Four from MIT receive NIH New Innovator Awards for 2022
Awards support high-risk, high-impact research from early-career investigators.
Scientists chart how exercise affects the body
A new study maps the genes and cellular pathways that contribute to exercise-induced weight loss.
Breaking through the mucus barrier
A capsule that tunnels through mucus in the GI tract could be used to orally administer large protein drugs such as insulin.
Neurodegenerative disease can progress in newly identified patterns
A machine-learning method finds patterns of health decline in ALS, informing future clinical trial designs and mechanism discovery. The technique also extends to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
In-home wireless device tracks disease progression in Parkinson’s patients
By continuously monitoring a patient’s gait speed, the system can assess the condition’s severity between visits to the doctor’s office.
Study reveals how environment and state are integrated to control behavior
A simple animal model shows how stimuli and states such as smells, stressors, and satiety converge in an olfactory neuron to guide food-seeking behavior.
How the brain focuses on what’s in mind
When holding information in mind, neural activity is more focused when and where there are bursts of gamma frequency rhythms.
Biologists glean insight into repetitive protein sequences
A computational analysis reveals that many repetitive sequences are shared across proteins and are similar in species from bacteria to humans.
Studies of autism tend to exclude women, researchers find
A commonly used screening test creates a gender gap that may hinder diagnosis and treatment for women and girls.
Analyzing the potential of AlphaFold in drug discovery
Study finds computer models that predict molecular interactions need improvement before they can help identify drug mechanisms of action.
How the brain generates rhythmic behavior
MIT neuroscientists have identified an oscillatory circuit that controls the rhythmic movement of mouse whiskers.
Microscopy technique reveals hidden nanostructures in cells and tissues
Separating densely packed molecules before imaging allows them to become visible for the first time.
These neurons have food on the brain
MIT scientists have discovered a population of neurons that light up whenever we see images of food.
Artificial intelligence model can detect Parkinson’s from breathing patterns
An MIT-developed device with the appearance of a Wi-Fi router uses a neural network to discern the presence and severity of one of the fastest-growing neurological diseases in the world.
MIT scientists discover new antiviral defense system in bacteria
Prokaryotes can detect hallmark viral proteins and trigger cell death through a process seen across all domains of life.