National Institutes of Health (NIH)

MIT chemists have determined the structure of the amyloid fibers formed by the hormone glucagon when it is dissolved in liquid. Each fibril is made of sheets of peptides that run antiparallel to each other.

Chemists discover structure of glucagon fibrils

Study may be a step toward shelf-stable versions of the hormone, which is used to control diabetes.

June 24, 2019

MIT neuroscientists have identified a brain circuit that helps us block sensory distractions.

How we tune out distractions

Neuroscientists trace a brain circuit that filters unwanted sensory input.

June 12, 2019

MIT neuroscientists have found that neural extensions called dendrites, which act as antennae to help neurons listen to their neighbors, play a more active role in neural computation than previously thought.

Neurons’ “antennae” are unexpectedly active in neural computation

Tiny, branching extensions called dendrites may be more than just passive information-carriers, study finds.

June 6, 2019

Aneuploid cells, such as this one, have too few or too many chromosomes. A new study has revealed that highly aneuploid prostate tumors carry a higher risk of lethality.

Measuring chromosome imbalance could clarify cancer prognosis

A study of prostate cancer finds “aneuploid” tumors are more likely to be lethal than tumors with normal chromosome numbers.

May 13, 2019

MIT biological engineers used a novel machine-learning approach to discover a mechanism that helps certain antibiotics kill bacteria.

Painting a fuller picture of how antibiotics act

Machine learning reveals metabolic pathways disrupted by the drugs, offering new targets to combat resistance.

May 9, 2019

At left is the brain of a mouse genetically programmed to develop Alzheimer’s disease. At right, the brain of a mouse programmed to develop the disease, but treated with noninvasive visual stimulation, shows much less neurodegeneration.

Why visual stimulation may work against Alzheimer’s

New findings help explain the surprising discovery that exposure to flickering light reduces amyloid plaques in mice.

May 7, 2019

By incorporating precise molecular sites (depicted in green) into graphite electrodes (shown as the gray lattice), the researchers were able to study the interactions of a proton (a hydrogen nucleus, shown as H+) and an electron (e-) with the surface, and to construct a model for proton- and electron-transfer steps that play key roles in energy conversion reactions.

Thermodynamic insights could lead to better catalysts

Experiments and analyses show how electrons and protons get together on an electrode surface.

May 2, 2019

In the Alzheimer’s affected brain, abnormal levels of the beta-amyloid protein clump together to form plaques (seen in brown) that collect between neurons and disrupt cell function. Abnormal collections of the tau protein accumulate and form tangles (seen in blue) within neurons, harming synaptic communication between nerve cells.

A comprehensive map of how Alzheimer’s affects the brain

Analysis of genes altered by the disease could provide targets for new treatments.

May 1, 2019

MIT engineers have designed a magnetic microrobot that can help push drug-delivery particles into tumor tissue (left). They also employed swarms of naturally magnetic bacteria to achieve the same effect (right).

Nanoparticles take a fantastic, magnetic voyage

Tiny robots powered by magnetic fields could help drug-delivery nanoparticles reach their targets.

April 26, 2019

Pancreatic cancer cells (nuclei in blue) growing as a sphere encased in membranes (red). By growing cancer cells in the lab, researchers can study factors that promote and prevent the formation of deadly tumors.

The fluid that feeds tumor cells

The substance that bathes tumors in the body is quite different from the medium used to grow cancer cells in the lab, biologists report.

April 16, 2019

Researchers saw sharp increases in the power of theta frequency rhythms (warmer colors) in the frontal cortex as volunteers performed an experimental task.

Deep stimulation improves cognitive control by augmenting brain rhythms

Finding could improve development of personalized psychiatric treatments.

April 8, 2019

Jacquin Niles named director of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences

Niles, an associate professor of biological engineering and infectious disease expert, succeeds John M. Essigmann.

April 5, 2019

MIT biologists found that intestinal stem cell populations declined in aged mice (right), compared to younger mice (left). Messenger RNA encoding a protein associated with intestinal stem cells is labeled in black.

Biologists find a way to boost intestinal stem cell populations

Study suggests that stimulating stem cells may protect the gastrointestinal tract from age-related disease.

March 28, 2019

In these tumor cells, acidic regions are labeled in red. Invasive regions of the cells, which express a protein called MMP14, are labeled in green.

How tumors behave on acid

Acidic environment triggers genes that help cancer cells metastasize.

March 20, 2019

By exposing mice to a unique combination of light and sound, MIT neuroscientists have shown that they can improve cognitive and memory impairments similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s patients. At left, the mouse cortex shows a reduction in amyloid plaques following visual and auditory stimulation, compared to the untreated mouse at right.

Brain wave stimulation may improve Alzheimer’s symptoms

Noninvasive treatment improves memory and reduces amyloid plaques in mice.

March 14, 2019

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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