Medicine

“There are very few specific or targeted inhibitors that are used in the treatment of brain cancer. There’s really a dire need for new therapies and new ideas,” says MIT Associate Professor Michael Hemann. The background of this image shows nanoparticles (red) being taken up in the brain with glioblastoma (in green). Nuclear DNA is in blue; tumor-associated macrophages in white.

Biologists identify possible new strategy for halting brain tumors

Cutting off a process that cancerous cells rely on can force them to stop growing.

September 28, 2017

Virion hikers with varying levels of fitness, illustrated here as preparedness, attempt to climb Folded Peak While some virions are too unfit to hit the trail (red), some are sufficiently fit to reach the summit without help from the park chaperones (blue). Other virions (yellow) are able to reach the summit by hijacking the park chaperones, which are also assisting certain host proteins, and so...

Biochemists discover mechanism that helps flu viruses evolve

Influenza viruses can hijack host cellular machinery to help mutated viral proteins fold and function.

September 26, 2017

“[Glucose-responsive insulin] has been a longstanding goal of the diabetes field,” says professor Michael Strano. “If done correctly, you could make it so that diabetics could take an occasional dose and never have to worry about their blood sugar.”

Model predicts performance of glucose-responsive insulin

Engineered insulin that can be activated by high blood sugar could improve diabetics’ quality of life.

September 26, 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

“We are very excited about this work because, for the first time, we can create a library of tiny, encased vaccine particles, each programmed to release at a precise, predictable time,” says professor Robert Langer.

One vaccine injection could carry many doses

Microparticles created by new 3-D fabrication method could release drugs or vaccines long after injection.

September 14, 2017

“Our prediction is that we might be able to identify risk for preterm birth ahead of time, before labor sets in,” says Katharina Ribbeck, an associate professor of biological engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study. “Diagnostic tools for this are missing.”

Study suggests simple way to predict preterm births

Test of cervical mucus may reveal pregnant women’s risk of going into labor too early.

September 4, 2017

MIT startup Podimetrics has developed a smart mat that can detect early warning signs before foot ulcers form, which may drastically reduce amputations and cut medical costs.

Smart mat detects early warning signs of foot ulcers

Conceived at an MIT hackathon, system could reduce amputations, cut medical costs for diabetics.

August 15, 2017

MIT researchers have demonstrated a new way to reverse memory loss by blocking an enzyme known as HDAC2.

Blocking a key enzyme may reverse memory loss

MIT study suggests a new approach to developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

August 8, 2017

Researchers have devised a new way to monitor sleep stages without sensors attached to the body. Their device uses an advanced artificial intelligence algorithm to analyze the radio signals around the person and translate those measurements into sleep stages: light, deep, or rapid eye movement (REM).

New AI algorithm monitors sleep with radio waves

Patients with sleep disorders could be studied nonintrusively at home using wireless signals.

August 6, 2017

Summer Scholar Alejandro Aponte works on a prototype for a pump that can deliver drugs to the brain. Aponte, a University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez mechanical engineering major, is working to make the pump small enough to be easily implantable.

Prototyping a pump for brain treatment

Summer Scholar Alejandro Aponte troubleshoots the design for an implantable pump that can deliver drugs to the brain.

August 4, 2017

MIT engineers have devised a way to assess a cell’s mechanical properties simply by observation. The researchers use standard confocal microscopy to zero in on the constant, jiggling motions of a cell’s particles.

Fast, noninvasive technique for probing cells may reveal disease

Researchers gauge a cell’s stiffness, which can reflect cancer or other conditions, simply by watching it.

August 3, 2017

The COBRA sensor is more portable and cost-effective than existing indirect calorimetry sensors. It includes a chest harness and bite grip that enable hands-free use of the system during exercise and training.

Monitoring metabolic energy expenditure, health, and fitness with a breath analyzer

Simple-to-use, low-cost respiratory sensor enables measurement and tracking of personal metabolism.

July 27, 2017

Twine has developed a platform that lets users build customized disease-management and care plans on an app, which then sends alerts about when to take medications, tracks the patient’s various health goals, and offers key analytics, among other features.

Coaching platform improves health outcomes, lowers medical costs

New app lets patients work alone or with others to prevent, monitor, and reverse chronic disease.

July 21, 2017

Graduate student Anthony McDougal has developed a model that predicts a single heart cell’s response to dwindling supplies of oxygen.

Study predicts heart cells’ response to dwindling oxygen

Results may help surgeons determine when and how to treat heart attacks.

July 20, 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

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