Brain circuit needed to incorporate new information may be linked to schizophrenia
Impairments of this circuit may help to explain why some people with schizophrenia lose touch with reality.
New sensor sniffs out pneumonia on a patient’s breath
The technology could enable fast, point-of-care diagnoses for pneumonia and other lung conditions.
Studying the genetic basis of disease to explore fundamental biological questions
Eliezer Calo’s studies of craniofacial malformations have yielded insight into protein synthesis and embryonic development.
New insights into a hidden process that protects cells from harmful mutations
Research reveals how cells may activate a compensation system that can reduce the effects of harmful genetic mutations. This could inform gene therapy development.
3 Questions: Exploring the mechanisms underlying changes during infection
Zuri Sullivan, a new assistant professor of biology and Whitehead Institute member, studies why we get sick, and whether aspects of illness, such as disrupted appetite, contribute to host defense.
3 Questions: Using AI to accelerate the discovery and design of therapeutic drugs
Professor James Collins discusses how collaboration has been central to his research into combining computational predictions with new experimental platforms.
New tissue models could help researchers develop drugs for liver disease
Two models more accurately replicate the physiology of the liver, offering a new way to test treatments for fat buildup.
Bryan Bryson: Engineering solutions to the tough problem of tuberculosis
By analyzing how Myobacterium tuberculosis interacts with the immune system, the associate professor hopes to find new vaccine targets to help eliminate the disease.
Celebrating worm science
Time and again, an unassuming roundworm has illuminated aspects of biology with major consequences for human health.
Study: High-fat diets make liver cells more likely to become cancerous
New research suggests liver cells exposed to too much fat revert to an immature state that is more susceptible to cancer-causing mutations.
MIT researchers find new immunotherapeutic targets for glioblastoma
A study profiling antigens presented on immune and tumor cells in co-culture points to new strategies for attacking a treatment-resistant and deadly brain cancer.
MIT study shows how vision can be rebooted in adults with amblyopia
Temporarily anesthetizing the retina briefly reverts the activity of the visual system to that observed in early development and enables growth of responses to the amblyopic (“lazy”) eye.
Too sick to socialize: How the brain and immune system promote staying in bed
MIT researchers discover how an immune system molecule triggers neurons to shut down social behavior in mice modeling infection.
Alternate proteins from the same gene contribute differently to health and rare disease
New findings may help researchers identify genetic mutations that contribute to rare diseases, by studying when and how single genes produce multiple versions of proteins.
MIT study finds targets for a new tuberculosis vaccine
Using these antigens, researchers plan to develop vaccine candidates that they hope would stimulate a strong immune response against the world’s deadliest pathogen.