Wall Street Journal reporter Dominique Mosbergen spotlights how Prof. James Collins and his lab have built their “own algorithms to trawl chemical databases, such as those of existing pharmaceutical drugs, for potential antibacterial compounds.” Collins’ His lab is “also experimenting with using generative AI to design completely new molecules that could kill bacteria,” writes Mosbergen.
Researchers from MIT and other institutions have uncovered new pathways, along with identifying genes, that may contribute to the development of a new class of drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease, reports John R. Ellement for The Boston Globe. “The drugs currently approved to treat Alzheimer’s have not been as successful as hoped,” Ellement explains. “Those drugs tend to target amyloid plaques in the brain, but the new research suggests other areas to target.”
Tech Crunch reporter Tim De Chant spotlights Fieldstone Bio, an MIT startup that turns microbes into sensors to support agricultural and national security efforts. “Each strain is tailored to sense a particular compound, such as nitrogen on a farm field or TNT residue from a landmine,” explains De Chant. “After the microbes have some time to sense their environment — several hours to days, depending on the target — the company will have another drone snap photos of the area.”
Materials World reporter Sarah Morgan spotlights how MIT researchers have “combined the waterproof stickiness of mussel-inspired polymers with the germ-fighting properties of mucus-derived proteins, mucins, to form a cross-linking gel that strongly adheres to surfaces.” The new adhesive could be used to coat medical implants to prevent infection and bacteria build-up. Postdoc George Degen explains: “We demonstrate adhesion to wet tissue and metal-oxide surfaces, important substrates for biomedical applications. Moreover, our mucin-derived hydrogels discourage the formation of bacterial biofilms, raising the possibility of antifouling coatings.”
Syntis Bio, a biopharmaceutical company co-founded by Prof. Giovanni Traverso and Prof. Robert Langer, is developing a daily obesity pill that mimics the effects of gastric bypass, reports Emily Mullin for Wired. “This material is something you would take as a capsule or liquid, but the next day it's gone because of the natural turnover of our mucosal surface in the GI tract,” says Traverso.
MIT researchers have developed a method to grow artificial muscle tissue that twitches and flexes in multiple, coordinated directions, and could be useful for building “biohybrid” robots, reports Andrew Corselli for Tech Briefs. Prof. Ritu Raman explains that her lab is focused on creating “artificial muscle tissues that can be used to understand and treat muscle diseases that impact healthy human mobility,” and making “safe muscle-powered robots that can perform complex tasks in dangerous environments that are not suitable for humans.”
MIT researchers have developed a new method to grow artificial muscles for soft robots that can move in multiple directions, mimicking the iris of an eye, reports Mrigakshi Dixit for Interesting Engineering. The researchers developed a new technique called “stamping” to create “an artificial iris-like structure,” Dixit explains. “For this, they 3D-printed a tiny stamp, patterned with microscopic grooves. This stamp is then pressed into a soft hydrogel to create a blueprint for muscle growth.”
Ministry of Supply, a clothing brand founded by MIT alumni, has developed a machine-washable, heated jacket, reports Rebecca Barker for Fast Company. “The issue with a lot of heated garments is that they want you to know that they’re heated garments,” says co-founder Gihan Amarasiriwardena '11. “The controller is on the outside, for example, they’re often times made out of kind of cheap shell material, so it doesn’t look as high quality. We think of the heating system as a secondary element, because we think the design of the garment can stand on its own.”
WCVB-TV's Chronicle spotlights Prof. Linda Griffith, “a forerunner in the field of biological engineering,” for her research investigating endometriosis and breaking the stigma around menstruation. Griffith founded the MIT Center for Gynepathology Research in 2009 and “one of their objectives is to help develop ways of staging endometriosis, similar to how cancer is characterized.” Griffith notes that by focusing on menstruation and making it a science, “I think we will really change the game for women.
MIT Profs. Angela Belcher, Emery Brown, Paula Hammond and Feng Zhang have been honored with National Medals of Science and Technology, reports Michael T. Neitzel for Forbes. Additionally, R. Lawrence Edwards '76 received a National Medal of Science and Noubar Afeyan PhD '87, a member of the MIT Corporation, accepted a National Medal on behalf of Moderna. The recipients have been awarded “the nation’s highest honors for exemplary achievements and leadership in science and technology,” explains Neitzel.
Prof. William Thilly, a “leader of groundbreaking research into human genetic mutations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, and the inventor of Kellogg’s Apple Jacks cereal,” has died at age 79, reports Jade Lozada for The Boston Globe. “I will always remember Bill as my first mentor and a scientific father figure,” says alumnus Tushar Kamath. “I can’t imagine having pursued a career of medical research without the formative experiences he offered me.”
Prof. Katharina Ribbeck speaks with New York Times reporter Nina Agrawal about her research studying the health and medical benefits of mucus. “Ribbeck’s research has shown that the sugars on mucins can effectively switch off mechanisms that the bacteria involved in strep throat or cholera, for example, or fungus in a yeast infection, use to go from innocuous to harmful,” explains Agrawal.
New York Times reporter Eric Lipton spotlights Prof. Christopher Voigt and his team’s “radical effort to engineer nature to fight climate change” by creating genetically modified bacteria to help reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. Lipton notes that Voigt is “a rock star of sorts in the fast-growing field of biological engineering.”
New Yorker reporter Dhruv Khullar spotlights how researchers from across MIT are using AI to advance drug development. Khullar highlights the MIT Jameel Clinic, the Broad Institute and various faculty members for their efforts in bridging the gap between AI and drug research. “With AI, we’re getting that much more efficient at finding molecules—and in some cases creating them,” says Prof. James Collins. “The cost of the search is going down. Now we really don’t have an excuse.”
Associated Press reporter Bernie Wilson spotlights Christina “Chris” Birch PhD '15 and her quest to reach outer space after conquering many miles as a competitive cyclist. “Birch’s resume is staggering,” Wilson notes. “In cycling, she has 11 national championships as well as multiple Pan American and World Cup medals. She has degrees in mathematics, biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and a doctorate in biological engineering from MIT.” Of her outer space aspirations, Birch explains: “While I would love to be a scientist on the moon, doing research, collecting samples, just to be a part of our return to the moon would be incredible, because we are asking such interesting scientific questions.”