Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane writes that MIT researchers have developed an ingestible capsule that contains a small needle that injects insulin directly into the stomach. Finucane writes that the researchers “designed the pill with a special shape to ensure that it will fall and then orient itself at the bottom of the stomach so that the needle is facing toward the stomach lining rather than the stomach’s inside.”
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, spotlights how MIT researchers have developed a new imaging technique that can “provide us with jaw-dropping views of a wide range of biological systems.” Collins writes that the new “imaging approach shows much promise as a complementary tool for biological exploration.”
Researchers at MIT have developed an expandable pill that can stay in the stomach for a month and could potentially track issues like ulcers and cancers. “The pill is made from two types of hydrogels -- mixtures of polymers and water -- making it softer and longer-lasting than current ingestible sensors,” reports Robert Preidt for HealthDay.
Washington Post reporter Peter Holley writes that MIT researchers have developed a new ingestible, expanding pill that can remain in the stomach for up to a month and could be used to help with weight loss or to monitor conditions inside the human body. “The pills could also be used to place tiny cameras inside the body that could monitor tumors and ulcers over time,” Holley explains.
MIT researchers have developed a new ingestible pill that expands once it reaches the stomach and could be used to monitor a patient’s health, reports the BBC News. “The dream is to have a smart pill, that once swallowed stays in the stomach and monitors the patient's health for a long time, such as a month,” explains Prof. Xuanhe Zhao.
STAT reporter Casey Ross writes about how MIT researchers have developed a new ingestible Prof. Timothy Lu explains that he hopes that the sensor “opens up a really new window into how the gut and the rest of the body are connected, and hopefully provide new diagnostic strategies as well.”
MIT researchers developed a new technique to make a more effective and precise CRISPR gene editing system, reports Eileen Drage O’Reilly for Axios. The system uses the new enzyme Cas12b, which has a “small size and precise targeting [that] will enable it to be used for in vivo applications in primary human cells,” O’Reilly explains.
Popular Mechanics reporter David Grossman writes that MIT researchers have developed a new imaging technique that allows entire neural circuits in the brain to be explored at speeds 1,000 times faster than currently available methods. The new technique could allow scientists to “spot where brain diseases originate or even the basics of how behavior works.”
MIT researchers have developed a new high-resolution technique to image the brain that could be used to create more precise maps of the brain and identify the causes of brain disease, reports Megan Thielking for STAT. “If we can figure out exactly where diseases begin,” explains Prof. Edward Boyden, “that could be pretty powerful.”
MIT researchers have found that a small gelatinous structure, called the tectorial membrane, gives the human ear its extraordinary ability to detect faint sounds, reports the Xinhua news agency. The findings “could help devise ways to treat hearing impairment via medical interventions that alter the pores or the properties of the fluid in the membrane.”
MIT researchers have developed a new app called Perdix that allows users to create 2-D nanostructures using DNA strands, reports Jesus Diaz for Fast Company. Engineers could use Perdix to print nanoscale parts for applications in cell biology, photonics, quantum sensing and computing, Diaz explains.
Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane writes that MIT researchers have developed a new way to fabricate tiny objects. “The researchers are currently able to create objects that are around 1 cubic millimeter, with features as small as 50 nanometers,” Finucane explains. “The tiny structures could be useful in fields from optics to medicine to robotics.”
MIT researchers have developed a new technique that can shrink objects to the nanoscale using a laser, reports Lauren Kent for CNN. Kent explains that the technology “could be applied to anything from developing smaller microscope and cell phone lenses to creating tiny robots that improve everyday life.”
Popular Mechanics reporter David Grossman writes about a new fabrication technique developed by MIT researchers that allows for regular-sized objects to be shrunk down to the nanoscale. Grossman explains that the new method, “takes a technique currently used to make images of brain tissue larger and reverses it.”
MIT researchers have developed a remote-controlled ingestible capsule that can be operated by a user’s smartphone, reports the Xinhua news agency. “The researchers envisioned that this type of sensor could be used to diagnose early signs of disease and then respond with the appropriate medication,” Xinhua explains.