Health sciences and technology

A strong immune response can be seen in this immunofluorescence image of lung tissue infected with pneumonia where immune cells are stained green and red.

With these nanoparticles, a simple urine test could diagnose bacterial pneumonia

Results could also indicate whether antibiotics have successfully treated the infection.

November 29, 2018

PlateJoy's platform sends recipes straight to users' phones and also features educational videos on topics such as sleep, nutrition, and fitness.

Healthy eating made easy

Startup PlateJoy sends users personalized meal plans to help them achieve health goals.

November 21, 2018

Emily Lindemer and her team created the "Hey,Charlie" app for individuals recovering from addiction. As users go about their day, if they approach a place they have signified as risk-related, the app sends a notification: “Hey, I know you’re near a risky area. You can do this.”

"Hey,Charlie" app supports those struggling with opioids

Smartphone app developed by Emily Lindemer PhD '17 uses social contacts and location information to give gentle reminders for staying engaged with recovery.

October 25, 2018

A woman in Ghana carries a basket of fish. Local diets and lifestyles have created a remarkable diversity in the human microbiome worldwide.

Studying the hotbed of horizontal gene transfers

Global Microbiome Conservancy research reveals surprising new insights into human gut microbiomes.

October 22, 2018

MIT researchers have developed a cryptographic system that could help neural networks identify promising drug candidates in massive pharmacological datasets while keeping the data private, which could enable broader pooling of sensitive pharmacological data for predictive drug discovery.

Cryptographic protocol enables greater collaboration in drug discovery

Neural network that securely finds potential drugs could encourage large-scale pooling of sensitive data.

October 18, 2018

MIT researchers have built a system that takes a step toward fully automated smart homes, by identifying occupants even when they’re not carrying mobile devices.

A step toward personalized, automated smart homes

System that automatically identifies people moving around indoors could enable self-adjusting homes.

October 17, 2018

MIT and MGH researchers have developed an automated deep-learning model, currently being used on real patients, that identifies dense breast tissue — a risk factor for breast cancer — in mammograms as reliably as expert radiologists.

Automated system identifies dense tissue, a risk factor for breast cancer, in mammograms

Deep-learning model has been used successfully on patients, may lead to more consistent screening procedures.

October 16, 2018

In this image of a growing mouse tumor, yellow fluorescence marks the presence of Lgr5+ cancer stem cells. Although Lgr5+ cells are only a minority of tumor cells, they are the source of all other tumor cells.

In pursuit of the elusive stem cell

New MIT initiative delves into the biology of stem cells and cancer stem cells, seeks ways to identify, purify, and propagate them.

October 15, 2018

A new study has found that the protein SAP102 plays a unique role in transmission across neural connections, or synapses.

Protein has unique effects on information processing

Picower Institute researchers find that a key protein linked to intellectual disability shapes electrical currents in neural connections.

October 15, 2018

The leadership team for the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health, or J-Clinic: (l-r) Institute Professor and Nobel laureate Philip Sharp; James Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science; Regina Barzilay, the Delta Electronics Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and Anantha Chandrakasan, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engi...

Regina Barzilay, James Collins, and Phil Sharp join leadership of new effort on machine learning in health

MacArthur “geniuses” in machine learning and synthetic biology to serve as faculty co-leads; Nobel laureate to chair advisory board of new research center.

October 3, 2018