Biological engineering

Mild heating of graphene oxide sheets makes it possible to bond particular compounds to the sheets’ surface, a new study shows. These compounds in turn select and bond with specific molecules of interest, including DNA and proteins, or even whole cells. In this image the treated graphene oxide on the right is nearly twice as efficient at capturing cells as the untreated material on the left.

Graphene sheets capture cells efficiently

New method could enable pinpoint diagnostics on individual blood cells.

March 3, 2017

A team of MIT biological engineers has developed a method to measure levels of the iron-containing protein heme inside the malaria parasite. “One of our long-term goals is ultimately being able to tie insights from these studies back to thinking about drug discovery and targeting pathways that regulate heme,” says Jacquin Niles, an MIT associate professor of biological engineering.

Taking aim at a key malaria molecule

Measuring the parasite’s heme levels could help scientists develop better antimalarial drugs.

February 27, 2017

CEHS postdoc winners, from left to right: Yehuda Brody (2nd place), Supawadee Chawanthayatham (1st place), and Victor Hernandez-Gordillo and Annelien Zweemer (3rd-place tie).

Center for Environmental Health Sciences selects 2017 poster winners

Annual poster session showcases recent work on biological effects of exposure to environmental agents.

February 23, 2017

Charles Jennings, director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research Neurotechnology program.

3Q: US patent office’s ruling on CRISPR

Charles Jennings of MIT’s McGovern Institute discusses the intellectual property dispute over the gene-editing technique.

February 22, 2017

Researchers have found that the hydrogel’s mostly watery environment helps keep nutrients and programmed bacteria alive and active. When the bacteria reacts to a certain chemical, the bacteria are programmed to light up, as seen on the left.

Living sensors at your fingertips

Cell-infused gloves and bandages light up when in contact with certain chemicals.

February 15, 2017

“The challenge is to engineer a system where we get enough growth to have a productive microbial ‘ chemical factory’ but not so much that we can’ t channel enough of the sugars into a pathway to make large quantities of our target molecules,”says Kristala Prather, an associate professor of chemical engineering at MIT.

Chemical engineers boost bacteria’s productivity

New technique improves yield of useful chemicals.

February 13, 2017

At StartMIT Innovation Night, innovators discuss their founders’ journeys and the impact they’ve made along the way.

StartMIT’s Innovation Night

Innovators from a range of fields discuss their pioneering work and their founders’ journey.

January 26, 2017

Kevin Kung, a Tata Fellow and PhD candidate in biological engineering, feeds rice husks into the torrefaction reactor in his lab at MIT. A thermochemical process will convert the biomass to a more energy-dense form, making it easier to transport and use as fuel.

Tapping the hidden value of farm waste

MIT researchers are developing mobile torrefaction technology that can convert biomass into clean-burning fuel, unlocking potential income for farmers.

January 25, 2017

“Diesel is the preferred fuel because of its high energy density and the high efficiency of the engines that run on diesel,” professor Gregory Stephanopoulos says. “The problem with diesel is that so far it is entirely made from fossil fuels.”

A step toward renewable diesel

Chemical engineers program yeast to convert plant sugars into oils.

January 16, 2017

Feng Zhang named James and Patricia Poitras Professor in Neuroscience

CRISPR pioneer named to inaugural chair created by Patricia and James Poitras '63, founders of MIT’s Poitras Center for Affective Disorders Research.

January 13, 2017

Feng Zhang of MIT and the Broad Institute was named a runner-up for TIME's 2016 Person of the Year for his work on CRISPR gene editing. Zhang shared the honor with Emmanuelle Charpentier at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin; Jennifer Doudna at the University of California at Berkeley; Carl June at the University of Pennsylvania; and Kathy Niakan at the Francis Crick Institute in London.

Feng Zhang named a runner-up for TIME’s 2016 Person of the Year

MIT and Broad Institute scientist shares recognition with four other scientists for developing CRISPR gene-editing systems.

December 7, 2016

“…[I]f humans behave similarly to mice in response to this treatment, I would say the potential is just enormous, because it’s so noninvasive, and it’s so accessible,” says Li-Huei Tsai, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience, when describing a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Unique visual stimulation may be new treatment for Alzheimer’s

Noninvasive technique reduces beta amyloid plaques in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease.

December 7, 2016

MIT researchers have designed protein-based sensors that can dilate blood vessels in the brain. This dilation can be imaged with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as seen on the left side of this scan.

A radiation-free approach to imaging molecules in the brain

New probe induces blood flow changes that can be seen by MRI.

December 2, 2016

MIT researchers have developed a way to isolate genetic circuits within individual synthetic “cells,” preventing the circuits from disrupting each other.

Researchers create synthetic cells to isolate genetic circuits

Encapsulating molecular components in artificial membranes offers more flexibility in designing circuits.

November 14, 2016

Four nucleotides, abbreviated A, C, G, and T, spell out DNA sequences that code for all of the proteins cells need. MIT researchers have now discovered another layer of control, mediated by transfer RNA, that helps cells to rapidly divert resources in emergency situations.

Cracking the code for dormant bacteria

Newly discovered genetic code controls bacterial survival during infections.

November 11, 2016

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