Disease

White blood cells are among the first to mount an attack against sepsis, a deadly complication of Covid-19. In a project led by MIT Professor Daniela Rus, researchers are developing a machine learning system to detect an activated immune response to sepsis which could lead to earlier, more aggressive treatment. Here, a white blood cell attacks malaria.

Marshaling artificial intelligence in the fight against Covid-19

The MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab is funding 10 research projects aimed at addressing the health and economic consequences of the pandemic.

May 19, 2020

Hadley Sikes, who recently earned tenure in MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering, devotes much of her lab’s effort to devising inexpensive, highly sensitive tests for diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and cancer.

Making an impact through chemical engineering

Hadley Sikes designs simple-to-use diagnostic devices that could benefit patients around the world.

May 18, 2020

Researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have come up with a new approach to sharing ventilators between patients, which they believe could be used as a last resort to treat Covid-19 patients in acute respiratory distress.

MIT engineers propose a safer method for sharing ventilators

Suggested design could make it easier to divide air flow for Covid-19 patients in emergencies when no other options are available.

May 18, 2020

MIT economist Parag Pathak is co-author of a paper offering a new system for assigning ventilators and other medical resources to Covid-19 patients.

Who gets ventilator priority?

Paper co-authored by MIT economist proposes a new way to handle medical shortages during the Covid-19 crisis.

May 13, 2020

Lincoln Laboratory is testing uncertified N95s, KN95s, and respirator mask material to check the masks’ effectiveness in filtering particles and resisting seepage from blood spatter.

Testing whether uncertified N95 masks are effective

Lincoln Laboratory joins MIT and others in testing N95 and similar, imported respirator masks to check how well they keep out particles and blood.

May 13, 2020

Scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1 (in green) budding from a cultured lymphocyte

HIV genome bends over backwards to help virus take over cells

Differently shaped RNA molecules allow HIV to express different genes from the same RNA sequence.

May 11, 2020

“There aren’t many ways to escape the apparent choice between protecting public health and protecting the economy,” says MIT economist Pierre Azoulay. “There is only one, and that’s innovation.”

An innovation plan to beat Covid-19

MIT economist Pierre Azoulay outlines a roadmap for scientific success against the virus.

May 8, 2020

MIT’s virtual town hall on May 5 featured 20 MIT administrators and faculty.

MIT’s second virtual town hall addresses the months ahead

Decisions on when to return to campus await more information but may involve a phased process and continued precautions.

May 7, 2020

Q&A: Gregory Rutledge on initial testing of KN95 respirators for public health officials

MIT professor’s research group leverages its capability for testing filtration efficiency to assess certain respirators for MEMA, others.

April 30, 2020

Michael Yaffe with colleague at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

3 Questions: Michael Yaffe on treating Covid-19 patients with acute respiratory distress

MIT professor and intensivist/trauma surgeon explains the new challenges that Covid-19 brings to treating patients in acute respiratory distress.

April 29, 2020

Photograph of the microwell CARMEN chip.

CRISPR-based diagnostic chips perform thousands of tests simultaneously to detect viruses

Diagnostic platform CARMEN combines microfluidics with CRISPR-based detection technology SHERLOCK, and could one day be used for public health efforts.

April 29, 2020

Mathai Mammen, head of R&D at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, was the keynote speaker at the Jameel Clinic's AI Powered Drug Discovery and Manufacturing Conference in February.

MIT conference reveals the power of using artificial intelligence to discover new drugs

Inaugural AI Powered Drug Discovery and Manufacturing Conference drew pharmaceutical companies, government regulators, and pioneering drug researchers.

April 27, 2020

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (orange)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in the lab.

Researchers identify cells likely targeted by Covid-19 virus

Study finds specific cells in the lungs, nasal passages, and intestines that are more susceptible to infection.

April 22, 2020

Seth Mnookin, professor of writing in MIT’s Comparative Media Studies program and author of “The Panic Virus.”

Q&A: Seth Mnookin on Covid-19 and the public understanding of science

MIT professor and writer examines the large-scale reaction to our new public health crisis.

April 21, 2020

Shuguang Zhang, a scientist in MIT’s Media Lab, has been developing antibody-like proteins that can fuse to cytokine receptors and potentially block a “cytokine storm,” which is an excessive immune response that can occur during viral infections. This rendering depicts the secretion of cytokines, the tiny pink bits, from a cell.

Proteins may halt the severe cytokine storms seen in Covid-19 patients

Team designs antibody-like receptor proteins that can bind to cytokines, as possible strategy for treating coronavirus and other infections.

April 16, 2020

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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