From microfluidics to metastasis
New platform enables longitudinal studies of circulating tumor cells in mouse models of cancer. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) — an intermediate form of cancer cell between a primary and metastatic tumor cell — carry a treasure trove of information that is critical to treating cancer. Numerous engineering advancements over the…
Read MoreDemocratizing artificial intelligence in health care
Hackathons promote doctor-data scientist collaboration and expanded access to electronic medical-records to improve patient care. An artificial intelligence program that’s better than human doctors at recommending treatment for sepsis may soon enter clinical trials in London. The machine learning model is part of a new way of practicing medicine that…
Read More3Q: Eric Alm on the mysteries of the microbiome
Eric Alm is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and biological engineering at MIT and co-director of the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics. He also serves on the board of directors for the non-profit stool bank, OpenBiome, and clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Finch Therapeutics. His work focuses on understanding and engineering the…
Read MoreWith these nanoparticles, a simple test could diagnose bacterial pneumonia
Results could also indicate whether antibiotics have successfully treated the infection. Pneumonia, a respiratory disease that kills about 50,000 people in the United States every year, can be caused by many different microbes, including bacteria and viruses. Rapid detection of pneumonia is critical for effective treatment, especially in hospital-acquired cases…
Read MoreDetecting dengue, Zika, and chikangunya within minutes
MIT spinoff is changing the way mosquito-borne illnesses are diagnosed and aims to influence how public health officials react to disease outbreaks. An MIT Tata Center funded research team led by MIT Professor Lee Gehrke and collaborator Irene Bosch has developed a paper-based diagnostic test to detect Zika, dengue, chikungunya and…
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