Researchers at MIT have developed a slow-release drug capsule that can last two weeks in a person’s stomach, writes Jamie Ducharme for Boston Magazine. “The capsule was tested for use in malaria prevention, but the researchers behind it say it could be used for virtually any condition that requires regular oral medication,” Ducharme explains.
Reuters reporter Kate Kelland writes that MIT researchers have created a new drug-delivery capsule that can stay in the stomach for up to two weeks after being swallowed. The star-shaped device could be “a powerful weapon in fighting malaria, HIV and other diseases where successful treatment depends on repeated doses of medicine.”
MIT researchers have developed a star-shaped, drug-delivery device that can stay in the stomach for up to two weeks, gradually releasing medication, reports Melissa Healy for The Los Angeles Times. The researchers believe the device could be useful in “delivering a wide range of medications for diseases in which patient non-adherence is a problem.”
Scientists at MIT have developed spinach plants that can detect and alert people about explosives, reports Matthew Gunther for Scientific American. Grad student Min Hao Wong explains that plants are good sensors as “through the transpiration process, plants draw up water and other analytes from the ground, and can accumulate even trace levels of analytes within [their] tissues.”
CBS News reporter Brian Mastroianni writes that MIT researchers have engineered spinach plants to serve as sensors by embedding the leaves with carbon nanotubes. Mastroianni explains that the researchers feel this work shows that “plants could ultimately serve as great collaborators in helping people better understand the environment around them.”
Washington Post reporter Sarah Kaplan writes that MIT researchers have developed bionic spinach plants that can detect explosives. Kaplan explains that the researchers were able to “turn plants into bomb-sniffing machines with the help of tiny cylinders of carbon that can detect ‘nitroaromatics’ — chemical compounds often used in explosives.”
Kate Samuelson writes for TIME that MIT engineers have created a method for turning spinach plants into bomb detectors that can wirelessly transmit warning signals. The research "opens the door to the use of wild-type plants for infrared communication in wide areas, and real-time monitoring of environments,” explains Samuelson.
MIT researchers have created bomb-detecting spinach by embedding fluorescent nanoparticles into the plant’s leaves, The Guardian reports. Plants are ideal for this detection system because they “have built-in power sources and are able to move fluids around very efficiently,” explains Prof. Michael Strano.
BBC News reporter Paul Rincon writes that by embedding carbon nanotubes into spinach leaves, MIT researchers have created plants that can detect explosives. “The plants could be used for defense applications, but also to monitor public spaces for terrorism related activities,” explains Prof. Michael Strano.
Guardian reporter Amy Fleming spotlights Prof. Robert Langer’s work revolutionizing medicine. Fleming notes that “Langer’s trailblazing research in nanotechnology, which ranges from haircare to cancer treatments, has already improved the lives of at least 2 billion people.”
Popular Science reporter Sarah Chodosh writes that MIT researchers have developed a strategy to deliver beneficial bacteria to the GI tract. The researchers used layers of different sugars "to coat individual cells of Bacillus coagulans, which is used to treat irritable bowel syndrome."
Prof. Robert Langer talks to Jessica Harris from NPR about his research on tissue engineering and drug delivery, the commercialization of his discoveries, and the many companies he has started. Langer says he started his lab based off his desire to improve people’s lives by conducting research “at the interface of chemical engineering and medicine.”
MIT has been named the top university in the world in the latest QS World University Rankings, reports Nick Morrison for Forbes. This is the fifth consecutive year that MIT has earned the number one spot in the QS rankings.
MIT postdoc Amit Kumar writes in Science about how being in an unfamiliar culture aided his research career and helped him take on new leadership roles. His personal essay explores an academic journey that spans from India to Belgium to the United States.
MIT researchers have developed a programmable vaccine that could be used to respond to disease outbreaks, reports Ben Gruber for Reuters. The vaccine harnesses “messenger RNA, a genetic material that can be programmed to fight any viral, bacterial or parasitic disease by provoking an amplified immune response.”