Bioengineering and biotechnology

Living cells say: Can you hear me now?Researchers find that cells’ chemical signaling includes a way to tell whether signals are being received or not.

Langer honored for achievements in biomedical engineering

Langer wins Warren Alpert Foundation PrizeBiomedical engineer shares $250,000 award

Teaching algae to make fuelNew process could lead to production of hydrogen using bioengineered microorganisms.

Jerome Lettvin, MIT professor emeritus, dies at 91Dynamic cognitive scientist made key contributions to neurophysiology and vision science.

CEHS poster session highlights graduate, postdoctoral workMore than 60 posters featured at annual Center for Environmental Health Sciences event.

Nano-sized vaccinesNew MIT nanoparticles could lead to powerful vaccines for HIV and other diseases.

Three MIT engineers named to the National Academy of EngineeringSeveral alumni also elected among 68 new members announced today

Canned, goodMore than 100 years ago, 2 pioneering scientists figured out how to keep canned food safe.

Scientists decipher 3-billion-year-old genomic fossilsAnalysis of modern-day genomes finds evidence for ancient environmental change and a massive expansion in genetic diversity.

The code for survivalCells fight stress by reprogramming a system of RNA modifications, researchers find.

Suresh discusses the role of engineering in the study of infectious diseaseIn public lecture at MIT, former dean describes progress in understanding malaria.

Emeritus: On the trail of aflatoxinToxicologist Gerald Wogan has dedicated his career to understanding — and fighting — a deadly carcinogen.

MIT senior wins Rhodes ScholarshipJennifer Lai, who is majoring in biological engineering and music and theater arts, is headed to Oxford.

Going nature one betterMIT researchers aim to learn biology’s secrets for making tough, resilient materials out of simple components, and then improve on them.

Biology rides to computers’ aidPhotonic crystals could usher in an age of low-power optical computing, but they’re hard to manufacture. Maybe adding a little DNA would help.

Teasing out malaria’s genetic secretsBiological engineer’s new approach to studying gene control could lead to new drug targets.

Roger Kamm elected to the Institute of MedicineOne of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine

5 from MIT win NIH awardsThe grants are designed to promote risky, innovative research with the potential to transform a field of study.

Putting carbon dioxide to good useMIT biological engineers have found a way to convert carbon-dioxide emissions to useful building materials, using genetically altered yeast.

A pharmacy on the back of a cellDrugs encapsulated in new MIT nanoparticles can hitch a ride to tumors on the surface of immune-system cells.

RNA offers a safer way to reprogram cellsNew technique holds promise to revert cells to an immature state that can develop into any cell type.

Imaging fish on the flyNew MIT technology allows high-speed study of zebrafish larvae, often used to model human diseases.

A new use for goldEngineers turn a drawback — the stickiness of gold nanoparticles — into an advantage.

Building organs block by blockTissue engineers create a new way to assemble artificial tissues, using ‘biological Legos’ — cells transformed into bricks.

Explained: Directed evolutionSpeeding up protein evolution in the lab can yield useful molecules that nature never intended.

Genes as fossilsMIT researchers discover the DNA responsible for creating fossil-like molecules found in ancient rocks.