Rong Yang

Zwitterionic polymer is one of the most effective antifouling and biocompatible materials developed in the last few decades. Nevertheless, its solution-based synthesis greatly limited real-world deployment. Prof. Yang's doctoral research enabled a novel vapor-based synthesis methodology, which allows the coating of virtually any substrate with zwitterionic polymers via a simple exposure to reactive vapors at room temperature. To demonstrate the impact of this technology, she applied vapor-synthesized zwitterionic polymers to state-of-the-art desalination membranes, which greatly reduced the operation cost and prolonged the lifetime of modified membranes. Desalination membranes are extremely delicate, the surface modification of which without sacrificing membrane performance was unprecedented. Based on this success, Prof. Yang further designed a novel zwitterionic molecular structure that resists oxidative damage by chlorine disinfection that is common in water treatment, further broadening the impact of this material. A Boston-based startup company is transferring her technology to real-world applications.    

Otitis media (OM) is one of the most common pediatric diseases, impacting over 95% of US children and causing considerable death due to the associated intracranial complications. Unfortunately, current OM treatments are limited to oral antibiotics, which account for nearly 40% of all pediatric antibiotic prescriptions in the US. To avoid the severe side effects of antibiotics (such as antibiotic resistance, disturbance of gut microbiota, and more), Prof. Yang's research at Harvard Medical School enabled localized antibiotic delivery across intact tympanic membranes for the first time. Her treatment completely circumvented the side effects of oral antibiotics and achieved much-improved efficacy than the mainstream approach. Such successful treatment was enabled by her design of a novel hydrogel, which allowed control over the assembly of block copolymer on the nano- and micro- scale, thereby achieving the sustained and simultaneous delivery of chemical permeation enhancers and antibiotics for the first time. It has been described as a “revolutionary” technology in pediatrics by many media reports and was licensed to Novartis for clinical development.