Nanosensors could help determine tumors’ ability to remodel tissue
Measuring enzyme levels could help doctors select appropriate treatments. MIT researchers have designed nanosensors that can profile tumors and may yield insight into how they will respond to certain therapies. The system is based on levels of enzymes called proteases, which cancer cells use to remodel their surroundings. Once adapted…
Read MoreTo produce biopharmaceuticals on demand, just add water
Freeze-dried cellular components can be rehydrated to churn out useful proteins. Researchers at MIT and other institutions have created tiny freeze-dried pellets that include all of the molecular machinery needed to translate DNA into proteins, which could form the basis for on-demand production of drugs and vaccines. The pellets, which…
Read MoreDelivering beneficial bacteria to the GI tract
Method that transports microbes through the stomach to the intestine may benefit human health. The human digestive tract contains trillions of bacteria, many of which help digest food and fight off harmful bacteria. Recent studies have shown that some of these bacteria may influence, for better or worse, human diseases…
Read MoreUsing light to control genome editing
New technique offers precise manipulation of when and where genes are targeted. The genome-editing system known as CRISPR allows scientists to delete or replace any target gene in a living cell. MIT researchers have now added an extra layer of control over when and where this gene editing occurs, by…
Read MoreRecording analog memories in human cells
Engineers program human cells to store complex histories in their DNA. MIT biological engineers have devised a way to record complex histories in the DNA of human cells, allowing them to retrieve “memories” of past events, such as inflammation, by sequencing the DNA. This analog memory storage system — the…
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