News & Events

To help students gain a better grasp of biological concepts, MIT and Northwestern University researchers have designed educational kits that can be used to perform experiments with DNA, to produce glowing proteins, scents, or other easily observed phenomena. Biology teachers could use the BioBits kits to demonstrate key concepts such…

Movement really moves Richard Fineman, a fourth-year PhD student in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. Using wearable sensors and a range of complex modeling tools, Fineman is able to measure and understand a body in motion in unprecedented ways. He is using what he’s learning to advance…

Many technology companies are working on artificial intelligence systems that can analyze medical data to help diagnose or treat health problems. Such systems raise the question of whether this kind of technology can perform as well as a human doctor. A new study from MIT computer scientists suggests that human…

In an advance that could lead to new treatments for a variety of diseases, MIT researchers have devised a new way to deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) into cells. Messenger RNA, a large nucleic acid that encodes genetic information, can direct cells to produce specific proteins. Unlike DNA, mRNA is not…

Photo: MiNDS probes cause minimal injury to brain tissue. This picture shows minimal tissue scarring (green and red stains) and healthy neuron growth (purple) surrounding the implant. Credit: Khalil Ramadi The diversity of structures and functions of the brain is becoming increasingly realized in research today. Key structures exist in the…

Alex K. Shalek, Pfizer-Laubach Career Development Assistant Professor, has been named one of five 2018 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research. This program is a partnership between The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust to support promising early career scientists whose research will accelerate discovery and advance…

*Photo: Image of a single Paneth cell with anti-microbial granules in red and green, derived from and adult intestinal stem cell, following the small molecule bioengineering approach identified by Mead et al. For many years, drug development has relied on simplified and scalable cell culture models to find and test new…

MIT engineers have developed a probiotic mix of natural and engineered bacteria to diagnose and treat cholera, an intestinal infection that causes severe dehydration. Cholera outbreaks are usually caused by contaminated drinking water, and infections can turn fatal if not treated. The most common treatment is rehydration, which must be…

Philipp Simons, a second year PhD student at Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), has been selected as 2018 Broshy Fellowship recipient. Philipp received $40,000 to develop his project, An All-Solid-State Glucose Micro Fuel Cell as an Implantable Power Source for the Human Body, with his advisor, Jennifer Rupp….

After a patient has a heart attack, a cascade of events leading to heart failure begins. Damage to the area in the heart where a blood vessel was blocked leads to scar tissue. In response to scarring, the heart will remodel to compensate. This process often ends in ventricular or…