National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Researchers have found that the hydrogel’s mostly watery environment helps keep nutrients and programmed bacteria alive and active. When the bacteria reacts to a certain chemical, the bacteria are programmed to light up, as seen on the left.

Living sensors at your fingertips

Cell-infused gloves and bandages light up when in contact with certain chemicals.

February 15, 2017

This high-resolution transmission electron micrograph of particles made by the research team shows the particles’ highly uniform size and shape. These are iron oxide particles just 3 nanometers across, coated with a zwitterion layer. Their small size means they can easily be cleared through the kidneys after injection.

A new contrast agent for MRI

New iron oxide nanoparticles could help avoid a rare side effect caused by current contrast agents.

February 14, 2017

MIT researchers have developed a portable technology, known as Seq-Well, that can rapidly prepare the RNA of many cells for sequencing simultaneously.

Making single-cell RNA sequencing widely available

Portable tool could help scientists learn more about cells’ roles in many diseases.

February 13, 2017

A team of researchers from MIT, Georgia Tech, and the University of Florida has devised a way to rapidly test different nanoparticles to see where they go in the body.

Nanoparticle screen could speed up drug development

New test helps identify particles for gene delivery or RNA interference.

February 7, 2017

MIT chemical engineers have developed an extremely sensitive detector that can track single cells’ secretion of dopamine. These video stills show a single cell releasing dopamine.

Sensor traces dopamine released by single cells

New technology could help neuroscientists understand how dopamine influences brain activity.

February 6, 2017

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have designed and demonstrated a small, ingestible voltaic cell that is sustained by the acidic fluids in the stomach.

Engineers harness stomach acid to power tiny sensors

Ingestible electronic devices could monitor physiological conditions or deliver drugs.

February 6, 2017

MIT and Boston College chemists have devised a way to attach fluorine-containing chemical groups to drug compounds, which could make the drugs more potent.

Catalyst adds fluorine-containing groups to make new compounds

Introducing such groups to potential drugs could make them more effective.

January 23, 2017

MIT engineers have shown that they can use short bursts of ultrasound to efficiently deliver RNA into cells.

RNA hitches a ride on ultrasound waves

Technique enables rapid delivery of RNA to treat colon inflammation.

January 20, 2017

The 2017 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize from the National Academy of Engineering was awarded to MIT Professor James Fujimoto, alumnus and former research scientist Eric Swanson SM '84, Adolf F. Fercher, Christoph Hitzenberger, and David Huang for their work on optical coherence tomography.

Two from MIT share National Academy of Engineering Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize

Professor James Fujimoto, Eric Swanson SM '84, and collaborators lauded for optical coherence tomography.

January 13, 2017

Researchers have discovered that in people with dyslexia the brain has a diminished ability to acclimate to a repeated input — a trait known as neural adaptation.

Distinctive brain pattern may underlie dyslexia

Study suggests reduced plasticity could account for reading difficulties.

December 21, 2016

This image shows triple-negative breast cancer cells with high levels of “Mena invasive” protein and treated with Paclitaxel. The cell cytoskeleton is shown in blue, the dynamic microtubules are shown in green, and the stable microtubules are shown in red.

Biomarker could help guide cancer therapy, avoid drug resistance

Biologists link levels of Mena protein to breast cancer cells’ sensitivity to chemotherapy.

November 22, 2016

The star-shaped drug delivery device, held here by Giovanni Traverso, a Koch Institute research affiliate, can be folded inward and encased in a smooth capsule. Once ingested, the device delivers a full drug payload gradually over weeks or even months.

New capsule achieves long-term drug delivery

Technology could aid in elimination of malaria and treatment of many other diseases.

November 16, 2016

When cells suffer DNA damage, there are several different pathways that can kick in to help repair it, depending on the type of damage. Cells from different people and different tumors vary greatly in their ability to repair DNA damage, and scientists have been pursuing measurements of this ability as a way to predict how patients will respond to DNA-damaging chemotherapy.

Predicting cancer cells’ response to chemotherapy

Measuring DNA repair capability can reveal tumors’ sensitivity to drugs.

November 2, 2016

T cells — immune cells that are targeted to find and destroy a particular antigen — are key to the adaptive immune response. In this image, the top row shows few T cells in untreated mice, while the bottom rows show many T cells produced after immunotherapy treatment.

Fighting cancer with the power of immunity

New treatment elicits two-pronged immune response that destroys tumors in mice.

October 24, 2016

Molecular fMRI data showing signal changes from serotonin sensors in the absence (left) and presence (right) of the antidepressant Prozac, with each square denoting an individual brain voxel. Red squares indicate the signal has increased, as more serotonin is absorbed into neurons; blue squares indicate the signal has decreased, as less serotonin is absorbed into neurons. Dotted and solid lines gr...

Mapping serotonin dynamics in the living brain

Imaging technique that creates 3-D video of serotonin transport could aid antidepressant development.

October 20, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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