Genetics

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

MIT spinout Benchling is bringing life science researchers a cloud-based platform that integrates different types of lab software into one place, with aims of making research and development easier, quicker, and more collaborative.

“Google Docs” for life sciences accelerates discovery

Cloud-based platform assists in managing, sharing data facilitates research.

December 7, 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

Beta-amyloid plaque deposits (red) disrupt mylelin (green) organization in the brain and activate microglia (orange), driving the inflammation, neurodegeneration, and cognitive disfunction associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Creating therapies for Alzheimer's disease by targeting neural circuits

Study finds a complex series of molecular, cellular, circuit and network-level changes contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's.

November 9, 2016

“MIT is wonderful because in addition to [finding] an amazing home in economics, I can talk with and learn from a lot of people on the science side,” says Heidi Williams, the Class of 1957 Career Development Associate Professor in MIT’s Department of Economics.
MIT professor Heidi Williams

Making a splash in health care economics

Heidi Williams builds all-new data sets to answer questions about innovation and biomedical research.

October 18, 2016

“If people get good news, they significantly decrease their risk perception,” says Joshua Krieger, a doctoral candidate at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and lead author of a new study on how people respond to personal genomic data. “You see a much bigger change for good news than bad news.”

Genomes, good news, and you

Personal genomic data makes a bigger impact when it portends well, a new study finds.

September 8, 2016

In a new study, MIT biologists have deciphered the structure of one type of long noncoding RNA and used that information to figure out how it interacts with a cellular protein to control the development of heart muscle cells.

Linking RNA structure and function

Biologists have discovered how an enigmatic type of RNA helps to control cell fate.

September 8, 2016

MIT researchers have added an extra layer of control to the CRISPR gene-editing approach, by making the system responsive to light.

Using light to control genome editing

New technique offers precise manipulation of when and where genes are targeted.

August 25, 2016

Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and Indiana University at Bloomington describe a new system that permits database queries for genome-wide association studies but reduces the chances of privacy compromises to almost zero.

Protecting privacy in genomic databases

System helps ensure databases used in medical research will not leak patients’ personal information.

August 9, 2016

“I love to work on new ideas and develop new kinds of tools to tackle basic questions,” says PhD student Tim Wang.

Targeting genes by the thousands

PhD student Tim Wang uses CRISPR to take a big-picture approach to cancer research.

August 2, 2016

Researchers identify genome-modifying enzyme linked to Rett Syndrome

Deletion of the HDAC3 gene in the brains of mice causes cognitive and social impairments consistent with Rett Syndrome.

July 22, 2016

“You can build very complex computing systems if you integrate the element of memory together with computation,” says Timothy Lu, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and of biological engineering, and head of the Synthetic Biology Group at MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics.

Scientists program cells to remember and respond to series of stimuli

New approach to biological circuit design enables scientists to track cell histories.

July 21, 2016

MIT and Broad Institute postdoc Ilana Brito sampled not only the human microbiome in the remote villages in Fiji she studied, but also the reservoirs of microbes in the community.

Microbiome genes on the move

Largest metagenomic view of the developing world uncovers “mobile genes” that reveal how culture shapes the human microbiome.

July 14, 2016

“How lithium acts on the brain has been this great mystery of psychopharmacology,” says Joshua Meisel, an MIT postdoc and lead author of a new study. “There are hypotheses, but nothing’s been proven.”

New clue to how lithium works in the brain

Biologists find a possible explanation for why the drug helps bipolar patients.

July 7, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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