Silencing the brain with light
MIT neuroengineers find a new way to quickly and reversibly shut off neurons with multiple colors of light, which could lead to new treatments for epilepsy and chronic pain.
New and improved RNA interference
Researchers use RNA interference to silence multiple genes at once. The advance, which one expert calls a ‘substantial breakthrough,’ could lead to new treatments for liver diseases.
HHMI lists Tsai team’s advance among 10 biggest stories of 2009
Howard Hughes Medical Institute honors discovery of gene protein that could lead to safer drug treatments for Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
New evidence links sirtuins and life extension
Study from Leonard Guarente shows how sirtuins act in the brain during calorie restriction to potentially lengthen lifespan.
Reporter’s Notebook: Breaking the silence
Actress Padma Lakshmi comes to MIT to raise awareness of endometriosis and help launch the new Center for Gynepathology.
Engineering a cure
Biological engineering professor Linda Griffith launches a new center to study endometriosis and other gynecological diseases.
New computer model could lead to safer stents
Study by HST scientists shows that location of arterial stents is critical to efficient and safe drug delivery.
Explained: RNA interference
Exploiting the recently discovered mechanism could allow biologists to develop disease treatments by shutting down specific genes.
When Signals Cross: Medical Systems at CSAIL
Professor John Guttag and his team of graduate students are working in partnership with clinicians to produce technological solutions for medical problems.
3 Questions: Jeffrey Harris on why we still don't have an HIV vaccine
The MIT economist blames inadequate incentives for the failure to develop a vaccine against the virus that causes AIDS. He argues governments should help industry create an HIV vaccine by sharing risk.
Remembering David Schauer
Professor’s ‘academic family’ recalls the life and work of the infectious disease expert.
More jabs needed
Study suggests that vaccinating many more people could slow the seasonal influenza virus's ability to evade vaccines.
A new way to measure muscle
MIT engineer Joel Dawson and colleagues built a handheld probe that could help doctors monitor muscle atrophy in patients with Lou Gehrig's Disease and similar ailments.
Cancer research gets physical
5-year grant from the National Cancer Institute will fund projects by physicists that give a new view of cancer cells.