Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology

Timothy Lu's early interest in computer programming was inspired by his father, who worked as an electrical engineer at IBM.

Timothy Lu seeks to combat disease by reprogramming biological systems

Synthetic biologist hopes to develop treatments for cancer and other diseases.

March 4, 2018

Researchers hope that their work will lead to a new approach to designing and evaluating polymer stents and other types of degradable medical devices.

Study reveals why polymer stents failed

Microscopic flaws in material structure can lead to stent deformation after implantation.

February 26, 2018

In this image, four Plasmodium vivax parasites have invaded human hepatocytes. Three of the parasites are developing while one parasite, on the lower right, is a dormant hypnozoite, which remains small until its reactivation.

Human malaria parasites grown for the first time in dormant form

Novel technology could allow researchers to develop and test new antimalaria drugs.

February 22, 2018

MIT alumnus Dennis Orgill developed a process of infusing scaffolds — collagen skin grafts — with healthy skin cells to promote a more effective regeneration. The scaffold was invented by Professor Ioannis Yannas.

Using mechanical forces to improve wound healing

Dennis Orgill SM ’80, PhD ’83 applies mechanical engineering principles to the operating room.

January 5, 2018

“It’s important to have a single test that can differentiate between the four serotypes of Dengue and Zika, because they co-circulate. They’re spread by the same mosquito,” says Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli, an associate professor of engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a visiting scientist in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

New test rapidly diagnoses Zika

Paper-based diagnostic avoids false positives from Dengue fever and other related viruses.

September 27, 2017

Researchers have developed a new way to engineer liver tissue by organizing tiny subunits that contain three types of cells embedded into a biodegradable tissue scaffold. This image shows vascularized engineered human liver tissue that has self-organized into a lobule-like microstructure.

Engineered liver tissue expands after transplant

Tiny implantable “seeds” of tissue produce fully functional livers.

July 19, 2017

Researchers are hoping to use nanotechnology to develop more targeted treatments for drug-resistant bacteria. In this illustration, an antimicrobial peptide is packaged in a silicon nanoparticle to target bacteria in the lung.

Antibiotic nanoparticles fight drug-resistant bacteria

Targeted treatment could be used for pneumonia and other bacterial infections.

July 12, 2017

The Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine’s faculty is made up of Koch Institute members who are committed to fighting cancer with nanomedicine through research, education, and collaboration. Top row (l-r) Sangeeta Bhatia, director; Daniel Anderson; and Angela Belcher. Bottom row: Paula Hammond; Darrell Irvine; and Robert Langer.

Converging on cancer at the nanoscale

Marking its first anniversary, the Koch Institute’s Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine goes full steam ahead.

July 7, 2017

Robert Lees, cardiologist and former MIT professor, dies at 82

Former director of the MIT Clinical Research Center and professor in health sciences and technology contributed novel techniques and tools to cardiovascular research.

June 26, 2017

MIT researchers are developing a new surgical approach that would allow amputees to receive sensory feedback from their prosthetic limbs and improve their ability to control them.

Making prosthetic limbs feel more natural

Muscle grafts could help amputees sense and control artificial limbs.

May 31, 2017

MIT researchers are working on an implantable device that could make intraperitoneal chemotherapy more bearable. “As we entered into this project, our question was how do we get the same beneficial outcomes and reduce all the side effects?” says professor Michael Cima. Pictured is a micrograph of ovarian cancer.

Study offers guidance for targeting residual ovarian tumors

Findings support new strategy of continuous drug delivery by implantable device.

May 23, 2017

A high-magnification micrograph of an ovarian clear cell carcinoma. The images show, focally, the characteristic clear cells with prominent nucleoli and the typical hyaline globules.

New technology can detect tiny ovarian tumors

“Synthetic biomarkers” could be used to diagnose ovarian cancer months earlier than now possible.

April 10, 2017

MIT Media Lab spinout Cardiio has developed a mobile app that uses a smartphone camera to detect facial signs of a heart arrhythmia associated with strokes.

App screens for arrhythmia using smartphone camera

Startup develops app to detect irregular heartbeats that can cause strokes.

March 29, 2017

This image shows large clonal colonies of cochlear progenitor cells formed from single cells and converted into high-purity colonies of hair cells (cyan) with intricate hair bundles (red).

Drug treatment could combat hearing loss

Researchers discover a drug combination that can regenerate hair cells in the inner ear.

February 21, 2017

“…[I]f a fluorescence microscope’s resolution is set at 2 micrometers, our technique can have 300 nanometer resolution — about a sixfold improvement over regular microscopes,” says MIT graduate student Frederick Sangyeon Cho. “The idea is very simple but very powerful and can be useful in many different imaging applications.”

Laser particles could provide sharper images of tissues

New imaging technique stimulates particles to emit laser light, could create higher-resolution images.

November 3, 2016

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