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Researchers from MIT and the University of California, San Diego have genetically modified bacteria so that it can detect cancer, BBC News reports. The researchers hope that one day, “the general approach could one day be used to develop relatively cheap and easy to use home-testing kits for a range of diseases.”
MIT researchers have developed a non-invasive way to detect liver cancer using probiotics, reports Vijee Venkatraman for BetaBoston. The researchers found that they could “use bacteria as tumor scouts…and engineer them to emit a signal once they reached the mass and multiply.”
In a piece for The Huffington Post, Zeynep Ilyaz explains how Prof. Sangeeta Bhatia serves as an inspiration to her, citing her research advances in biotech and medicine, and her mentorship of women pursuing careers in STEM fields. “Dr. Bhatia is constantly looking for the next groundbreaking discovery in health, which makes her an excellent role model for girls and women,” Ilyaz writes.
Jane Wakefield reports for BBC News on a system developed by postdoctoral fellow Tal Danino in which bacteria are programmed to detect cancers in the liver. "It is a fascinating universe in our body and we can now program bacteria like we program computers,” Danino says.
MIT researchers have developed a test for Ebola and other fevers using gold nanoparticle sensors that quickly identify the pathegon, writes Andrea Timpano for Boston Magazine. “It is important to recognize that the United States needs to have strategies for surveillance that will identify dangerous viruses,” says Professor Lee Gehrke.
“A promising new diagnostic test from MIT looks like it could be a game changer for rapidly diagnosing several important infectious diseases within minutes,” writes Judy Stone for Forbes. The paper test developed by MIT researchers can diagnose Ebola, yellow fever and dengue fever.
MIT researchers have developed a new silver nanoparticle-based paper test that can quickly detect dengue, yellow fever and Ebola, reports Vicki Davison for Scientific American. In addition to the paper test, the researchers are also working on developing a mobile application to ease diagnosis.
Prof. Robert Langer speaks with Chris Baraniuk of New Scientist about winning the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering and his career in biotechnology. “It’s going to be the entrepreneurs, the new professors, the young people who are willing to think outside the box and not necessarily go down a conventional path,” says Langer of the future of medicine.
Michelle Roberts reports for BBC News on a new, “smart insulin” being developed by MIT researchers that switches on when blood sugar rises. The engineered insulin could make it easier for those suffering from diabetes to manage the disease, Roberts explains.
Joseph Flaherty of Wired writes about “Flowers,” a print created by postdoctoral fellow Tal Danino and MIT visiting artist Vik Muniz to educate people about the importance of vaccinations. Danino hopes to be able to apply the technique developed for creating the print, which contains real cancer and virus cells, to control the behaviors of specific cells and bacteria.
Professor Robert Langer has won the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering for his pioneering work with medical technologies, reports David Shukman for BBC News. Shukman notes that “as many as two billion people have in some way been touched by technologies devised and developed by him and his teams.”
Scientific American reporter Mark Fischetti examines a new MIT study that found that raindrops can spread certain crop diseases. Fischetti explains that the research could be useful in helping farmers develop new techniques for preventing the spread of disease among crops.
Nidhi Subbaraman reports for BetaBoston that Professor Robert Langer has been named the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering for his research on tissue engineering and drug delivery. “It’s a real thrill, a real honor,” says Langer. “I feel incredible lucky.”
MIT engineers are developing a paper test that can identify Ebola, writes BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman. Prof. Lee Gehrke’s goal is to develop a “cheap, disposable front-line detector for this disease that many people can get their hands on — and fast,” Subbaraman reports.
WBUR’s Deborah Becker and Lynn Jolicoeur report on the new MIT-MGH partnership aimed at developing better tools to treat disease. Prof. Arup Chakraborty hopes the collaboration will allow researchers to take risks. “Safe ideas are often not the transformative ones,” he says.