News & Events

A diverse group of researchers, including at IMES, is working to turn new discoveries about the trillions of microbes in the body into treatments for a range of diseases. The microbiome comprises trillions of microorganisms living on and inside each of us. Historically, some researchers have guessed at its role…

At any given moment in the human body, in about 30 trillion cells, DNA is being “read” into molecules of messenger RNA, the intermediary step between DNA and proteins, in a process called transcription. Scientists have a pretty good idea of how transcription gets started: proteins called RNA polymerases are…

As cases increased worldwide this spring, mechanical engineers, including researchers affiliated with IMES, developed solutions to help slow and stop the spread of the coronavirus. An air of uncertainty descended on MIT’s campus in early March. Whispers and rumors about campus closing down swirled in the hallways. Students convened en…

MISTI Global Seed Funds are open for proposals after Covid pivot. Global partnerships are a fundamental component of research at MIT — even during this time of suspended travel. MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) supports those connections via MISTI Global Seed Funds (GSF). GSF enables participating faculty teams to collaborate…

Will focus on responding to disasters and humanitarian crises, defending against biothreats, addressing climate change, and improving human health and performance. MIT Lincoln Laboratory has established a new research and development division, the Biotechnology and Human Systems Division. The division will address emerging threats to both national security and humanity….

Pain-sensing neurons link to lymph nodes and potentially regulate their activity. The nervous and immune systems have long been thought to be separate entities in the body, but new research has uncovered a direct cellular interaction between the two. Scientists from Harvard Medical School, IMES, the Broad Institute of MIT…

Many years of research have enabled scientists, including those affiliated with IMES, to quickly synthesize RNA vaccines and deliver them inside cells. Developing and testing a new vaccine typically takes at least 12 to 18 months. However, just over 10 months after the genetic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was…

Mindy Bishop, an HST PhD student, finds connections between artificial intelligence, sustainable energy, and patient care “In electrical engineering, I often find myself marveling at the simple concept of a switch—which is essentially what transistors are, the tiny devices that computing systems are made of,” says Mindy D. Bishop, a…

Applications and challenges of sensing technology have been accelerated by Covid-19. Sensors that track everything from infection in the lungs to WiFi usage on a busy university campus are poised to enhance our understanding of, and approach to improving, human health at many levels — a trend that has been…

In honor of #BlackinDataWeek, the Sadie Collective has a list of nine Black women data scientists to know, including HST MEMP PhD student Jordan Harrod. ​Expert Contributors Members of the Sadie Collective, Adeleye is a Fellow at the Ph.D. Excellence Initiative at NYU and Aderonmu is a policy analyst. The Sadie Collective…