National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The common model of gene regulation imagines the nucleus of the cell as a large space in which molecules involved in DNA transcription float around seemingly at random.

Activating a new understanding of gene regulation

Study reveals the role of the activation domain, a part of transcription factors previously shrouded in mystery.

November 16, 2018

MIT neuroscientists found that patients who develop schizophrenia show abnormally high levels of communication between the superior temporal gyrus (brown) and the limbic regions (green).

Brain activity pattern may be early sign of schizophrenia

In a study that might enable earlier diagnosis, neuroscientists find abnormal brain connections that can predict onset of psychotic episodes.

November 8, 2018

MIT neuroscientists have discovered a neural circuit that helps the brain focus on potential threats

Dopamine primes the brain for enhanced vigilance

Neuroscientists discover a circuit that helps redirect attention to focus on potential threats.

November 7, 2018

By chemically linking the antibiotic vancomycin to two different antimicrobial peptides, MIT researchers were able to dramatically enhance the drug’s effectiveness against two strains of drug-resistant bacteria: A. baumannii and E. faecalis (shown here)

Chemical synthesis could produce more potent antibiotics

Simple method for linking molecules could help overcome drug resistant infections.

November 5, 2018

By integrating conductive wires along with microfluidic channels in long fibers, the researchers were able to demonstrate the ability to sort cells — in this case, separating living cells from dead ones, because the cells respond differently to an electric field. The live cells, shown in green, are pulled toward the outside edge of the channels, while the dead cells (red) are pulled toward the c...

Inside these fibers, droplets are on the move

Fibers containing systems for mixing, separating, and testing fluids may open up new possibilities for medical screening.

October 29, 2018

MIT engineers grew these mesenchymal stem cells (red, with blue nuclei) on a surface with mechanical properties similar to those of bone marrow.

Helping blood cells regenerate after radiation therapy

Method boosts differentiation of stem cells into mature blood cell types, may help leukemia and lymphoma patients.

October 24, 2018

MIT engineers have developed a sensor that can be used to measure optical and electrical signals in the brain, using MRI.

Monitoring electromagnetic signals in the brain with MRI

Technique could be used to detect light or electrical fields in living tissue.

October 22, 2018

MIT neuroscientists can now record electrical activity from the dendrites of human neurons.

Electrical properties of dendrites help explain our brain’s unique computing power

Neurons in human and rat brains carry electrical signals in different ways, scientists find.

October 18, 2018

MIT biological engineers have devised a way to regulate the expression of RNA once it gets into cells, giving them precise control over the dose of protein that a patient receives, as shown in this conceptual image.

This RNA-based technique could make gene therapy more effective

Biological engineers design RNA circuits that enable precise control over the dose of therapeutic protein a patient receives.

October 16, 2018

Using a computer modeling approach that they developed, MIT biologists identified three different proteins that can bind selectively to each of three similar targets, all members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins.

Computer model offers more control over protein design

New approach generates a wider variety of protein sequences optimized to bind to drug targets.

October 15, 2018

A new study has found that the protein SAP102 plays a unique role in transmission across neural connections, or synapses.

Protein has unique effects on information processing

Picower Institute researchers find that a key protein linked to intellectual disability shapes electrical currents in neural connections.

October 15, 2018

MIT researchers have shown that some of the atoms in an enzyme called carbon monoxide dehydrogenase can rearrange themselves when oxygen levels are low. A nickel atom (green) leaves the cube-like structure, displacing an iron atom (orange). One sulfur atom (yellow) also moves out of the cube.

Chemists discover unexpected enzyme structure

Metal cluster in enzyme that breaks down carbon dioxide can switch between two different shapes.

October 2, 2018

MIT chemical engineers have devised a new desktop machine that can be easily reconfigured to manufacture small amounts of different biopharmaceutical drugs.

A new way to manufacture small batches of biopharmaceuticals on demand

System can be rapidly reconfigured to produce a variety of protein drugs.

October 1, 2018

Four GapR subunits assemble as a dimer-of-dimer complex, forming a clamp around overtwisted DNA, which arises during DNA replication and transcription.

Detangling DNA replication

Researchers identify an essential protein that helps enzymes relax overtwisted DNA so each strand can be copied during cell division.

September 17, 2018

MIT neuroscientists have devised a way to measure dopamine in the brain for more than a year, using microfabricated sensors that are so tiny they don’t lead to the formation of scar tissue.

New sensors track dopamine in the brain for more than a year

Tiny probes could be useful for monitoring patients with Parkinson’s and other diseases.

September 12, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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