Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten
Study shows how a dopamine circuit between two brain regions enables mice to extinguish fear after a peril has passed.
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
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Response to infection highlights the nervous system’s surprising degrees of flexibility
Upon infection, the C. elegans worm reshuffles the roles of brain cells and flips the functions of some of the chemicals it uses to regulate behavior.
A brief history of expansion microscopy
Since an MIT team introduced expansion microscopy in 2015, the technique has powered the science behind kidney disease, plant seeds, the microbiome, Alzheimer’s, viruses, and more.
An ancient RNA-guided system could simplify delivery of gene editing therapies
The programmable proteins are compact, modular, and can be directed to modify DNA in human cells.
AI system predicts protein fragments that can bind to or inhibit a target
FragFold, developed by MIT Biology researchers, is a computational method with potential for impact on biological research and therapeutic applications.
When a cell protector collaborates with a killer
New research reveals what it takes for a protein that is best known for protecting cells against death to take on the opposite role.
Killing the messenger
A newly characterized anti-viral defense system in bacteria aborts infection through a novel mechanism by chemically altering mRNA.
MIT affiliates named 2024 HHMI Investigators
Four faculty members and four others with MIT ties are recognized for pushing the boundaries of science and for creating highly inclusive and collaborative research environments.
CHARMed collaboration creates a potent therapy candidate for fatal prion diseases
A new gene-silencing tool shows promise as a future therapy against prion diseases and paves the way for new approaches to treating disease.
Professor Emerita Mary-Lou Pardue, pioneering cellular and molecular biologist, dies at 90
Known for her rigorous approach to science and her influential research, Pardue paved the way for women in science at MIT and beyond.
Catalyst Symposium helps lower “activation barriers” for rising biology researchers
Second annual assembly, sponsored by the Department of Biology and Picower Institute, invited postdocs from across the country to meet with faculty, present their work to the MIT community, and build relationships.
Focus on function helps identify the changes that made us human
A new approach for identifying significant differences in gene use between closely-related species provides insights into human evolution.
Researchers uncover a new CRISPR-like system in animals that can edit the human genome
The first RNA-guided DNA-cutting enzyme found in eukaryotes, Fanzor could one day be harnessed to edit DNA more precisely than CRISPR/Cas systems.
A “door” into the mitochondrial membrane
Study finds the protein MTCH2 is responsible for shuttling various other proteins into the membrane of mitochondria. The finding could have implications for cancer treatments and MTCH2-linked conditions.
A “golden era” to study the brain
“We can’t think of the brain only as neurons,” says PhD student Mitch Murdock, who explores the cellular basis of Alzheimer’s disease.