INNOVATIONS

Researchers create synthetic cells to isolate genetic circuits Encapsulating molecular components in artificial membranes offers more flexibility in designing circuits. Anne Trafton | MIT News Office Synthetic biology allows scientists to design genetic circuits that can be placed in cells, giving them new functions such as producing drugs or other [..]

A new approach against Salmonella and other pathogens Immunization strategy could prevent gastrointestinal disease. Anne Trafton | MIT News Office Researchers from MIT and the University of California at Irvine have developed a new strategy to immunize against microbes that invade the gastrointestinal tract, including Salmonella, which causes more foodborne [..]

Artificial-intelligence system surfs web to improve its performance “Information extraction” system helps turn plain text into data for statistical analysis. Larry Hardesty | MIT News Office Of the vast wealth of information unlocked by the Internet, most is plain text. The data necessary to answer myriad questions — about, say, [..]

A step toward biodegradable plastics Chemists discover structure of bacterial enzyme that generates useful polymers. Anne Trafton | MIT News Office MIT chemists have determined the structure of a bacterial enzyme that can produce biodegradable plastics, an advance that could help chemical engineers tweak the enzyme to make it even [..]

Cracking the code for dormant bacteria Newly discovered genetic code controls bacterial survival during infections. Anne Trafton | MIT News Office The genetic code that allows cells to store the information necessary for life is well-known. Four nucleotides, abbreviated A, C, G, and T, spell out DNA sequences that code [..]

Novartis LEE011 (ribociclib) granted FDA Priority Review for first-line treatment of HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer By: Vijay Soni Priority Review based on Phase III MONALEESA-2 trial, which showed LEE011 plus letrozole, as initial treatment for advanced breast cancer, significantly extended progression-free survival compared to letrozole alone[1] Underscores potential of LEE011 [..]

FDA Approves New Immunotherapy Medicine for a Type of Metastatic Lung Cancer   News in brief TECENTRIQ is the first and only anti-PDL1 cancer immunotherapy for lung cancer approved by the FDA The approval is based on survival benefit of TECENTRIQ compared to docetaxel chemotherapy, regardless of PD-L1 status Approximately [..]

Take 3D print of your baby universe By:Imperial College London Researchers have created a 3D printed cosmic microwave background — a map of the oldest light in the universe — and provided the files for download. The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a glow that the universe has in the [..]

Photodetector with improved capacity of photonic circuits By: The Optical Society Photonic circuits, which use light to transmit signals, are markedly faster than electronic circuits. Unfortunately, they’re also bigger. It’s difficult to localize visible light below its diffraction limit, about 200-300 nanometers, and as components in electronic semiconductors have shrunk to [..]

The thinnest photodetector in the world By: Institute for Basic Science The Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has developed the world’s thinnest photodetector, that is a device that converts light into an electric current. With a thickness of just 1.3 nanometers — 10 times [..]

Playful rats reveal brain region that drives ticklishness By: Brigitte Osterath Like people, rats are ticklish. Now, by implanting electrodes in the brains of these laboratory workhorses, researchers have identified the brain region that seems to drive the trait — an insight that could illuminate the origins of ticklishness in people. [..]

Google Daydream vs. Samsung Gear VR: Which VR ticket out of reality should you choose? By Scott Stein Wanna get away? If you’re looking for a ticket out of this universe, at least temporarily, VR can deliver that on your phone. Or, even give you ways to reach out and communicate [..]

Lightbulb made of modified E. coli fuses biology and electronics By Alex Pearlman It could soon be possible to make a light source out of bacteria. So says a group of students from Newcastle University in the UK who are attempting to combine electronic engineering and synthetic biology to create “electro-biological” [..]

Mice made easy By Jon Cohen The genome-editing tool CRISPR upends the vital business of creating mutant mice The CRISPR revolution that has made genome editing simpler, cheaper, and faster has come to the laboratory mouse, a leading animal model used to study everything from human disease to the function [..]

These images were created on the paper of the future!! By Katherine Kornei Digital media may be prevalent in today’s society, but sometimes an electronic screen just won’t do. The average office employee still prints thousands of pages of paper each year, and large posters and banners remain the norm [..]