Health sciences and technology

Through a Bridge Project collaboration with David Weinstock (left) of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), and MIT Professor Scott Manalis (center), cell-weighing technology is being evaluated in a clinical laboratory at DFCI. MIT visiting scientist Mark Stevens is pictured at right.

Over the river and do some good

The Bridge Project collaboration accelerates new, highly original, and powerful approaches to defeating cancer.

November 22, 2017

Fighting a giant foe at a tiny scale

Professor Paula Hammond uses nanoscale biomaterials to craft anti-cancer treatments tiny enough to get through the bloodstream and enter tumors.

November 7, 2017

In searching for a potential therapeutic for autism spectrum disorder, researchers have found that R-Baclofen reverses cognitive deficits and improves social interactions in two lines of 16p11.2 deletion mice.

Promise seen in possible treatment for autism spectrum disorder

Studies in mice show improved social interaction and cognition from a potential therapeutic for a syndrome that often results in autism.

October 31, 2017

Ritu Raman is one five U.S. scientists who have received the 2017 L’Oréal USA For Women in Science Fellowship.

Ritu Raman named L’Oréal Women in Science Fellow

Postdoc in the Langer Lab is honored for her contributions to the advancement of STEM fields and for her support of women and girls in science.

October 17, 2017

Pictured, left to right, are: Manisha Bahl, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Breast Imaging Fellowship Program; MIT Professor Regina Barzilay (center); and Constance Lehman, professor at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Breast Imaging Division at MGH’s Department of Radiology.

Using artificial intelligence to improve early breast cancer detection

Model developed at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory could reduce false positives and unnecessary surgeries.

October 16, 2017

Arup K. Chakraborty, the Robert T. Haslam Professor of Chemical Engineering, professor of physics, chemistry, and biological engineering, and a core faculty member at the Institute for Medical Engineering & Science has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine in recognition of his distinguished contributions to medicine and health.

Arup Chakraborty elected to National Academy of Medicine

Recognized for his contributions to health, the distinguished professor is now a member of the national academies of medicine, science, and engineering.

October 16, 2017

Elazer Edelman and his students have been credited as some of the key contributors and pioneers of the coronary stent.

Elazer Edelman honored with Cardiovascular Research Foundation career achievement award

The 2017 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Career Achievement Award honors a pioneering biomedical engineer, scientist, professor, and cardiologist.

October 13, 2017

MIT Professor Regina Barzilay, 2017 MacArthur Fellow, was cited by the MacArthur Foundation for making “significant contributions to a wide range of problems in computational linguistics, including both interpretation and generation of human language.”

Regina Barzilay wins MacArthur “genius grant”

MIT computer scientist who studies natural language processing and machine learning wins $625,000 prize.

October 11, 2017

“It’s important to have a single test that can differentiate between the four serotypes of Dengue and Zika, because they co-circulate. They’re spread by the same mosquito,” says Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli, an associate professor of engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a visiting scientist in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

New test rapidly diagnoses Zika

Paper-based diagnostic avoids false positives from Dengue fever and other related viruses.

September 27, 2017

This schematic shows a microfluidic device that uses sound waves to separate exosomes (pink spheres) from other components of blood.

Blood testing via sound waves may replace some tissue biopsies

Microfluidic device uses acoustics to quickly analyze blood for signatures of cancer and other diseases.

September 18, 2017

Using machine learning to improve patient care

New CSAIL research employs many types of medical data, including electronic health records, to predict outcomes in hospitals.

August 21, 2017

2017 Gilliam Fellowship awardee Lindsey Backman

Lindsey Backman awarded Gilliam Fellowship

Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellows are chosen for their potential to be leaders in their scientific fields and for their commitment to diversity.

August 18, 2017

Researchers have developed a new way to engineer liver tissue by organizing tiny subunits that contain three types of cells embedded into a biodegradable tissue scaffold. This image shows vascularized engineered human liver tissue that has self-organized into a lobule-like microstructure.

Engineered liver tissue expands after transplant

Tiny implantable “seeds” of tissue produce fully functional livers.

July 19, 2017

MIT engineers have designed a gel-like material that can be coated onto standard plastic or rubber devices, providing a softer, more slippery exterior that can significantly ease a patient’s discomfort during surgery.

New gel coatings may lead to better catheters and condoms

Bonded layers of rubber and hydrogel yield tough, slippery, and impermeable coatings.

July 18, 2017

Ram Sasisekharan wins Agilent Thought Leader Award

Honor recognizes bioengineer’s advance of analytical techniques for characterization of biopharmaceuticals.