Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES)

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

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

New research shows that the Zika virus circulated in many regions of the Americas for several months before cases of infection were detected.

Zika virus likely circulated in Americas long before its detection

Analysis of largest collection of Zika genomes to date reveals trajectory and evolution of the virus.

May 24, 2017

Dean Ian Waitz stands with the School of Engineering's 2017 Infinite Mile Award Winners. Standing, left to right: Waitz, Rachel Batista, Lisa Bella, Michelle Morrison, Beth Milnes, and Bill Litant. Seated, left to right: Stacy Springs, Melinda Lyman-Wright, and Ludmila Leoparde.

Spotlight on engineering staff

The School of Engineering gives its 2017 Infinite Mile Awards for exceptional service and support.

May 22, 2017

IDEA² Global teams get innovation training and expert resources to help them turn their biomedical technology idea into a project with potential for health care impact.

MIT linQ announces 2017 class of IDEA^2 Global

Fifteen international teams developing new biomedical technologies to benefit from innovation training and expert resources.

May 19, 2017

Top row, left to right: Stephen Bell, Sangeeta Bhatia, and Christopher Cummins. Bottom row, left to right: Esther Duflo, Klavs Jensen, and Nergis Mavalvala.

National Academy of Sciences elects six MIT professors for 2017

Bell, Bhatia, Cummins, Duflo, Jensen, and Mavalvala honored for research achievements.

May 3, 2017

MIT professors James Collins (left) and Feng Zhang are co-authors of a new paper reporting that an RNA-targeting CRISPR enzyme can be harnessed as a highly sensitive detector able to indicate the presence of as little as a single molecule of a target RNA or DNA.

Scientists unveil CRISPR-based diagnostic platform

New system adapts tool known for gene editing; to be used in rapid, inexpensive disease diagnosis.

April 13, 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 researchers have devised a new vaccine candidate for the Zika virus. “It functions almost like a synthetic virus, except it’s not pathogenic and it doesn’t spread,” says postdoc Omar Khan.

Progress toward a Zika vaccine

Researchers program RNA nanoparticles that could protect against the virus.

March 29, 2017

The immune system often builds up a wall of dense scar tissue around implanted medical devices, a process known as fibrosis. The cell shown in blue represents a macrophage that has been blocked from initiating fibrosis.

Study points a way to better implants

Selectively blocking immune cells can prevent formation of scar tissue around medical devices.

March 20, 2017

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a narrowing of the airway that cuts off breathing, and people who are obese are at higher risk for the disorder. MIT researchers have discovered that a dietary supplement called yohimbine reverses the root cause of obstructive sleep apnea in an animal model.

A possible new approach to stopping obstructive sleep apnea

Dietary supplement derived from tree bark shows promise for treating the disorder.

February 23, 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

Among the awards presented at a recent MIT linQ event was the IMES Award, given to SmartClot, a student team designing an affordable device for low-resource settings that leverages a cellphone camera to determine coagulation status, helping to avoid potentially fatal blood clots.

MIT linQ names first IDEA^2 Global awardees

Twelve finalist teams pitched diverse new health care technologies at MIT.

February 14, 2017

MIT researchers have developed a portable technology, known as Seq-Well, that can rapidly prepare the RNA of many cells for sequencing simultaneously.

Making single-cell RNA sequencing widely available

Portable tool could help scientists learn more about cells’ roles in many diseases.

February 13, 2017

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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