health sciences and technology archive

Cutting costs one image at a time - In an effort to assess health-care organizations' cost-cutting techniques, MIT urban economist Frank Levy will study the effects of different initiatives to restrict non-necessary medical-imaging procedures on the costs and quality of care. July 17, 2008

Balance problems? Step into the iShoe - Your grandmother might have little in common with an astronaut, but both could benefit from a new device an MIT graduate student is designing to test balancing ability. July 16, 2008

Team unveils 'parts list' of cell powerhouse - An international team of researchers, led by a member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, has created the most comprehensive "parts list" to date for mitochondria, a compendium that includes nearly 1,100 proteins. July 11, 2008

Langer wins major German science award - Institute Professor Robert Langer has been chosen as one of two winners of the 2008 Max Planck Research Award, a 1.5 million-euro science prize funded by the German government. July 10, 2008

Study points to dietary cocktail for Alzheimer's - A dietary cocktail that includes a type of omega-3 fatty acid can improve memory and learning in gerbils, according to the latest study from MIT researchers that points to a possible beverage-based treatment for Alzheimer's and other brain diseases. July 8, 2008

MIT finding could improve colon cancer treatment - A compound that accumulates in cells more readily than a commonly used colorectal cancer drug may be just as useful in treating colorectal tumors, but with fewer side effects, MIT researchers have found. June 17, 2008

Langer wins Millennium Technology Prize - MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer has won the Millennium Technology Prize, the world's largest award for technology innovation, for his development of biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration. June 11, 2008

Stripes key to nanoparticle drug delivery - In work that could at the same time impact the delivery of drugs and explain a biological mystery, MIT engineers have created the first synthetic nanoparticles that can penetrate a cell without poking a hole in its protective membrane and killing it. June 9, 2008

Langer a winner of Spain's Asturias award - Institute Professor Robert Langer is one of five scientists to receive a top Spanish honor, the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research. June 5, 2008

Eradicating TB with ... cell phone minutes? - MIT students have come up with a possible solution for getting TB patients to take their medicine: A new testing and reporting system that is easy for patients to use and offers economic incentives such as free cell phone minutes. June 4, 2008

MIT confirms link between inflammation, cancer - Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach can damage DNA, increasing the risk of cancer, MIT scientists have confirmed. Researchers found that chronic inflammation accelerated tumor formation in mice lacking the ability to repair DNA damage. June 2, 2008

CEHS awards 2008 research prizes - Eight graduate students and post-docs received awards May 22 for their research in the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences. May 30, 2008

Five MIT faculty named HHMI investigators - Five MIT faculty have been named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, bringing the total number of current MIT professors holding the distinction to 19. May 27, 2008

Center funds environmental health projects for 2008 - The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences, through support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of NIH, has announced its support for six pilot projects, which all began April 1. May 27, 2008

Contests reward energy, diagnosis plans - Business plans focused on harnessing clean energy and making fast, inexpensive medical diagnostic devices were big winners this week in a series of high-profile entrepreneurship competitions at MIT. May 16, 2008

Finding yields bacteria-resistant films - Having found that whether bacteria stick to surfaces depends partly on how stiff those surfaces are, MIT engineers have created ultrathin films made of polymers that could be applied to medical devices and other surfaces to control microbe accumulation. May 16, 2008

Embryonic pathway delivers stem cell traits - Studies at the MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute of how cancer cells spread have led to a surprising discovery about the creation of cells with adult stem-cell characteristics, offering potential implications for regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. May 15, 2008

MIT students propose X-Prizes for health - Can a prize designed for the high-tech challenge of helping to get people into space be applied to solving down-to-Earth problems of life and death? Pose the question to a class of MIT students and two out of three give a resounding "yes." May 13, 2008

Study suggests caution on new anti-obesity drug - Anti-obesity drugs that work by blocking brain molecules similar to those in marijuana could also interfere with neural development in young children, according to a new study from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. May 7, 2008

New approach repairs airway injuries - MIT tissue engineers have successfully healed airway injuries in rabbits using a novel cellular technique. This approach could lead to new treatments for human tracheal injuries such as smoke inhalation, as well as for other parts of the body May 5, 2008

MIT finding may help prevent stomach cancer - Prompt treatment of a microbe that causes stomach ulcers and other ailments can reverse damage to the lining of the stomach and ultimately prevent one of the most lethal forms of cancer from developing there, MIT researchers have concluded. May 1, 2008

Team develops safe, effective RNAi technique - A team of researchers from MIT and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has developed safe and effective methods to perform RNA interference, a therapy that holds great promise for treating a variety of diseases including cancer and hepatitis. April 27, 2008

Teams unravel heparin death mystery - An international team of researchers led by MIT has explained how contaminated batches of the blood-thinner heparin were able to slip past traditional safety screens and kill dozens of patients recently in the United States and Germany. April 23, 2008

Protein role in meiosis re-evaluated by researchers - Proteins that control cell division play a far more nuanced role than researchers previously thought in the process that gives rise to reproductive cells, according to new MIT research. The work could explain why errors occcur so often during this process. April 17, 2008

Study challenges notion of 'pandemic' flu - The widespread assumption that pandemic influenza is an exceptionally deadly form of seasonal, or nonpandemic, flu is hard to support, according to a new MIT study in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health. April 11, 2008

Live-animal nerve regeneration study gets boost - An MIT team has improved upon its landmark technology reported last year in which the researchers used a fingernail-sized lab on a chip to image, perform surgery on and sort tiny worms to study nerve regeneration. April 10, 2008

Stem cell method cuts Parkinson's symptoms in rats - A team including MIT researchers has demonstrated for the first time that artificially created stem cells can be used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease in rats. The work could eventually lead to successful treatments for human patients. April 7, 2008

Panel focuses on transforming biomedicine - Building relationships between academia, industry and government is key to translating biomedical advances into viable patient treatments, a panel of experts including CDC director Julie Gerberding told an MIT audience Wednesday. April 3, 2008

CDC chief Gerberding to speak at MIT - Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will talk about how to deliver cutting-edge biomedical innovations to patients in a lecture at MIT on Wednesday, April 2. March 28, 2008

Same pill, different price. Which is better? - A higher-priced medication with a brand name might work better than a generic version--even if the pills are exactly the same--simply because the patient thinks the expensive prescription should work better, according to a recently published MIT study. March 19, 2008

Solving the drug price crisis - The mounting U.S. drug price crisis can be contained and eventually reversed by separating drug discovery from drug marketing and by establishing a non-profit company to oversee funding for new medicines, according to two MIT experts. March 17, 2008

MIT researchers devise new cell-sorting system - Capitalizing on a cell's ability to roll along a surface, MIT researchers have developed a simple, inexpensive system to sort different kinds of cells--a process that could result in low-cost tests for diseases such as cancer, even in remote locations. March 12, 2008

Student work improves amputees' prosthetics - A team of MIT students has been working on a new device that could greatly simplify the process of fitting artificial legs in India, producing a better fit while eliminating some steps in the process and reducing waste materials. March 5, 2008

Quick Lincoln Labs sensor detects pathogens - Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory have developed a powerful sensor that can detect airborne pathogens such as anthrax and smallpox in less than three minutes, a "significant advance" over current sensors that take at least 20 minutes to do so. March 3, 2008

MIT student targets antibiotic resistance - MIT graduate student and synthetic biologist Timothy Lu has received the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for inventing processes that promise to combat bacterial infections by enhancing the effectiveness of antibiotics at killing bacteria. February 27, 2008

Researchers catch rats' twitchy whiskers in action - In a finding that could help further understanding of perception across species, MIT neuroscientists have used high-speed video to reveal rat whiskers in action and show the tiny movements that underlie the rat's perception of its tactile environment. February 27, 2008

Bacterial 'battle for survival' leads to new antibiotic - War may actually be healthy for you ... war between two microscopic bugs, that is. MIT biologists have provoked soil-dwelling bacteria into producing a new type of antibiotic by pitting them against another strain of bacteria in a battle for survival. February 26, 2008

MIT creates gecko-inspired bandage - MIT researchers and colleagues have created a waterproof adhesive bandage inspired by gecko lizards that may soon join sutures and staples as a basic operating room tool for patching up surgical wounds or internal injuries. February 18, 2008

MIT explains spread of 1918 flu pandemic - MIT researchers have explained why two mutations in the H1N1 avian flu virus allowed the disease to spread during the 1918 pandemic. The work could help scientists detect and contain a future bird flu outbreak among humans. February 18, 2008

Langer examines biomedical engineering future - MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer speaks about the great challenges facing biomedical engineering as part of a panel announcing the report "Grand Challenges of Engineering" at the annual meeting of the AAAS in Boston on Feb. 15. February 15, 2008

Optimism among strengths of HST's Gray - Martha Gray, director of the Harvard-MIT Department of Health Sciences and Technology, displays an optimism that explains why, on a snowy night in March, dozens of people flocked to her home to read poetry and to enjoy chance meetings. February 13, 2008

Fantastic voyage: Drug delivery by a nanoparticle - An image portrays targeted nanoparticles delivering high doses of chemotherapy to cancer cells. A team including MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer has demonstrated the precision required to engineer a nanoparticle that is effective in targeted drug delivery. February 13, 2008

Gene research may help explain autistic savants - Mice lacking a certain brain protein learn some tasks better but also forget faster, according to new MIT work that may explain the phenomenon of autistic savants. The work could also result in future treatments for autism and other disorders. February 12, 2008

A 'micro pharmacy' inside - A new thin-film coating developed at MIT can deliver controlled drug doses to specific targets in the body following implantation, essentially serving as a "micro pharmacy." The film could eventually be used to deliver drugs for many diseases. February 11, 2008

Researcher on front lines of genomic revolution - Manolis Kellis, a young and fast-rising MIT researcher, uses sophisticated computational tools to investigate and analyze the genomes of a variety of organisms, including humans, mice, fruit flies and yeast. February 6, 2008

MIT neuroscientists to study autism and dyslexia - Two researchers at MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research will head an ambitious new project to study the origins of autism and dyslexia, supported by an $8.5M grant from the Ellison Medical Foundation. February 6, 2008

Smart pillbox could be a lifesaver - An MIT student and team of collaborators think may have found a high-tech solution in a low-tech package to the problem of ensuring that patients take their tuberculosis medication. Their simple but 'smart' pillbox could save lives throughout the world. February 6, 2008

Weinberg named first recipient of Swedish science prize - Professor Robert A. Weinberg of MIT's Department of Biology this week became the first recipient of a new Swedish science prize, in recognition of his cancer research. January 31, 2008

Team IDs weakness in anthrax bacteria - MIT and New York University researchers have identified a weakness in the defenses of the anthrax bacterium--its dependence on nitric oxide to resist the body's immune response--that could be exploited to produce new antibiotics. January 22, 2008

MIT nutrition scientist celebrates a milestone - It's not every day that one of MIT's Institute Professors Emeritus--the elite of the faculty--celebrates a 90th birthday. But Nevin S. Scrimshaw, who founded MIT's Department of Nutrition and Food Science, reaches that milestone on Sunday, Jan. 20. January 18, 2008

Genes key to high liver cancer rates in men - A fundamental difference in the way men and women respond to chronic liver disease at the genetic level helps explain why men are more prone to liver cancer, according to MIT researchers, who conducted the first genome-wide study on the subject. January 15, 2008

Culture influences brain function, study shows - People from different cultures use their brains differently to solve the same visual perceptual tasks, MIT researchers report in the first brain imaging study of its kind, focusing on mapping brain activity patterns that reflect different mental operations. January 11, 2008

Gift aims to promote new Picower collaborations - A $1.2 million gift from Dana and Betty Fisher aims to promote new collaborations and community among scientists at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT. January 10, 2008

MIT finds key to avian flu in humans - MIT researchers have uncovered a critical difference between flu viruses that infect birds and humans, a discovery that could help scientists monitor the evolution of avian flu strains and aid in the development of vaccines against a deadly flu pandemic. January 6, 2008

MIT corrects inherited retardation, autism in mice - Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have corrected key symptoms of mental retardation and autism in mice. The work indicates that a certain class of drugs could have the same effect in humans. December 19, 2007

MIT works toward engineered blood vessels - MIT scientists have found a way to induce cells to form parallel tube-like structures that could one day serve as tiny engineered blood vessels. The researchers found that they can control the cells' development by growing them on a surface with nano-scale patterning. December 17, 2007

HST faculty member wins BMW Science Award - Ali Khademhosseini has won first prize in the doctoral thesis category of the 2007 BMW Science Award competition. The award was presented to six young scientists, three in the doctoral and three in the bachelor's/master's thesis categories. December 12, 2007

MIT corrects sickle-cell anemia in mice - MIT researchers have successfully treated mice with sickle-cell anemia in a process that begins by directly reprogramming the mice's own cells to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, without the use of eggs. December 7, 2007

Missing protein may be key to autism - A missing brain protein that helps in the development of synapses may be one of the culprits behind autism and other brain disorders, according to researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. December 5, 2007

War-injured boy inspired new Marshall Scholar - Ali Alhassani, an MIT senior who discovered his passion for medicine through the friendship of a war-injured Iraqi boy, has been awarded a Marshall Scholarship, and will study health policy, planning and financing in London. December 4, 2007

Sculpted 3-D particles could aid diagnostics - MIT engineers have used ultraviolet light to sculpt 3-D microparticles that could be used in medical diagnostics and tissue engineering. The particles might be designed to act as probes to detect certain molecules or to release drugs or nutrients. December 4, 2007

Brain stem cells limited for replacement therapies - MIT scientists report that adult stem cells produced in the brain are preprogrammed to make only certain kinds of connections--making it impossible for a neural stem cell originating in the brain to be transplanted to other regions. November 30, 2007

Study of malaria parasite unearths surprises - A team including scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has for the first time measured which of the malaria parasite's genes are turned on or off during actual infection in humans, unearthing some surprising behaviors. November 28, 2007

MIT radar technology fights breast cancer - Treating breast cancer with a type of heat therapy derived from MIT radar research can significantly increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy, according to results from the fourth clinical trial of the technique reported online Nov. 25. November 28, 2007

Mix of compounds improves rodents' brain function - MIT researchers have shown that a cocktail containing three compounds normally in the blood stream promotes growth of new brain connections and improves cognitive function in rodents. The treatment is now being tested in Alzheimer's patients. November 26, 2007

Scientists decode genome of tuberculosis microbe - An international collaboration led by researchers in the US and South Africa announced Nov. 20 the first genome sequence of an extensively drug resistant (XDR) strain of the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. November 26, 2007

Prenatal arsenic exposure detected in newborns - The children of mothers whose water supplies were contaminated with arsenic during their pregnancies harbored gene expression changes that may lead to cancer and other diseases later in life, MIT researchers reported in a new study. November 22, 2007

Nanoparticles deliver drugs directly into tumors - MIT scientists have devised remotely controlled nanoparticles that, when pulsed with an electromagnetic field, release drugs to attack tumors. The innovation could lead to the improved diagnosis and targeted treatment of cancer. November 20, 2007

MIT and India to create health sciences institute - MIT and the government of India's Department of Biotechnology today launched a partnership that will result in the creation of a new Translational Health Science and Technology Institute in India. The new institute will include faculty from multiple disciplines and professions. November 19, 2007

'Micro' livers could aid drug screening - MIT researchers have devised a novel way to create tiny colonies of living human liver cells that model the full-sized organ. The work could reduce costs and allow better screening of new drugs that are potentially harmful to the liver. November 19, 2007

MIT to host "Frontiers in Modern Microscopy" workshop - Groundbreaking advances in microscopy are opening exciting new avenues of study in biology and medicine. On Tuesday, Nov. 20, leaders in the field will review several of these at the Lester Wolfe Workshop in Laser Biomedicine at MIT. November 16, 2007

Lindquist researches new role for yeast - Yeast has gone from being a workhorse of the brewing and baking industries to a discovery platform for neurobiology, professor of biology Susan Lindquist told an MIT audience in a lecture sponsored by the Molecular Frontiers Foundation. November 14, 2007

Study charts genomic landscape of lung cancer - An international team of scientists has produced the most comprehensive view yet of the abnormal genetic landscape of lung cancer. The research reveals more than 50 genomic regions that are frequently gained or lost in human lung tumors. November 7, 2007

Speed is crucial in breaking protein's H-bonds - By slowing down the application of pressure in atomistic models, MIT researchers studying the architecture of proteins have explained why computer models of proteins' behavior under mechanical duress differ from experimental observations. November 7, 2007

MIT IDs enzymes key to brainpower - By zeroing in on the enzymes that manipulate a key scaffolding protein for synapses, MIT researchers have found that bolstering disintegrating neural connections may help boost brainpower in Alzheimer's disease patients. November 7, 2007

MIT pair honored for biopsy advance - Two MIT graduate students reached the finals of last week's Collegiate Inventors Competition, organized by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, for their work on a device that makes needle biopsies less invasive. November 6, 2007

Hundreds attend iGem Jamboree - After a thought-provoking presentation on bioengineering a "bacterial assembly line," a team from Peking University won the grand prize "BioBrick" award in the fourth annual International Genetically Engineered Machine competition held Nov. 3-4 at MIT. November 5, 2007

MIT AgeLab unveils driving support materials - The MIT AgeLab, in collaboration with The Hartford Financial Services Group, today unveiled new materials to help families and caregivers determine when it is time for people suffering from dementia to stop driving. November 1, 2007

Cancer cells enlist stem cells to promote metastasis - MIT and Whitehead institute scientists have managed to facilitate metastasis, finding evidence that some breast cancer cells recruit normal adult stem cells and force them to secrete a protein that fosters cancer cell movement and invasion. October 31, 2007

A light beam for manipulation of cells on chips - In a feat that seems like something out of a microscopic version of Star Trek, MIT researchers have found a way to use a "tractor beam" of light to pick up, hold and move around individual cells and other objects on the surface of a microchip. October 31, 2007

Adult stem cells lack key regulator - Whitehead Institute and MIT research has shown that, in mice, an important protein in embryonic stem cells is not required to maintain these cells in their undifferentiated state, and that adult tissues function normally in its absence. October 23, 2007

Poitras gift to support mental illness research - The McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT has received a $20 million philanthropic commitment from MIT alumnus James Poitras and his wife, Patricia, to support research into mental illness. October 22, 2007

MIT works toward novel therapeutic device - MIT and University of Rochester researchers report important advances toward a therapeutic device that could capture cells flowing through blood and treat them in various ways, such as zapping cancer cells or signaling stem cells to differentiate. October 22, 2007

MIT finds new role for well-known protein - In a finding that may lead to potential new treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, researchers at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT report an unexpected role in the brain for a well-known protein. October 18, 2007

Yanik wins Packard fellowship for neural microchip work - Mehmet Fatih Yanik has stopped light in its tracks and created a self-contained biological laboratory on the surface of a microchip. Now he is focusing on learning how to keep nerve cells from degenerating and getting damaged ones to regenerate. October 17, 2007

MIT to co-host Boston-India public health event - MIT will co-host a unique event Oct. 22-23 that brings together leading academics, innovators and key government stakeholders from Boston and India to discuss collaborative ways to meet the South Asian nation's public health challenges. October 17, 2007

Institute of Medicine elects Brown - Emery N. Brown, M.D., a professor in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine. October 13, 2007

MIT links gene to cholesterol - MIT researchers have discovered a link between a gene believed to promote long lifespan and a pathway that flushes cholesterol from the body. The finding could help researchers create drugs that lower the risk of cholesterol-related diseases. October 11, 2007

Protein seen as key in body's iron recycling - MIT scientists have uncovered a protein that plays a key role in the recycling of iron from blood. Their work could lead to new therapies for certain inherited blood disorders such as beta-thalassemia, a condition that causes chronic anemia. October 11, 2007

MIT finds new hearing mechanism - MIT researchers have discovered a hearing mechanism that fundamentally changes the current understanding of inner ear function. This new mechanism could help explain the ear's remarkable ability to sense and discriminate sounds. October 10, 2007

Koch gives $100 million to MIT for cancer research - With a $100 million gift from David H. Koch, MIT plans to build a new cancer research center that will bring together scientists and engineers under one roof to develop new and powerful ways to detect, diagnose, treat and manage cancer. October 9, 2007

Amon, Golub win cancer prize -  MIT Professor Angelika Amon and Todd R. Golub of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard will share the 2007 Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, an award of $150,000, with Gregory J. Hannon from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. October 3, 2007

MIT student turns hearing loss into knowledge gain - Brad Buran, a Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology graduate student, lost his hearing when he was 14 months old. Today, the fifth-year doctoral candidate is becoming an expert in the neuroscience of speech and hearing. October 3, 2007

Research helps convert brain signals into action - MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm that unifies seemingly disparate approaches to prototype neural prosthetic devices, the apparatuses that convert brain signals into action for paralyzed patients or amputees. October 2, 2007

Partnership aims to transform drug manufacturing - Novartis and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have launched a long-term research collaboration aimed at transforming the way pharmaceuticals are produced. September 28, 2007

Computer model could improve drugs' effectiveness - MIT researchers have developed a computer modeling approach that could improve a class of drugs based on antibodies, molecules key to the immune system. The model can predict structural changes in an antibody that will improve its effectiveness. September 23, 2007

MIT's 'exoskeleton' lightens the load - Researchers at MIT have created a device to lighten the burden for soldiers and others who carry heavy packs and equipment. Their invention, known as an exoskeleton, can support much of the weight of a heavy backpack. September 19, 2007

Four MIT faculty win NIH awards - Professor Emery Brown will receive a 2007 Pioneer Award from NIH, while Professors Ed Boyden, Alan Jasanoff and Mehmet Fatih Yanik will be honored with New Innovator Awards. All four were cited by NIH for their "exceptionally innovative" research. September 18, 2007

East meets West - In the 26 years since he first arrived at MIT as a freshman, V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai has earned four MIT degrees and started two multimillion dollar companies. September 17, 2007

Herr wins $250,000 Heinz Award - Professor Hugh Herr, a double amputee whose work has led to the development of new prosthetic innovations that merge body and machine, has won the 13th annual Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment. September 12, 2007

Leveraging learning for artificial respiration - MIT researchers have found that the body's innate ability to adapt to recurring stimuli could be leveraged to design more effective and less costly artificial respirators, minimizing the need for induced sedation or paralysis for some patients. September 11, 2007

Polymers hold promise for safer gene delivery - In work that could lead to safe and effective techniques for gene therapy, MIT scientists have found a way to fine-tune the ability of biodegradable polymers to deliver genes, which could be a safer technique than using viruses to carry genes. September 7, 2007

Adult brain can change, study confirms - Neuroscientists from MIT and Johns Hopkins University have used evidence from brain imaging and behavioral studies to show that the adult visual cortex reorganizes--and that the change affects visual perception. September 5, 2007

Scientists unraveling the secrets of red tide - In work that could one day help prevent millions of dollars in losses for seaside communities, MIT chemists have demonstrated how tiny organisms likely produce the red tide toxin that periodically shuts down U.S. beaches and shellfish beds. August 30, 2007

MIT creates 3D images of living cell - A new imaging technique developed at MIT's Spectroscopy Laboratory has allowed scientists to create the first 3D images of a living cell, using a method similar to the X-ray CT scans doctors use to see inside the body. August 12, 2007

MicroRNA 'sponges' could aid cancer studies - MIT researchers have developed a new way to study the function of microRNA, the tiny strands of genetic material that help regulate a cell's genes. The work could shed light on microRNA's hypothesized role in tumor development. August 12, 2007

Study finds maturity brings richer memories - MIT neuroscientists exploring how memory formation differs between children and adults have found that children rival adults in forming basic memories, but adults do better at remembering the rich, contextual details of that information. August 5, 2007

MIT adds new graduate program in microbiology - MIT has launched a new graduate program in microbiology, integrating departments and disciplines from around the Institute. More than 50 faculty members from 10 MIT departments and divisions will participate in the program. August 2, 2007

New high-resolution MRI machine comes to MIT - Last May, MIT acquired its first 3 Tesla Siemens MRI machine for noninvasive imaging of the human brain, located in the Martinos Imaging Center at the McGovern Institute. This spring, a new, more powerful scanner moved in next to it, thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor. July 31, 2007

New model could predict cells' response to drugs - MIT researchers have developed a model that could predict how cells will respond to targeted drug therapies. This approach could help doctors make better treatment choices for individual patients, who often respond differently to the same drug. July 26, 2007

Robotic ankle research gets off on the right foot - An Army veteran who lost part of his leg in Iraq walked with more spring in his step Monday as he unveiled the world's first robotic ankle -- an important advance for lower-limb amputees that was developed by a team at MIT. July 23, 2007

Protein suppresses spread of prostate cancer - A protein whose function is lost in a broad array of cancers normally suppresses the spread of prostate cancer, MIT researchers and colleagues have shown. Testing for loss of the protein could help clinicians tell which cancers are more likely to metastasize. July 20, 2007

Brain discovery could fight deadly tumors - MIT researchers have identified a critical link between two proteins found in brain tumors, a discovery that could eventually help treat a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme, that kills 99 percent of patients. July 18, 2007

MIT IDs mechanism behind fear - Researchers from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have uncovered a molecular mechanism that governs the formation of fears stemming from traumatic events. The work could lead to the first drug to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. July 15, 2007

Killer cells may actually be picky eaters - Neutrophils patrol the body and guard against infection by identifying and destroying any bacteria or fungi that cross their path. New evidence, which may lead to better drugs to fight pathogens, indicates that neutrophils might distinguish among their targets. July 11, 2007

Link between aging, neurodegenerative disorders - Professor Li-Huei Tsai at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and colleagues report that one particular gene is a link between aging and neurodegenerative disorders. The work may lead to new drugs against debilitating neurological diseases. July 9, 2007

Team builds viruses to combat harmful 'biofilms' - In one of the first potential applications of synthetic biology, researchers from MIT and Boston University are engineering viruses to attack and destroy the surface "biofilms" that harbor harmful bacteria in the body and on industrial and medical devices. July 6, 2007

Team sheds light on cells' career path - How do cells specialize, despite having exactly the same DNA? Scientists at the Broad Institute have unveiled a special code, within the "chromatin" proteins surrounding the cell's DNA, that could unlock the mysterious choices underlying cell identity. July 1, 2007

CEHS awards Znaty research prizes - The Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) at MIT held its annual poster session on May 31 in Morss Hall in Walker Memorial. The session highlighted the work of 16 of the center's affiliated labs from nine MIT departments and featured more than 50 posters. June 22, 2007

Team turns mature skin cells into stem cells - Scientists have created embryonic stem cells in mice without destroying embryos in the process, potentially removing controversy over work in this field. The work was led by Rudolf Jaenisch, MIT professor of biology and a member of the Whitehead Institute. June 6, 2007

Model could help neutralize a flu pandemic - With experts fearing an imminent flu pandemic, Richard Larson and colleagues have developed a mathematical model to track the progression of an epidemic. Their results show that the death toll could be greatly reduced by taking simple steps. May 31, 2007

How to protect yourself from influenza - The following tips for how you can protect yourself from an influenza pandemic and what MIT is doing to prepare for a pandemic are excerpted from the January 2007 issue of EHS News & Views, a newsletter published by MIT's Environment, Health and Safety Office. May 31, 2007

Benefits director outlines changes, answers questions on new options - Tricia Fay, director of benefits, answers some questions regarding upcoming improvements to medical services and health insurance benefits. May 22, 2007

MIT reports key pathway in synaptic plasticity - MIT neuroscientists have pieced together a direct linear pathway connecting three molecules involved in synaptic formation. The work could someday have implications for many developmental and neurodegenerative diseases. May 21, 2007

Mice and men make livers differently - Scientists often study mice as a model for human biology and disease, because their basic biological processes are thought to be essentially the same as those of humans. But now, a team of MIT researchers has found a surprising difference. May 21, 2007

MIT-led team ID's malaria-inducing protein - An international team of researchers led by an MIT professor has demonstrated how a key protein in the malaria-inducing parasite Plasmodium falciparum infects red blood cells, causing them to lose their ability to flow through tiny blood vessels. May 21, 2007

NMR advance relies on microscopic detector - Researchers from MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms report the development of a radically different approach to NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). The new highly sensitive technique could prove invaluable in diagnosing a variety of diseases. May 15, 2007

Team unearths genetic risk factors for diabetes - The Diabetes Genetics Initiative research group has revealed the discovery of three unsuspected regions of human DNA that contain clear genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The DGI studies are the first to apply a suite of genomic resources to clinical research. May 11, 2007

Team reverses Alzheimer's-like symptoms in mice - Mice whose brains had atrophied like those of Alzheimer's disease patients regained long-term memories and the ability to learn after living in an enriched environment, reports MIT Professor Li-Huei Tsai and colleagues in the journal Nature. April 30, 2007

MIT team takes high-res, 3-D images of eye - In work that could improve diagnoses of many eye diseases, MIT Professor James Fujimoto and colleagues have developed a new type of laser for taking high-resolution, 3-D images of the retina, the part of the eye that converts light to electrical signals. April 30, 2007

New MIT technique weighs single living cells - For the first time, MIT researchers have found a way to measure the mass of single cells with high accuracy. The technique could allow researchers to develop inexpensive diagnostic devices and offer a unique glimpse into cell division. April 25, 2007

MIT Medical director outlines improvements in care - MIT Medical's 389 staff members handle 130,000 patient visits a year from students, staff, faculty, alumni and their family members. These patients see primary care clinicians and a host of specialists or are referred to the area's world-class teaching hospitals. April 23, 2007

Model helps researchers 'see' brain development - Understanding the significance of folds in the outer layer of the brain is one of the big open questions in neuroscience. Now a team led by MIT, MGH and Harvard Medical School has developed a tool that could help researchers "see" the growth of those folds. April 10, 2007

Device draws cells close--but not too close--together - On a microscopic level, coaxing cells to be very, very close without actually touching one another has been among the most frustrating challenges for cell biologists. MIT researchers have solved the problem with a novel device. April 4, 2007

Diseases to be focus of Singapore-MIT alliance - Infectious diseases will be the focus of the first research group through the proposed Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Center, as announced by the Singaporean National Research Foundation, which will sponsor the center. March 30, 2007

Scientists find different brain regions fuel attention - If you spotted an anaconda poised to strike, the signal to pay attention would originate in a different part of your brain than if you gazed at an anaconda in the zoo, neuroscientists at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory report. March 29, 2007

Engineers' pulsing light silences overactive neurons - Scientists at the MIT Media Lab have invented a way to reversibly silence brain cells using pulses of yellow light, offering the prospect of controlling the haywire neuron activity that occurs in diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. March 27, 2007

Douglas receives Black History Maker award - Dr. Frank Douglas, professor of the practice at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, is one of five recipients of the Associated Black Charities' 2007 Black History Makers Award. March 26, 2007

Natural polyester makes new sutures stronger, safer - With the help of a new type of suture based on MIT research, patients who get stitches may never need to have them removed. The novel biopolymer suture is made of materials that can be safely absorbed once the wound is healed. March 22, 2007

MIT biologists solve vitamin puzzle - Solving a mystery that has puzzled scientists for decades, MIT and Harvard researchers have discovered the final piece of the synthesis pathway of vitamin B12-the only vitamin synthesized exclusively by microorganisms. March 21, 2007

Robotic brace aids stroke recovery - At age 32, Maggie Fermental suffered a stroke that left her right side paralyzed. After a year and a half of conventional therapy with minimal results, she tried a new kind of robotic therapy developed by MIT engineers. March 20, 2007

MIT IDs role of key protein in tumor growth - MIT researchers have identified how a missing protein causes tissue to become precancerous--a finding that could help doctors identify patients at high risk to develop tumors. March 15, 2007

MIT shows how blood cells change shape - For the first time, MIT researchers have developed a dynamic, molecular-level model that describes how red blood cells deform their normal disc shape to pass through vessels that are often much narrower than the cells themselves. March 12, 2007

Hydrogel particles pave way for new diagnostics - MIT researchers have created an inexpensive method to screen for millions of different biomolecules (DNA, proteins, etc.) in a single sample--a technology that could make possible the development of low-cost clinical bedside diagnostics. March 8, 2007

PSC grants expand MIT's global reach - Undergraduate and graduate students who work in developing regions outside the United States over Independent Activities Period or over the summer are eligible to receive grants for up to $1,000 from the Public Service Center (PSC). March 7, 2007

At 20th annual HST Forum, image is everything - Research results from a variety of studies will be presented in student posters at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology's 20th annual HST Forum on March 8. March 5, 2007

MicroRNA found to regulate gene involved in cancer - A microRNA directly regulates a gene implicated in human cancers, researchers from the Whitehead Institute and MIT reported in the Feb. 22 online issue of Science. March 2, 2007

AgeLab founder outlines new lives for elders - The houses of the future will monitor our bodily functions through sensors in the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens and relay that data to drugstores that will not only fill prescriptions and sell toothpaste but also connect us with health professionals. March 1, 2007

Griffith advances promise of adult stem cells - MIT researchers have developed a technique to encourage the survival and growth of adult stem cells, a step that could help realize the therapeutic potential of such cells for treatment of injuries and some diseases. February 27, 2007

CEHS calls for pilot project proposals - The Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) at MIT, an interdisciplinary research center funded by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, invites MIT faculty to submit applications for funding of pilot projects related to environmental health research. February 22, 2007

Team unlocks genetic basis of Type 2 diabetes - Researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Lund University and Novartis have announced the completion of a genome-wide map of genetic differences in humans and their relationship to Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. February 21, 2007

Study points to a genetic link for schizophrenia - Gene mutations governing a key brain enzyme make people susceptible to schizophrenia and may be targeted in future treatments for the psychiatric illness, according to MIT and Japanese researchers. February 20, 2007

HHMI awardee committed to biochemistry, outreach - Irene C. Blat, a research technician at the Broad Institute, has received one of five 2007 Gilliam Fellowships from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, supporting up to five years of study toward a Ph.D. in the life sciences. February 13, 2007

Defense mechanism of tumors discovered - MIT researchers have identified a critical defense mechanism that tumor cells employ to survive the toxic effects of chemotherapy--knowledge that could very soon lead to more effective cancer treatments. February 12, 2007

Workplace Center publishes elder care handbook - The MIT Workplace Center's latest research on the geriatric health care system in the Greater Boston area has concluded that families are playing an increasingly important role in the care of elders. February 9, 2007

MIT improves protein sorting with a new microchip - A new MIT microchip system promises to speed up the separation and sorting of biomolecules such as proteins. The work could help scientists better detect certain molecules associated with diseases, potentially leading to earlier diagnoses. February 5, 2007

Team develops nanoparticles to battle cancer - On a quest to modernize cancer treatment and diagnosis, an MIT professor and her colleagues have created new nanoparticles that mimic blood platelets. Their goal? To send these to carry out different medical missions inside the body. February 1, 2007

New book documents MIT breast cancer therapy - A breast cancer treatment based on MIT research originally intended for detecting missiles is documented in a new book by Alan J. Fenn, an MIT researcher and inventor of the technique. January 26, 2007

Scientists create wrinkled polymer 'skin' - An MIT scientist and his colleagues at Harvard University and Seoul National University have demonstrated a promising new method for developing wrinkled hard skins on polymers using a focused ion beam. January 25, 2007

CEHS hosts gene-environment symposium - The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) will host a Gene-Environment Interaction Symposium featuring talks by MIT experts on Jan. 26 in the Stata Center (Room 32-141). January 24, 2007

Reactivated gene shrinks tumors, MIT study finds - Many cancers arise due to defects in genes that normally suppress tumor growth. Now, for the first time, MIT researchers have shown that re-activating one of those genes in mice can cause tumors to shrink or disappear. January 24, 2007

Discovery could lead to new autoimmune therapies - Scientists from MIT, the Whitehead Institute and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a key set of genes that may help scientists develop therapies for autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. January 22, 2007

Model could help avoid flu vaccine shortages - MIT researchers and colleagues have come up with a new model for contracts they hope will benefit both governments and flu vaccine manufacturers and prevent vaccine shortages. December 27, 2006

MIT creates 3D scaffold for growing stem cells - An MIT engineer and colleagues report that stem cells grew, multiplied and differentiated into brain cells on their new three-dimensional scaffold of tiny protein fragments designed to be more like a living body than any other cell culture system. December 27, 2006

Genetic map offers new tool for malaria research - An international research team has completed a map that charts the genetic variability of the human malaria parasite. The work has already unearthed novel genes that may underlie resistance to current drugs against the disease. December 11, 2006

Team reverses Parkinson's damage in yeast - Yeast cells get sick and die from the same toxic culprit that mucks up dopamine-producing neurons in Parkinson's disease. Now, a multi-institutional team led by MIT professor Susan Lindquist has found a way to reverse the damage in yeast. December 11, 2006

Austrian honor for Zhang - Shuguang Zhang, associate director of MIT's Center for Biomedical Engineering, recently received Austria's 2006 Wilhelm Exner Medal for outstanding contributions to science and technology from the president of Austria, Heinz Fischer. December 8, 2006

Broad wins $200M for genomics research - The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has announced an award of nearly $200 million from the National Human Genome Research Institute to support applications and enhancements of large-scale DNA sequencing for biomedicine. December 6, 2006

Ogunnika wins first MIT-CIMIT fellowship - The Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT) and the MIT School of Engineering have recently announced the awarding of the first MIT-CIMIT Medical Engineering Fellowship to MIT graduate student Olumuyiwa Ogunnika. December 4, 2006

MIT implant measures tumor growth, treatment - A tiny implant containing specially designed nanoparticles now being developed at MIT could one day help doctors rapidly monitor the growth of tumors and the progress of chemotherapy in cancer patients. December 4, 2006

MIT receives $6 million for cancer study - Research into the "microenvironment" of tumor cells is the focus of a $6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to MIT's Center for Cancer Research. December 1, 2006

MIT's anti-microbial 'paint' kills flu, bacteria - A new "antimicrobial paint" developed at MIT can kill influenza viruses that land on surfaces coated with it, potentially offering a new weapon in the battle against a disease that kills nearly 40,000 Americans per year. November 30, 2006

Researcher talks turkey on Thanksgiving droop - When it comes to the myth that Thanksgiving dinner makes us sleepy, Judith Wurtman takes the side of the big roast bird. It is the high-fat, high-carbohydrate food we eat as sides to the turkey that contribute to the exhaustion many people experience. November 21, 2006

Periwinkle can serve as tiny chemical plant - Some of nature's most complicated chemistry takes place in the shoots and leaves of the periwinkle plant. MIT researchers studying the flowering plant have now figured out how to manipulate those complicated biosynthetic pathways to produce novel compounds. November 15, 2006

Researchers gain traction in race against pandemics - Is another pandemic on the scale of the 1918 influenza pandemic inevitable, or can research and prevention head off another deadly transmission of animal viruses to human populations? November 15, 2006

STS researches effects of medicine across races - New treatments and medical technology can effectively eradicate diseases such as smallpox, yet social and political considerations have hindered similar success with diseases like polio, tuberculosis and AIDS. November 15, 2006

Work may aid study of collagen ailments - An MIT researcher's mathematical model explains for the first time the distinctive structure of collagen, a material key to healthy human bone, muscles and other tissues. The new model shows collagen's structure from the atomic to the tissue scale. November 14, 2006

Scientific American names Belcher top researcher - Professor Angela Belcher has been named Research Leader of the Year by Scientific American. Three other MIT researchers are also among the magazine's annual list of the nation's top 50 technology leaders. November 6, 2006

AIDS expert equates treatment, human rights - Jim Yong Kim, the former HIV director at the World Health Organization, asked an MIT audience to recall the time when many health experts believed the best approach to AIDS in Africa was to let people die. November 1, 2006

MIT offers new medical sciences program - MIT graduate students interested in integrating their research in the life sciences with experiences in clinical medicine are encouraged to apply to the newly established Graduate Education in Medical Sciences program. November 1, 2006

Engineers probe spiders' polymer art - A team of MIT engineers has identified two key physical processes that lend spider silk its unrivaled strength and durability, bringing closer to reality the long-sought goal of spinning artificial spider silk. October 30, 2006

Lander named one of America's 'best leaders' - Professor Eric Lander, founder and director of the Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute, is featured as one of America's 20 best leaders in the Oct. 30, 2006 issue of U.S. News and World Report. October 27, 2006

Scientists pinpoint brain site for rapid learning - MIT researchers have provided the first two-pronged evidence--based on both behavior and physiology--that a specific juncture in the memory center of the brain is crucial for rapid learning. October 20, 2006

Anti-microbial 'grammar' underlies health advance - In most languages, sentences only make sense if the words are placed in the right order. Now, MIT researchers and an IBM colleague have used grammatical principles to help their search for new antimicrobial medicines. October 19, 2006

Institute of Medicine elects three from MIT - MIT faculty members Elazer R. Edelman, Rudolf Jaenisch and Susan L. Lindquist were among the 65 scientists elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies this week, bringing the total IOM membership to 1,651. October 11, 2006

Deshpande Center announces innovation grants - The Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT has announced the awarding of $488,000 in grants to six MIT research teams working on discoveries related to energy storage, health sciences and wireless networks. October 11, 2006

MIT material stops bleeding in seconds - MIT and Hong Kong University researchers have shown that some simple biodegradable liquids can stop bleeding in wounded rodents within seconds, a development that could significantly impact medicine. October 10, 2006

MIT alum shares Nobel Prize in physiology - Andrew Z. Fire, who received the Ph.D. from MIT in 1983, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2006 together with Craig C. Mello for their discovery of RNA interference -- gene silencing by double-stranded RNA. October 2, 2006

Tool charts links between drugs and human disease - A research team led by scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has developed a new kind of genetic "roadmap" that can connect human diseases with potential drugs to treat them, as well as predict how new drugs work in human cells. September 29, 2006

Nanoparticles to aid brain imaging, team reports - If you want to see precisely what the 100 billion neurons in a person's brain are doing, a good way to start is to track calcium as it flows into neurons when they fire. Using a nano-sized tracking agent, an MIT researcher has developed a way to do just that. September 27, 2006

Knotty problem puzzles protein researchers - An MIT team has discovered the most complicated knot ever seen in a protein, and they believe it may be linked to the protein's function as a rescue agent for proteins marked for destruction. September 20, 2006

Two MIT scientists win 2006 Pioneer Awards - Professors Arup K. Chakraborty and James L. Sherley are among 13 scientists nationwide to receive 2006 Pioneer Awards today from the National Institutes of Health for their "highly innovative research." September 19, 2006

Seven MIT projects win environmental health grants - The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences has awarded grants for seven pilot projects to MIT faculty and scientists. September 13, 2006

MIT's molecular sieve advances protein research - New MIT technology promises to speed up the separation of proteins from complex biological fluids. This action is becoming increasingly important for understanding diseases and developing new treatments September 11, 2006

Epilepsy breakthrough on horizon - Researchers at MIT are developing a device that could detect and prevent epileptic seizures before they become debilitating. The scientists plan to test the new detector in epilepsy patients this fall. August 31, 2006

Proton treatment could replace x-ray use - Scientists at MIT, collaborating with an industrial team, are creating a proton-shooting system that could revolutionize radiation therapy for cancer. The goal is to get the system installed at major hospitals to supplement, or even replace, the conventional radiation therapy now based on x-rays. August 28, 2006

CBI unveils drug initiative at forum - As part of an agreement with the FDA, the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation plans to develop a computerized system that will analyze data on prescription drug and medical device use to detect dangerous side effects more quickly. August 21, 2006

MIT, FDA team up on drug safety - The MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation has agreed to work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to develop ways to monitor the safety of drugs that are already on the market. August 21, 2006

GEM4 researchers examine facets of diseases - What happens when you bring together dozens of international researchers and set them to work studying human health and disease? You get GEM4, a one-year-old interdisciplinary collaboration that takes on broad medical challenges. August 16, 2006

MIT, Broad Institute join autism gene project - The Autism Consortium, a collaboration of 11 Boston-area institutions dedicated to autism research, today announced the initiation of the first comprehensive genetic association study to examine the entire human genome related to autism. August 15, 2006

Forum to spotlight personalized medicine - Vaccine development and personalized medicine are on the agenda for representatives from industry, academia and government who will be attending an MIT forum on Aug. 17. August 10, 2006

Professor explores Alzheimer's causes - Some people live to be 100 without falling victim to Alzheimer's disease. Li-Huei Tsai, who joined MIT this spring as Picower Professor of Neuroscience, wants to know why. August 8, 2006

Broad talk illuminates genetics - Scientists are on the brink of identifying genes that play a major role in a variety of diseases, thanks to recent rapid advances in DNA sequencing technology, according to Dr. David Altshuler of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. August 4, 2006

Researchers uncover basis for perceptual learning - Following up on an accidental finding, MIT researchers at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and colleagues have uncovered a mechanism for perceptual learning -- the ability of some to pick up on distinctions that others can't. August 2, 2006

HST professor takes eye-opening look at anesthesia - Dr. Emery N. Brown, who explores what happens to the brain during anesthesia, began a dual appointment as professor of health sciences and technology and professor of computational neuroscience at MIT in October 2005. July 31, 2006

Three at MIT conceive cell-shaped building - An innovative cell-shaped building will house a new biomedical research institute in Chengdu, China, thanks to an unusual crossdisciplinary collaboration between a world-renowned scientist at MIT and two former MIT students. July 28, 2006

MIT researchers watch brain in action - For the first time, scientists have been able to watch neurons within the brain of a living animal change in response to experience. July 27, 2006

DNA damage study probes inflammation, disease - New research at MIT may help scientists better understand the chemical associations between chronic inflammation and diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis. The work could lead to drugs that break the link between the two. July 25, 2006

Colleagues honor Langer for 30 years of innovation - Scientific colleagues from across the nation and the world celebrated the contributions made by Institute Professor Robert Langer with a three-day symposium held July 14-16 at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge. July 20, 2006

New device offers assist in needle biopsies - Two MIT graduate students have helped design a machine that may make needle biopsies less invasive and less prone to complications for lung cancer patients. July 19, 2006

Whitehead brings new dimension to cancer research - New research at MIT may lead the pharmaceutical industry to take a whole new approach to battling the spread of cancer. A new MIT study indicates that a common approach for evaluating anti-cancer therapeutics misses some crucial phenomena. July 12, 2006

Cancer symposium packs Kresge - An audience of 1,300 packed into Kresge Auditorium on June 23 to listen to Nobel laureates and other prominent scientists discuss cancer research. June 29, 2006

Parkinson's symptoms reversed in animals - MIT scientists and colleagues have not only identified a key biological pathway that, when obstructed, causes Parkinson's symptoms, they have also repaired that pathway and restored normal neurological function in certain animal models. June 22, 2006

Professor Robert W. Mann dies at 81 - Robert W. Mann, an engineer and former rocket scientist who developed the world's first biomedical prosthetic device, died Friday, June 16, of a heart attack. A longtime resident of Lexington, Mass., and Moultonborough, N.H., Mann was 81. June 19, 2006

Virus yields clues into immune system - Investigating one form of the herpes virus, MIT and Whitehead researchers have discovered a key component in the machinery that cells use to dispose of misfolded proteins. The accumulation of such proteins can lead to conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. June 16, 2006

Health Sciences and Technology awards - 2006 Awards listings. June 7, 2006

Sensor opens up study of crucial molecule - MIT scientists have discovered a way to monitor a crucial molecule -- nitric oxide -- as it goes about its business within living cells. The researchers have developed a bright fluorescent sensor that helps capture and illuminate NO in living, functioning cells. June 1, 2006

Broad dedicates new building - Less than two years after the first shovelful of dirt was turned, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard officially opened its new building at 7 Cambridge Center on Tuesday, May 30. May 31, 2006

Public database aids drug researchers - Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have released a major upgrade of ChemBank, a publicly available database created to help drug hunters discover new and effective medicines. May 30, 2006

MIT poet develops 'seeing machine' - An MIT poet has developed a small, relatively inexpensive "seeing machine" that can allow people who are blind, or visually challenged like her, to access the Internet, view the face of a friend, "previsit" unfamiliar buildings and more. May 23, 2006

Cloaked fungi slip past immune system - Whitehead Institute and MIT researchers have discovered a biological "cloaking device" that may help pathogenic fungi hide from the immune system. The work may explain why our immune system easily identifies many bacterial and viral infections yet sometimes misses other invaders like pathogenic fungi. May 19, 2006

Nobelist offers views on flu pandemic - If an influenza pandemic sweeps across the globe, as many public health officials fear, it will take a combination of scientific work and political planning to handle it effectively, said Nobel laureate Peter Doherty at a lecture at MIT. May 17, 2006

Ploegh wins Belgian health prize - Princess Mathilde of Belgium presented Hidde Ploegh, MIT biology professor and member of the Whitehead Institute, with the 2006 Interbrew-Baillet Latour Health Prize on Saturday, May 6. May 16, 2006

Picower conference tackles addiction - William C. Moyers and other panelists at "On Addiction," a daylong MIT conference hosted by the Picower Institute, said that one of the biggest issues facing addiction treatment is the social stigma still associated with substance abuse. May 12, 2006

Broad receives $18 million grant - The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has received an award of more than $18 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to support studies aimed at unveiling the genetic variations that underlie common human diseases. May 10, 2006

Work aids understanding of life's beginning - MIT researchers have a new understanding of the process cells use to ensure that sperm and eggs begin life with exactly one copy of each chromosome -- a process that must be exquisitely regulated to prevent problems such as miscarriages and mental retardation. May 8, 2006

Lemelson-MIT awards prizes for innovation - The Lemelson-MIT Program announced today that its $500,000 prize will be presented to James Fergason, whose work with liquid crystals paved the way for multiple innovations, including digital watches and computer monitors. May 3, 2006

MIT nanoparticles may help detect tumors - MIT engineers have devised a new technique that allows nanoparticles to group together inside cancerous tumors, creating masses with enough of a magnetic signal to be detectable by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. May 1, 2006

Brain researchers see visual role for growth factor - Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have identified an insulin-like growth factor that prevents the usual effects of visual deprivation in the brain. April 28, 2006

MIT research offers hope for Alzheimer's patients - MIT brain researchers have developed a "cocktail" of dietary supplements, now in human clinical trials, that holds promise for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. April 27, 2006

Engineering solutions in Louisiana - Eight civil and environmental engineering undergraduates spent their spring break on Lake Pontchartrain in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana doing research that may eventually contribute to minimizing the health effects of Hurricane Katrina. April 26, 2006

Cancer research funding called key - Funding young researchers remains an important focus for the National Cancer Institute, even though the federal group's budget has remained flat the past few years, the acting head of the NCI told MIT students and faculty on Friday, April 21. April 25, 2006

Method allows 3-D study of cell tissue organization - MIT bioengineers have devised a new technique that makes it possible to learn more about how cells are organized in tissues and potentially even to regrow cells for repairing areas of the body damaged by disease, accidents or aging. April 24, 2006

New map reveals secret of stem cell development - The process by which humans manage to develop from a single fertilized egg into the trillions of cells that make up a mature adult may become clearer, thanks to stem cell research by scientists from MIT, the Whitehead Institute and Harvard. April 21, 2006

Research gives lazy eye theory a workout - In a study that challenges conventional thinking about the condition known as lazy eye, researchers at MIT show that it's the quality, not the quantity, of images and light striking the retina that causes one eye to lose function. April 14, 2006

Media Lab hosts workshop on body sensors - Experts in wireless sensing and implantable electronics convened at the MIT Media Lab recently for the Body Sensor Network 2006 International Workshop. April 12, 2006

Big breakthrough for tiny particles - MIT chemical engineers have devised an elegant new method for creating complex polymeric microparticles that could have applications in a variety of fields. The method gives researchers extraordinary control over the properties of the microparticles. April 10, 2006

Nanoparticles armed to combat cancer - Ultra-small particles loaded with medicine -- and aimed with the precision of a rifle -- are offering a promising new way to strike at cancer, according to researchers working at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital. April 10, 2006

Chemist discovers secret behind nature's medicines - For years, chemists have wondered how organisms manage to create enzymes that serve as self-medications. MIT Associate Professor Catherine L. Drennan found that the secret is the size of one of an enzyme's parts. April 10, 2006

New tools enable large-scale gene studies - A molecular library created by a research team led by scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard promises to accelerate scientists' understanding of the genetics behind cancer and many biological processes. April 7, 2006

MIT technology used to shrink tumor - Technology developed by MIT researchers is being used to shoot a laser through a spaghetti-thin, flexible fiber to attack tumors and other diseased tissue in highly targeted, minimally invasive surgery. April 5, 2006

Experts tackle issues raised by race-based drugs - Scientists and scholars specializing in medicine, public health, social sciences, ethics and law will convene at MIT on April 7 and 8 for a groundbreaking conference on the complex implications of medications created for specific races. April 5, 2006

Jacks earns top cancer award - Tyler Jacks, director of MIT's Center for Cancer Research, has been named the 2005 Simon M. Shubitz Lecturer and Award recipient. April 4, 2006

Studies link cancer, inflammatory disease - The biological processes underlying diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer are fundamentally linked, and should be linked in how they are treated with drugs, a series of MIT studies indicates. March 29, 2006

Brain researchers restore sight in rodents - Rodents blinded by a severed tract in their brains' visual system had their sight partially restored within weeks, thanks to a tiny biodegradable scaffold invented by MIT bioengineers and neuroscientists. March 13, 2006

Research holds promise for Huntington's treatment - Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School have identified a compound that interferes with the pathogenic effects of Huntington's disease, a discovery that could lead to development of a new treatment for the disease. March 6, 2006

MIT method reveals how radiation damages the body - Researchers at MIT have devised a new method for examining how radiation damages normal tissue in the body. The knowledge may make it possible to reduce side effects for cancer patients or to develop treatments for radiation exposure. February 28, 2006

Neurons in sync focus attention, researchers find - When neurons fire in synchrony, the resultant signal calls attention to certain tasks and helps speed response time, according to a recent study by Robert Desimone, director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, and colleagues in the Netherlands. February 24, 2006

'Mad cow protein' found to aid creation of brain cells - Few conditions are more detrimental to human brains than the one popularly referred to as mad cow disease. But now there's reason to suspect that the malformed protein that causes the disease might also be necessary for healthy brain function. February 16, 2006

McGovern research sheds light on visual circuits - For the human brain, birth is a great divide. Like marble ready for sculpting, the prenatal brain abounds in extraneous neurons and connections waiting for experiences to carve the neural circuits that enable us to perceive, think and learn. February 14, 2006

Picower researcher explains how rats think - After running a maze, rats mentally replay their actions -- but backward, like a film played in reverse, a researcher at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT reports in the online edition of Nature. February 12, 2006

Inventors Hall of Fame to induct 2 professors - Two MIT professors--Robert Langer and Ali Javan--have been named to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the hall announced on Wednesday, Feb. 8. February 9, 2006

New images capture virus in extraordinary detail - Fifty years after MIT researchers pioneered the use of electron microscopy to study viruses, MIT scientists have helped produce the most detailed images yet of the tiny infectious agents poised to inject their genetic material into a host cell. February 8, 2006

Blood researchers multiply adult stem cells - MIT and Whitehead Institute researchers have discovered a way to multiply an adult stem cell 30 times, an expansion that offers tremendous promise for treatments such as bone marrow transplants and perhaps even gene therapy. January 23, 2006

Researchers offer logistics fix to flu outbreaks - MIT-affiliated researchers have come up with some ways to get the flu vaccine where it's needed in a timely fashion. Implementing these recommendations could make future influenza outbreaks less deadly. December 29, 2005

Scientists help complete fungal genomic sequences - An international team of scientists, including researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, have determined and compared the genome sequences of three aspergilli. Their findings were published in three papers in the Dec. 22 issue of Nature. December 28, 2005

Middle-schoolers ask tough science questions - Seventh- and eighth-grade students from Stoughton, Mass., recently engaged a panel of eminent research scientists from MIT and Harvard in a discussion of stem cell research, technology and ethics. December 21, 2005

Pilot projects get funding - The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences, through support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, has announced its support for six pilot projects, which all began Dec. 1. December 14, 2005

Nobelists lend brain power to launch Picower - A panel of five Nobel laureates discussed their visions for the future as part of a daylong event, "The Future of the Brain," held Dec. 1 by the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory to celebrate the opening of its new home. December 6, 2005

Founding donors add $100 million to Broad gift - Only eighteen months after the launch of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad have announced that they are doubling their founding gift to the institute from $100 million to $200 million. November 30, 2005

Flatworms yield insights into mystery of regeneration - Scientists at MIT, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the University of Utah School of Medicine have begun to understand how the planarian flatworm achieves what scientists hope to one day accomplish in the clinic: complete regeneration of damaged tissue. November 28, 2005

Jacks to share cancer research prize - MIT Professor Tyler E. Jacks will share the 2005 Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research awarded by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. November 16, 2005

HapMap provides 'catalog' of genetic variation - Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and colleagues have developed a comprehensive catalog of the genetic diversity in the human genome sequence across human populations. October 27, 2005

MIT cancer program granted $3.2 million - An MIT program designed to identify early signs of cancer using nanotechnologies has been named one of 12 national Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnerships through the National Cancer Institute. October 21, 2005

Research opens door to new stem cell work - Scientists at MIT and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have successfully demonstrated that a theoretical -- and controversial -- technique for generating embryonic stem cells is indeed possible, at least in mice. October 19, 2005

GEM4 shines in launch event - In a launch Oct. 12 worthy of its sparkling acronym, the Global Enterprise for Micro-Mechanics and Molecular Medicine, or GEM4, brought to MIT people from 12 time zones away, many university presidents, leaders of government, and Thai royalty. October 13, 2005

Initiative will address global medical challenges - A pioneering international collaboration among premier researchers and world-class institutions designed to bring the advances of engineering, science and nanotechnology to bear on major medical and public health issues launches Oct. 12 at MIT. October 12, 2005

Author expects avian flu pandemic - The catastrophic potential of an avian flu pandemic ranks just below that for thermonuclear war, warned Pulitzer Prize-winning author Laurie Garrett, speaking at MIT Sept. 26. October 5, 2005

MIT chosen for national role fighting cancer - The National Cancer Institute announced Monday it has chosen MIT and Harvard University to share one of seven national, multi-institutional hubs it is establishing to rapidly advance the application of nanotechnologies to cancer research. October 4, 2005

HST celebrates 35 years of innovation - Thirty-five years ago, Harvard and MIT got together to build a community of scientists and clinicians that would work together to harness the power of science and engineering for the benefit of human health. September 28, 2005

Team discovers why melanoma is so malignant - A team led by researchers at MIT and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research has discovered one of the reasons why this particular skin tumor is so ruthless. Unlike other cancers, melanoma is born with its metastatic engines fully revved. September 23, 2005

MIT conference tackles depression - Key stakeholders in the American depression epidemic came together Sept. 19 at an MIT conference sponsored by CIGNA and the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. September 21, 2005

Environmental policies cut health costs, team finds - MIT researchers are using a novel technique to calculate an underappreciated benefit of environmental regulation: the economic gains that come from having a healthier population with less pollution-induced sickness and death. September 9, 2005

Scientists discover key to stem-cell potential - Researchers from MIT, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and colleagues have discovered the process responsible for embryonic stem cells' single-most tantalizing characteristic: their ability to become just about any type of cell in the body. September 8, 2005

New dye could offer early test for Alzheimer's - MIT scientists have developed a new dye that could offer noninvasive early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, a discovery that could aid in monitoring the progression of the disease and in studying the efficacy of new treatments to stop it. August 25, 2005

CBI forum tackles drug safety issues - Experts who gathered at MIT last week to try to solve the problems inherent in the way America makes medicine were offered a real-world illustration of the high stakes involved as jurors deliberated in the Vioxx case. August 24, 2005

Proposals on environmental health research sought - The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences is inviting MIT faculty to apply for funding for pilot projects related to environmental health research. August 17, 2005

MIT finds genetic clue to bone and fat production - MIT researchers have identified a gene that helps control the balance between bone and fat in the human body, a discovery that could pave the way for the prevention of childhood obesity and the treatment of osteoporosis. August 11, 2005

Study yields insights into fungi--and beer - Chemotherapy and organ transplantation not only take a huge toll on patients, but they can compromise the immune system and leave patients vulnerable to infections from microbes such as pathogenic fungi--the fastest-growing cause of hospital-acquired infections. August 8, 2005

Team IDs new way to grow, repair bone - An international team of biomedical engineers, including several from MIT, has demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to grow healthy new bone reliably in one part of the body and use it to repair damaged bone at a different location. August 2, 2005

MIT engineers an anti-cancer smart bomb - Imagine a cancer drug that can burrow into a tumor, seal the exits and detonate a lethal dose of anti-cancer toxins, all while leaving healthy cells unscathed. MIT researchers have designed a nanoparticle to do just that. July 27, 2005

Broad researchers earn kudos for software - GenePattern, a gene expression analysis software package developed by researchers from the Broad Institute, has received an Editor's Choice award from Bio-IT World, an award-winning technology publication. July 15, 2005

MIT develops Anklebot for stroke patients - MIT pioneers in the field of robotic therapy are hoping a robotic gym full of machines targeted at different parts of the body will significantly improve stroke patients' movement in arms, wrists, hands, legs and ankles. June 30, 2005

Langer talk highlights cancer symposium - Though his drug delivery systems are now widely lauded, MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer faced an uphill battle getting funding, he told a crowd gathered for the June 24 symposium, "The New Science of Cancer Therapy." June 30, 2005

Cells discovered at MIT may play role in lung cancer - Researchers at the MIT Center for Cancer Research have discovered the first stem cells of the lung, cells that could be responsible for one type of lung cancer. June 29, 2005

Engineered muscles pump blood - In a major step toward creating "replacement parts" for the human body, researchers in Professor Robert Langer's lab at MIT have used a novel cocktail of cells to coax in vitro muscle tissue to develop its own vascular network. June 20, 2005

Wogan wins $250,000 Mott Prize - Gerald N. Wogan, the Underwood-Prescott Professor of Toxicology emeritus and professor of chemistry emeritus, has been awarded the 2005 Charles S. Mott Prize. June 8, 2005

MIT family fights disease together - The story of Stephen Heywood, who has been fighting a seven-year battle with Lou Gehrig's disease with the help of his family, focuses new attention on the deadly disease. Stephen's father is Professor John Heywood of mechanical engineering. June 8, 2005

Study holds promise for quick cancer diagnosis - Despite significant progress in understanding the genetic changes in many different cancers, the diagnosis and classification of tumor type remains, at best, an imperfect art. This could change quickly, thanks to the findings of MIT and other researchers. June 8, 2005

Insights into fibers could aid disease understanding - In work that will aid scientists' understanding of amyloid fibers, best known as the plaque that gunks up neurons in people with neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's, researchers have developed a technique to probe the fibers' architecture. June 8, 2005

Math optimizes kidney matches - Many more people could get kidney transplants thanks to new mathematical techniques designed to optimize a novel matching program, according to Sommer Gentry, who will receive her Ph.D. from MIT on Friday, and her husband, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins. June 1, 2005

Team IDs mechanism for multiplying adult stem cells - Researchers led by Rudolf Jaenisch of MIT and the Whitehead Institute have discovered a mechanism that might enable scientists to multiply adult stem cells quickly and efficiently, potentially paving the way for new therapeutic uses of such cells. May 24, 2005

Cancer hijacks body's wound-healing process - Scientists have known for the last decade that a link exists between wound healing and cancer. Now scientists led by MIT Professor Robert Weinberg, a member of the Whitehead Institute, have discovered the process by which tumors hijack normal wound-healing processes for their own purposes. May 20, 2005

New technique may speed DNA analysis - Just as the printing press revolutionized the creation of reading matter, a "nano-printing" technique developed at MIT could enable the mass production of nano-devices currently built one at a time. May 18, 2005

Center for Biomedical Innovation launched - MIT has announced it will bring major players from business, government and academia together to work to transform the pharmaceutical industry April 29, 2005

Langer wins top prize in medicine - Institute Professor Robert S. Langer has won the $500,000 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, America's top prize in medicine. April 29, 2005

Intelligent plastics change shape with light - Picture a flower that opens when facing the sunlight. In work that mimics that sensitivity to light, an MIT engineer and his German colleagues have created the first plastics that can be deformed and temporarily fixed into shape by light. April 13, 2005

Tissue engineering: A real growth field - Driven by a shortage of organs for transplant, tissue engineering has started to come into its own in the past few years, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, a scientist in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, told a group recently. April 1, 2005

Hughes Institute honors Bartel - Professor David Bartel of biology and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is among 43 scientists around the country named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators on March 21. March 22, 2005

Target for cancer drugs identified - Researchers at the Whitehead Institute and MIT have discovered a missing piece to the puzzle of how certain cancers work. March 14, 2005

Rest easy: MIT study confirms melatonin's value - A new study by MIT scientists and colleagues confirms that melatonin is an effective sleep aid for older insomniacs and others. The latest work could jump-start interest in the dietary supplement and help more people get a good night's sleep. March 1, 2005

HST student wins Lemelson Prize - David Berry, a 27-year-old M.D./Ph.D. student, received the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for his inventive research with a new protein and a common coagulant that may help both stroke and cancer patients. February 16, 2005

New difference found in human and chimp genomes - Researchers have learned that despite the 99 percent similarity between the DNA of humans and our closest relative, the chimpanzee, a significant difference occurs in the places along the genome where gene swapping occurs. February 11, 2005

Scientists advance macular degeneration research - Scientists at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT have discovered the first evidence that brain reorganization occurs in people suffering from the progressive visual disorder macular degeneration. January 19, 2005

Endometriosis, ovarian cancer modeled in mouse - A new study from the MIT Center for Cancer Research provides the first mouse models of endometriosis and endometrioid ovarian cancer, two major gynecologic diseases that are frequently associated with each other in women. January 7, 2005

MIT team aims to reduce chemo doses - MIT biologists report a potential way to decrease the dose of chemotherapeutic agents needed to tackle cancer, a feat that would reduce these agents' toxic side effects. January 6, 2005

Viruses change shape to infect us - The binding of a viral RNA and a viral protein brings about a physical transformation that dupes host cells into enthusiastically copying the invading pathogen, according to a team of researchers from MIT, Harvard, and Harvard Medical School.