend the full day.  Bonus: The first 15 registrants will receive a free copy of Lenses of Humanity. Register here! We look forward to seeing you there and building a stronger, more connected WPI community together.

As WPI's research activities continue to expand, there is an increasing need for software tools that support effective communication and inform faculty, students, and staff. Recognizing this, the Research Division and Information Technology Services (ITS) have partnered to create LabTEK, a new resource designed for WPI researchers and their external collaborators. LabTEK Lab Asset Database LabTEK introduces a comprehensive asset database and equipment ticketing system, offering the following benefits: Provides a more complete resource for shared capital research instrumentation. Inform researchers about existing capabilities across the campus. Enables efficient tracking and management of capital lab instrumentation. Supports replacement decisions through integrated reporting tools and synchronization with Workday. Replaces the former labequipment.wpi.edu site with more detailed information and a simplified presentation. Initial Release The Team has completed the initial rollout of LabTEK focusing on a subset of service centers across the WPI campus.  Please visit the LabTEK website utilizing the LabTEK icon at www.help.wpi.edu  Additional communication will be forthcoming as the Team adds “Phase II” of assets from the overall WPI Fixed Assets.  Feedback on the system is welcomed by emailing VPRI-shared-facilities@wpi.edu. 

The last 25 years have seen significant advances in the modeling and mathematical analysis of fracture. However, the strongest mathematical results have been restricted to variational models that have limitations, including combining nucleation with propagation, and incompatibility with applied forces. Prof. Chris Larsen, Professor of Mathematical Sciences, was recently awarded a 3-year grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and analyze models for fracture that isolate propagation and that are compatible with all applied forces. This work will focus on a new local variational principle that does not force nucleation and has the desired compatibility with loads.