Biological engineering

A woman in Ghana carries a basket of fish. Local diets and lifestyles have created a remarkable diversity in the human microbiome worldwide.

Studying the hotbed of horizontal gene transfers

Global Microbiome Conservancy research reveals surprising new insights into human gut microbiomes.

October 22, 2018

MIT engineers have developed a sensor that can be used to measure optical and electrical signals in the brain, using MRI.

Monitoring electromagnetic signals in the brain with MRI

Technique could be used to detect light or electrical fields in living tissue.

October 22, 2018

School of Engineering third quarter 2018 awards

Faculty members recognized for excellence via a diverse array of honors, grants, and prizes over the last quarter.

October 19, 2018

MIT biological engineers have devised a way to regulate the expression of RNA once it gets into cells, giving them precise control over the dose of protein that a patient receives, as shown in this conceptual image.

This RNA-based technique could make gene therapy more effective

Biological engineers design RNA circuits that enable precise control over the dose of therapeutic protein a patient receives.

October 16, 2018

Using a computer modeling approach that they developed, MIT biologists identified three different proteins that can bind selectively to each of three similar targets, all members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins.

Computer model offers more control over protein design

New approach generates a wider variety of protein sequences optimized to bind to drug targets.

October 15, 2018

Tyler Jacks (left), head of the Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research at MIT, and Kerri Kaplan, president and chief executive officer of the Lustgarten Foundation, both say they are excited to usher in a new era of pancreatic cancer research.

Progress against pancreatic cancer

Lustgarten Foundation names MIT laboratory to improve understanding and treatment of a deadly disease

October 11, 2018

MIT engineers created this model of the neuromuscular junction using motor neurons derived from ALS patients. The motor neurons (blue) send fibers called neurites (green) toward the muscle fibers (pink).

Testing new drugs with “ALS-on-a-chip”

3-D tissue model replicates the motor neuron connections affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

October 10, 2018

MIT visiting scholar Padma Lakshmi, the host and executive producer of Bravo’s Top Chef and co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, speaks to MIT researchers in the lab of Linda Griffith, an MIT School of Engineering Professor of Teaching Innovation, Biological Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

A recipe for health

Women’s health advocate, Top Chef host and executive producer, and MIT visiting scholar Padma Lakshmi tours campus, speaks on endometriosis.

October 9, 2018

The leadership team for the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health, or J-Clinic: (l-r) Institute Professor and Nobel laureate Philip Sharp; James Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science; Regina Barzilay, the Delta Electronics Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and Anantha Chandrakasan, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engi...

Regina Barzilay, James Collins, and Phil Sharp join leadership of new effort on machine learning in health

MacArthur “geniuses” in machine learning and synthetic biology to serve as faculty co-leads; Nobel laureate to chair advisory board of new research center.

October 3, 2018

McGovern Institute investigator Feng Zhang is the winner of the 2018 Keio Medical Science Prize.

Feng Zhang wins 2018 Keio Medical Science Prize

McGovern Institute scientist is recognized with award for outstanding and creative achievements made in the life and medical sciences.

September 19, 2018

“If you have a problem, and you look into the problem in nature and see how animals or plants deal with these kinds of problems and extract those design principles, you can try to replicate [them] using engineering approaches,” saysZijay Tang, a PhD candidate in MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering.

Inspired by nature, reaching across disciplines

PhD student Zijay Tang is developing a living material that can sense and filter water contaminants.

September 17, 2018

It's often unclear how to turn molecular knowledge into new therapeutics, especially for cancers with no clear genetic cause like medulloblastoma.

Protein analysis uncovers new medulloblastoma subtypes

Research team shows the power of proteomics to discover new drug targets and help develop therapeutic strategies with fewer long-term side effects.

September 14, 2018

MIT researchers have discovered that peptides normally secreted by cells that line the stomach have previously unknown antimicrobial activity.

Biological engineers discover new antibiotic candidates

Screen of human proteins reveals some with antimicrobial power.

August 20, 2018

To help students gain a better grasp of biological concepts, MIT and Northwestern University researchers have designed new educational kits that can be used to perform experiments that produce glowing proteins, scents, or other easily observed phenomena, through the engineering of DNA.

Inexpensive biology kits offer hands-on experience with DNA

Using freeze-dried, shelf-stable cellular components, students can learn about key biological concepts.

August 1, 2018

School of Engineering second quarter 2018 awards