National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Researchers found that a type of nerve cell found in the gut of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans is specialized to detect when bacteria are ingested.

Gut-brain connection signals worms to alter behavior while eating

Study may lead to a better understanding of the digestive tract’s nervous system.

December 20, 2018

MIT researchers used their new tissue preservation technique to label and image neurons in a brain region called the globus pallidus externa. Neurons that express a protein called parvalbumin are labeled in red, and neurons labeled blue express a protein called GAD1.

Mapping the brain, cell by cell

Technique for preserving tissue allows researchers to create maps of neural circuits with single-cell resolution.

December 17, 2018

Cells have evolved to produce the components of their multi-protein complexes in precise ratios.

Tracking the footprints of protein synthesis

Researchers refine a method to quantify protein production, show that the precision with which bacteria and eukaryotes tune their gene expression is remarkably similar.

December 14, 2018

MIT engineers have devised a way to create 3-D nanoscale objects by patterning a larger structure with a laser and then shrinking it. This image shows a complex structure prior to shrinking.

Team invents method to shrink objects to the nanoscale

It’s not quite the Ant-Man suit, but the system produces 3-D structures one thousandth the size of the originals.

December 13, 2018

MIT researchers have designed an ingestible sensor that can lodge in the stomach for a few weeks and communicate wirelessly with an external device.

Ingestible capsule can be controlled wirelessly

Electronic pill can relay diagnostic information or release drugs in response to smartphone commands.

December 13, 2018

MIT researchers are developing ribonucleases as potential drugs to treat cancer. In a new study, they found that the drugs work better when given with already-approved drugs known as kinase inhibitors.

New drug combination could be more effective against melanoma

Chemists discover an unexpected synergy between two types of cancer drugs.

December 3, 2018

MIT engineers have designed a system that can repeatedly measure cancer cells as they flow through an array of mass sensors. Once the cells reach the end, they are collected for RNA-sequencing.

Measuring cancer cell “fitness” reveals drug susceptibility

Together, cell growth rate and gene expression shed light on why some tumor cells survive treatment.

November 29, 2018

A strong immune response can be seen in this immunofluorescence image of lung tissue infected with pneumonia where immune cells are stained green and red.

With these nanoparticles, a simple urine test could diagnose bacterial pneumonia

Results could also indicate whether antibiotics have successfully treated the infection.

November 29, 2018

Neural representations of task rules are maintained in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for planning action.

How the brain switches between different sets of rules

When you slow down after exiting the highway, or hush your voice in the library, you’re using this brain mechanism.

November 19, 2018

The common model of gene regulation imagines the nucleus of the cell as a large space in which molecules involved in DNA transcription float around seemingly at random.

Activating a new understanding of gene regulation

Study reveals the role of the activation domain, a part of transcription factors previously shrouded in mystery.

November 16, 2018

MIT neuroscientists found that patients who develop schizophrenia show abnormally high levels of communication between the superior temporal gyrus (brown) and the limbic regions (green).

Brain activity pattern may be early sign of schizophrenia

In a study that might enable earlier diagnosis, neuroscientists find abnormal brain connections that can predict onset of psychotic episodes.

November 8, 2018

MIT neuroscientists have discovered a neural circuit that helps the brain focus on potential threats

Dopamine primes the brain for enhanced vigilance

Neuroscientists discover a circuit that helps redirect attention to focus on potential threats.

November 7, 2018

By chemically linking the antibiotic vancomycin to two different antimicrobial peptides, MIT researchers were able to dramatically enhance the drug’s effectiveness against two strains of drug-resistant bacteria: A. baumannii and E. faecalis (shown here)

Chemical synthesis could produce more potent antibiotics

Simple method for linking molecules could help overcome drug resistant infections.

November 5, 2018

By integrating conductive wires along with microfluidic channels in long fibers, the researchers were able to demonstrate the ability to sort cells — in this case, separating living cells from dead ones, because the cells respond differently to an electric field. The live cells, shown in green, are pulled toward the outside edge of the channels, while the dead cells (red) are pulled toward the c...

Inside these fibers, droplets are on the move

Fibers containing systems for mixing, separating, and testing fluids may open up new possibilities for medical screening.

October 29, 2018

MIT engineers grew these mesenchymal stem cells (red, with blue nuclei) on a surface with mechanical properties similar to those of bone marrow.

Helping blood cells regenerate after radiation therapy

Method boosts differentiation of stem cells into mature blood cell types, may help leukemia and lymphoma patients.

October 24, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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