Erica D. Pratt

@pratted.bsky.social

1707 Followers 809 Following

Asst Prof @BostonU BME | Noninvasive biomarkers for cancer monitoring | https://ericaprattlab.com | @prattlab.bsky.social

Header of Pratt Laboratory website showing a colorful word cloud with terms like "computational," "biomaterials," "medical," and "systems," above the text "Tenure Track Faculty Positions in Biomedical Engineering." *alt-text generated using OpenAI GPT-4.1 mini*
Guy pulling off his headset in disgust meme
Map of Massachusetts counties and towns shaded by the maximum home price a resident can afford (legend at top-left: blue = more likely to afford, red = less likely). Urban and coastal areas—especially around Boston, Cambridge, Cape Cod and the islands—are deep red, indicating lower affordability, while much of central and western Massachusetts is gray or blue, indicating higher affordability.
Screenshot of an NIH Notice of Award document from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.
Spike of flowering purple orchids draped across book standing upright. The book is entitled "Menewood" by Nicola Griffith. The book cover features a flaxen-haired woman holding a sword pose.
Captcha with the prompt 'Find all animals that are in a calm , dormant state' with AI-generated cartoon animals in various poses as options.
Person with shoulder-length curly brown hair wearing a light beige blazer over a black top, accessorized with a gold necklace featuring a small butterfly pendant, standing against a plain light gray background
Loran ringing a small tabletop gong in celebration
This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible: Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed) Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution’s academic calendar) Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded. Not be a current NSF employee. Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will be returned without review as being ineligible for a fellowship.
Open sketchbook displaying two pencil drawings of two female models.
Header of Pratt Laboratory website showing a colorful word cloud with terms like "computational," "biomaterials," "medical," and "systems," above the text "Tenure Track Faculty Positions in Biomedical Engineering." *alt-text generated using OpenAI GPT-4.1 mini*
Loaf of dark chocolate cherry sourdough cut in half with a smaller slice in the foreground.
A two-panel scientific figure comparing four methods of droplet demulsification for recovering DNA after droplet preamplification. Panel A (workflow schematic): The top portion outlines a three-step overview of the experimental process: Preparation of the reaction mix with primers, dNTPs, KRAS WT/G12D template, and buffer control. Nine cycles of thermal cycling for preamplification. Droplet destabilization to recover DNA. The lower portion compares four demulsification methods: Chemical (gray): Chloroform is added, followed by vortexing, centrifugation, and purification. Physical (orange): Droplets are disrupted using a spin column with purification. Thermalᵃ (blue): Droplets are frozen in liquid nitrogen (LN₂) for 1 minute, then purified. Thermalᵇ (magenta, new method): A new protocol introduced in this study. Droplets are mixed with TE buffer, vortexed, centrifuged, frozen with LN₂ for 1 minute, thawed, and the cycle is repeated before purification. Each method was tested using synthetic samples in biological triplicates (n = 8 per group). Panel B (box plot): Box plots showing DNA recovery (%) for each demulsification method across 24 replicates (n = 24). The Thermalᵇ method shows the highest median recovery (~68%) with less variability. Chemical and Physical methods show moderate recovery (~50%), while Thermalᵃ shows the lowest. Statistical comparisons above the plot indicate significance levels: p < 0.01 to p < 0.0001 across groups.
A multi-panel scientific figure demonstrating the optimization of droplet preamplification reactions using ddPCR Buffer Control. Panel A (top schematic): A five-step schematic overview of the experimental workflow: Preparation of the preamplification master mix with high-fidelity polymerase, primers, dNTPs, and a KRAS WT/G12D template. Stabilization by adding varying volumes (0–7 µL) of ddPCR Buffer Control. Droplet generation using oil-based emulsification. Preamplification (9 cycles), followed by purification. Analysis using ddPCR. Panel B (tube images): Photographs of PCR tubes before and after thermal cycling, showing increasing droplet stability with higher volumes of Buffer Control (0 to 7 µL). After thermal cycling, emulsions with low buffer appear coalesced, while those with ≥2 µL maintain discrete droplets. Panel C (dot plot): Graph showing preamplification efficiency (%) versus µL of Buffer Control (1.5 to 4.5 µL). Efficiency increases with Buffer Control volume, peaking at 4 µL. Statistical significance is indicated between groups (*p < 0.05 to ****p < 0.0001). Panel D (ddPCR 2D plots): Two 2D cluster plots from ddPCR analysis showing droplet fluorescence (FAM vs. VIC) for 1.5 µL (left) and 4 µL (right) Buffer Control conditions. The 4 µL condition shows significantly more amplified copies of both KRAS G12D (blue) and KRAS WT (red), with higher separation and cluster integrity. Panel E (scatter plot): Linear correlation plot comparing preamplified G12D vs. G12WT copy number across samples. The trend line (R² = 0.997) and slope near 1 indicate no significant amplification bias between alleles.
Pratt Lab members pose while wearing matching PurpleStride t-shirts. The backdrop overhead states "Taking Steps to End Pancreatic Cancer."
A glass jar containing sourdough starter sitting under a microwave light.
White long-haired cat with grey markings around the ears
Screenshot from app showing 2x3 panel with temperature readings for various pieces of equipment.
Various gift wrapped items piled in, on, and around a cardboard box labeled "6th Floor Holiday Party White Elephant Gifts." The box label features a line drawing of a white elephant wearing a red Santa hat.
Pratt Lab members + rotation students at a milk tea store
Erica and Madeleine high five behind large block letters that spell out BMES
Pratt Laboratory members at Salve Regina University entrance gate.
Splash page for BME Tenure Track Jobs List
Maren and Erica smiling together. A green textured wall is in the background.
Colin celebrates after ringing the lab gong
A jar of marbles, playing cards, large foam dice, and fake coins next to instruction cards for an ethics case study.
Sub-tracks: Novel strategies in cancer detection, diagnosis, and prognosis Cancer immunoengineering, immunomodulation & immunotherapy Cancer drug delivery & nanotechnology Computational modeling of cancer & systems biology Cancer mechanobiology Engineered cancer models for in vitro studies Tumor microenvironment Cancer migration and metastasis Circulating biomarkers: CTCs, extracellular vesicles and DNA Other/Non-specified
Quiz result showing 81% match with Elliot Alderson (Mr. Robot)
Screenshot showing 166 meetings booked over the course of a year using Calendly (appointment scheduling software).
Potted pothos with trailing vines on a window shelf
Left: cover of the July/August 1999 issue of American Girl magazine. A smiling young girl is holding a pair of binoculars. Right: The title page from one of two short story contest winners. The title is "Promises, promises" written by Erica D. Pratt.
Medical illustration of pancreatic cancer progression from resectable to locally advanced, shown through increased tumor size and increased vascular involvement.
Bar chart of the number of institutions with a specific application due date by month. Groups are the current year (2023) versus the average average of 2021-2022. Data reported as Month: 2023, 2021-2022 average: June: 0, 2 July: 1, 3 Aug: 0, 2 Sept: 7, 8 Oct: 16, 15 Nov: 34, 23 Dec: 8, 28 Jan: 1, 15 Feb: 0, 5 Mar: 0, 1 Apr: 0, 1 May: 0, 2
Small tabletop gong
Logo of a drop containing a maze with a magnifying glass at the center
Splash page for BME Tenure Track Jobs List