After studying abalone shells, she worked with several colleagues at MIT and engineered a virus, known as the M13 bacteriophage whose target is usually Escherichia coli. M13 can be made to latch onto and coat itself with inorganic materials including gold and cobalt oxide. The long tubular virus (coated in cobalt oxide) now acts as a minuscule length of wire called a nanowire.[6] Belcher's group coaxed many of these nanowires together and found that they resemble the basic components of a potentially very powerful and compact battery.[7][8] In 2002 she founded Cambrios with Evelyn L. Hu of (at the time) University of California, Santa Barbara.[9] Their vision relied upon the use of nanostructured inorganic materials, fabricated and shaped by biological molecules to create novel materials and processes for a variety of industries. She also founded and serves on the Advisory Committee of Siluria Technologies, which develops catalytic methods for converting natural gas into products such as ethylene, gasoline, and diesel fuel.[10]
In 2009 Belcher and her team demonstrated the feasibility of using genetically modified viruses to build both anode and cathode of a lithium-ion battery. These new batteries have the same energy capacity and power as cutting-edge rechargeable batteries earmarked for use in hybrid cars, as well as powering a range of electronic devices. The batteries could be manufactured using a cheap and environmentally friendly process, as the synthesis can be done near room temperature, using no harmful solvents or toxic materials.[11][12] In October 2009, President Barack Obama visited Belcher's lab at MIT.[13]
In 2014 Belcher and her group demonstrated the potential for M13 phages to detect cancer. They developed a nanoprobe that uses M13 virus-stabilized SWNTs (single walled carbon nanotubes) to visualize deep, disseminated tumors in vivo. Using this process, they were able to identify submillimeter tumors.[14]
A Time article[15] featured her work on viral batteries and Scientific American named her research leader of the year in 2006 for her current project.[16] In 2002, she was named to the MITTechnology ReviewTR100 as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35.[17] In 2013, Belcher was awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize.[18]
^Belcher, Angela M.; Iverson, Brent; Georgiou, George; Hayhurst, Andrew; Sweeney, Rozamond Y.; Kottmann, Stephen T.; Reiss, Brian D.; Solis, Daniel J.; Mao, Chuanbin (2004-01-09). "Virus-Based Toolkit for the Directed Synthesis of Magnetic and Semiconducting Nanowires". Science. 303 (5655): 213–217. Bibcode:2004Sci...303..213M. doi:10.1126/science.1092740. ISSN1095-9203. PMID14716009. S2CID39176392.
