Bioengineering and biotechnology

Assistant Professor Gabriela Schlau-Cohen (left) and Associate Professor Mircea Dincă explored how their research at the microscopic level can help address big challenges.

Microscopic answers to humanity’s looming questions about food, water, and energy

Chemistry alumni and friends enjoy an evening of food, drink, and talks by Associate Professor Mircea Dincă and Assistant Professor Gabriela Schlau-Cohen.

May 4, 2017

"I would say that the committee is not opening the door to human genome editing, but we are, so to speak, removing the padlock pending possible new applications," says Richard Hynes, a Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research at MIT and co-chair of the NAS study committee that created the Human Genome Editing Report.

3Q: Behind the scenes of the National Academy of Sciences' report on human genome editing

MIT professor and NAS report committee co-chair Richard Hynes gives insight into the report’s recommendations.

February 24, 2017

“Diesel is the preferred fuel because of its high energy density and the high efficiency of the engines that run on diesel,” professor Gregory Stephanopoulos says. “The problem with diesel is that so far it is entirely made from fossil fuels.”

A step toward renewable diesel

Chemical engineers program yeast to convert plant sugars into oils.

January 16, 2017

MIT Portugal Program faculty and PhD students stand with visitors (front row, from left to right) Portuguese Consul General in Boston José Rui Velez Caroço, Minister of the Economy Manuel Caldeira Cabral, Dean of the MIT School of Engineering Ian A. Waitz, U.S. Ambassador to Portugal Robert Sherman, and MIT Portugal Program Director Bruce Tidor.

Portuguese government and biotech representatives visit MIT

U.S. Ambassador to Portugal and the Portuguese Minister of Economy discuss transatlantic cooperation with Europe in the biotechnology sector.

January 4, 2017

Gregory Stephanopoulos receives Samson Prize for Innovation in Alternative Fuels

Metabolic engineering pioneer recognized for his work in the engineering of microbes for biofuels production.

October 19, 2016

This computational illustration shows a graphene network structure below a layer of water.

How to power up graphene implants without frying cells

New analysis finds way to safely conduct heat from graphene to biological tissues.

September 23, 2016

Solve at HUBweek offers local showcase, global springboard for solutions to society’s challenges

Innovators from many sectors to tackle issues involving the digital economy, education, and more.

September 16, 2016

PhD student Anasuya Mandal arrived on campus with a clear goal for her research. “I wanted to do something that would impact human health at the end of the day, and to make a product that somebody would have in their hands that they would use,” she says.

Benefiting human health through engineering

PhD student Anasuya Mandal’s microneedle device could painlessly monitor the immune system.

September 12, 2016

“I try to guide my research by ... asking myself the question, ‘What can we do today that will have a lasting impact and be conducive to a sustainable human civilization?’” says Rohit Karnik, an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Rohit Karnik seeks sustainable solutions through nanotechnology

Engineer’s designs may help purify water, diagnose disease in remote regions of world.

September 1, 2016

Ginkgo Bioworks staff members Ramya Prathuri (left) and Nate Tedford work at the mass spectrometer in the Ginkgo foundry.

Hacking microbes

Startup’s engineered yeast helps clients produce fragrances and flavors more efficiently.

August 25, 2016

“This place is remarkable,” Alfredo Alexander-Katz, the Walter Henry Gale Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, says of MIT. “You can throw any crazy idea out there” and then pursue it.

Seeing nature through a molecular engineer’s eye

Alfredo Alexander-Katz probes systems in action, from clotting blood to walking molecules.

August 22, 2016

The ability to ferment low-cost feedstocks under nonsterile conditions may enable new classes of biochemicals and biofuels, such as microbial oil produced by the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica (shown here, oil in lipid bodies is stained green and cells walls stained blue).

Microbial engineering technique could reduce contamination in biofermentation plants

Approach could lower cost and eliminate need for antibiotics during biofuel production.

August 4, 2016

A new microfluidic device that replicates the neuromuscular junction — the vital connection where nerve meets muscle — contains a small cluster of neurons (green) and a single muscle fiber (red). A fluorescence image, bottom, shows the motor neurons sending out axons toward a muscle strip over a distance of about 1 millimeter.

Replicating the connection between muscles and nerves

New chip could help test drugs for ALS, other neuromuscular disorders.

August 3, 2016

A new, portable production system is designed to manufacture a range of biopharmaceuticals on demand. The principal component of the microbioreactor is a plastic chip with microfluidic circuits (green), optical sensors (red and blue circles) for monitoring oxygen and acidity, and a filter to retain the cells while the therapeutic protein is extracted (white circle).

Portable device produces biopharmaceuticals on demand

System would use microbes for manufacturing small amounts of vaccines and other therapies.

July 29, 2016

MIT announces Solve program activities

Addressing the world’s most pressing issues, second year of program will focus on in-person gatherings, solution proposals.

July 7, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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