In a preclinical study, NIBIB researchers found that bone marrow transplants to treat sickle cell disease early in life may lower risk of stroke into adulthood.

Two heads are better than one, as the saying goes, and sometimes two instruments, ingeniously recombined, can accomplish feats that neither could have done on its own. For the first time, a hybrid microscope born at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), allows scientists to simultaneously image the full 3D orientation and position of an ensemble of molecules, such as labeled proteins inside cells.  Source: Marine Biological Laboratory at the University of Chicago.

Each year, approximately 18,000 Americans suffer from spinal cord injuries. By detecting intact nerve connections in the injured spinal cord, a newly developed imaging radiotracer has the potential to help diagnose injuries more precisely, monitor recovery, and evaluate the effectiveness of new therapies in clinical trials. Source: The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The low image quality of small, affordable MRI machines have prevented their widespread use. But a boost from AI could close the gap, bringing MRI to more patients.

A preclinical study in a mouse model of sickle-cell disease showed that stimulating brain regions with focused ultrasound can reduce pain hypersensitivity.

A major challenge in self-powered wearable sensors for health care monitoring is distinguishing different signals when they occur at the same time. With NIBIB funding, researchers from Penn State and China’s Hebei University of Technology addressed this issue by uncovering a new property of a sensor material, which enabled them to develop a new type of flexible sensor that can accurately measure both temperature and physical strain simultaneously but separately to more precisely pinpoint various signals. Source: Penn State Materials Research Institute.

Rice University bioengineers have created a groundbreaking construction kit for designing custom sense-and-respond circuits in human cells. Published in Science, this research marks a significant advancement in synthetic biology, with the potential to transform treatments for complex diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. Source: SciTech Daily

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death globally. A new deep learning technique developed with NIBIB funding by a collaborative team of researchers could transform the way heart health is monitored, making it safer and more accessible. Source: WashU McKelvey School of Engineering News

 

Researchers from Mass General Brigham and collaborating institutions have developed a non-invasive approach to manipulate cardiac tissue activity by using light to stimulate an innovative ink incorporated into bioprinted tissue. Their goal is to develop a technique that can be used to repair the heart. Source: Brigham&Women's Hospital Research Brief.

Tiny implantable sensors are helping University of Oregon researchers optimize the process of recovery from severe bone injuries. In a new study, they use the technology to show that a resistance-training rehabilitation program can significantly improve femur injuries in rats in just eight weeks.

Source: University of Oregon Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact 

Five NIBIB grantees received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers: Ambika Goel Bajpayee, Northeastern University; Samira Kiani, University of Pittsburgh; Kanaka Rajan, Harvard Medical School; Parisa Rashidi, University of Florida; and William Renninger, University of Rochester. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Government on outstanding scientists and engineers at the early career stage.

In an effort to greatly expand accessibility, this compact fluorescence-guided surgery system, evaluated in mice, is crafted from cost-effective and off-the-shelf components.

AI, specifically, machine learning, can help improve the quality of these MRI images, making it easier for doctors to diagnose patients. Machine learning involves training AI on a lot of data to recognize trends and make predictions on new data it receives. Source: Curious Science Writers

Rice University bioengineers have developed a new construction kit for building custom sense-and-respond circuits in human cells. The research, published in the journal Science, represents a major breakthrough in the field of synthetic biology that could revolutionize therapies for complex conditions like autoimmune disease and cancer. Source: Rice University News & Media Relations

Former NIBIB Director Dr. Roderic I. Pettigrew's viewpoint article in JAMA discusses the integration of medicine and engineering to transform how disease is prevented, diagnosed, and treated. JAMA

A new gene editing tool that helps cellular machinery skip parts of genes responsible for diseases has been applied to reduce the formation of amyloid-beta plaque precursors in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report. Source: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign News Bureau

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers developed AI frameworks to identify evidence-driven hypotheses that could advance biologically inspired materials. Source: MIT News

With the help of some of nature’s best engineers, NIBIB-funded researchers have developed technology to regrow damaged facial nerves.

Releasing a drug selectively in specific locations in the body, including the brain, has been challenging. Researchers at the University of Utah have tackled the problem by designing ultrasound-sensitive nanoparticles that release a drug at the targeted site when activated by focused ultrasound.

NIH has awarded more than $4 million in funds and support services to three diagnostic technology developers as part of RADx ® Tech’s Advanced Platforms for HIV Viral Load Monitoring program.

Researchers use multiorgan tissue chips to study the impacts of space radiation on human physiology to support the astronauts of tomorrow.

Researchers at Boston University and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University have invented a new approach to biologically engineering tissue structures called ESCAPE (engineered sacrificial capillary pumps for evacuation). Source: Wyss Institute/Harvard University News

Parinaz Fathi, a Rockville native who graduated from the University of Maryland in 2015 before moving on to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to complete her Ph.D.in 2020, has been named tot he 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 List in the Science category. Source: The MoCo Show

Parinaz Fathi ’15 (mechanical engineering) was featured on the Science list. She developed VIPER (Vital Injury Protein Evaluation for Recovery), a powerful tool that can predict survival in cases of traumatic injury. Source: Maryland Today

A tiny, four-fingered “hand” folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report. Source: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign News Bureau

AnemiaPhone, a technology developed by a multidisciplinary team of Cornell researchers to accurately, quickly and cheaply assess iron deficiency, has been transferred to the Indian Council of Medical Research of the government of India for integration into its programs for anemia, women’s health, and maternal and child health throughout the country. Source: Cornell Chronicle

A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego has developed a new and improved wearable ultrasound patch for continuous and noninvasive blood pressure monitoring. Their work marks a major milestone, as the device is the first wearable ultrasound blood pressure sensor to undergo rigorous and comprehensive clinical validation on over 100 patients. Source: UC San Diego. 

With their eclectic mix of mutations, tumors often survive drug treatment. In a new study, researchers found a way to use cancer’s evolutionary potential against it, destroying drug-resistant tumors in animals.

A team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University recently investigated how skin tone affects the visibility of breast cancer targets in photoacoustic imaging. They found that that a new imaging technique reduces skin tone bias, improving visibility across diverse skin tones. Source: The International Society for Optics and Photonics.

A team of researchers led by Rice University’s Jacob Robinson and the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Peter Kan with NIBIB funding have developed a technique for diagnosing, managing and treating neurological disorders with minimal surgical risks. Source: Rice University News.

A team of researchers at Vanderbilt University has developed a system of artificial cilia capable of monitoring mucus conditions in human airways to better detect infection, airway obstruction, or the severity of diseases like Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) and lung cancer. The lead researcher was funded by an NIH/NIBIB Trailblazer Award. Source: Vanderbilt School of Engineering

In a study published in Small, researchers at the University of Rochester outline a new method for using ultrathin membranes to easily identify extracellular vesicles for rapid liquid biopsies. The method, called catch and display for liquid biopsy (CAD-LB), holds promise for diagnosing cancer quickly and affordably, and assessing the progress of therapies used to treat diseases. Source: University of Rochester News

NIH has announced winners of the RADx® Tech Fetal Monitoring Challenge, a $2 million prize competition to speed development of innovative medical technologies for fetal health diagnosis, detection and monitoring.

Metastasis remains the primary challenge to reducing cancer deaths worldwide. Now, a study by Memorial Sloan Kettering, published in Nature is providing unique insights into metastasis that researchers say point to new therapeutic opportunities. Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center News

Researchers are developing preclinical microgrippers that could be deployed throughout the upper urinary tract to grab tiny pieces of tissue and facilitate early detection of disease.

In a study published in Small, researchers at the University of Rochester outline a new method for using ultrathin membranes to easily identify extracellular vesicles for rapid liquid biopsies. The method, called catch and display for liquid biopsy (CAD-LB), holds promise for diagnosing cancer quickly and affordably, and assessing the progress of therapies used to treat diseases.  Source: University of Rochester News Center

A team of engineers at the University of Houston has published a study in the journal Nature on how international air travel has influenced the spread of COVID-19 around the world. By using a newly developed AI tool, the team identified hotspots of infection linked to air traffic, pinpointing key areas that significantly contribute to disease transmission. Source: University of Houston Newsroom

Researchers at Washington University Medicine have reduced scar formation and improved heart function in mouse models of heart failure using a monoclonal antibody treatment. The antibody that reduces inflammation could serve as cardio-immunotherapy for heart failure patients.  Source: WashU Medicine  

The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) has solved a challenge that has long stymied researchers, reimagining the process of creating hydrogels to build a powerful semiconductor in hydrogel form that can be used to create better brain-machine interfaces, biosensors, and pacemakers. Source: UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering News.

A team of researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and collaborators from five institutes have developed a new 3D atlas of developing mice brains using advanced imaging and microscopy techniques. The new high-resolution maps of the mouse brain will help advance the understanding of brain development and the study of neurodevelopment disorders. 

Source: Penn State Research News

NIBIB bioengineer Kaitlyn Sadtler has flourished as a leader of many impactful, interdisciplinary studies. For her role in shaping the future of medical research, TIME magazine has named Kaitlyn Sadtler to the TIME100 Next 2024 List.

NIBIB-funded researchers are working to bring in vivo gene editing to the fore. Through rational engineering of lipid nanoparticles, this collaborative team developed a way to effectively target specific organs in the body to precisely deliver therapeutic cargo, including gene-editing molecules. Their research demonstrated that a one-time treatment with their nanoparticles resulted in durable gene editing in mouse lungs for nearly two years. Further, their technique showed promise in correcting a mutation present in a currently untreatable form of cystic fibrosis in several models of the disease.

Labs that can’t afford expensive super-resolution microscopes could use a new expansion technique to image nanoscale structures inside cells. Source: MIT News

As strains of pathogens resistant to frontline antibiotics become more common worldwide, clinicians are more often turning to combination treatments that degrade this resistance as a first treatment option.

Researchers from Duke University have discovered the mechanism behind why some antibiotic-resistant pathogens haven't adapted to the combination treatments—the bacteria’s level of “selfishness.” The insight provides guidance to clinicians on how to best tailor these combination treatments to different pathogens, minimize the selection for resistance and formulate new antibiotic resistance inhibitors.  Source: Duke University Pratt School of Engineering

Using smartly trained neural networks, researchers at the University of Technology Graz funded in part by NIBIB have succeeded in generating precise real-time images of the beating heart from just a few MRI measurement data. Other MRI applications can also be accelerated using this procedure. Source: TU Graz News

Research into harnessing the immune system to encourage injured tissue to regenerate has landed a Maryland researcher on a TIME magazine list of 2024 innovators. During a WTOP visit to the lab she leads at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, researcher Kaitlyn Sadtler, explained its goal is to understand the immune system’s role in wound healing and how it could be leveraged by medical technology to regenerate tissue.

As AI is deployed in clinical centers across the U.S., one important consideration is to assure that models are fair and perform equally across patient groups and populations. To better understand the fairness of medical imaging AI, researchers trained over 3,000 models spanning multiple model configurations, algorithms, and clinical tasks. Their analysis of these models reinforced some previous findings about bias in AI algorithms and uncovered new insights about deployment of models in diverse settings.

UCLA researchers have developed a deep-learning framework that teaches itself quickly to automatically analyze and diagnose MRIs and other 3D medical images – with accuracy matching that of medical specialists in a fraction of the time.  Source: UCLA Computational Medicine News

Cancer cells frequently overhaul their surroundings, making tumors stiffer than nearby healthy tissue. While tumor stiffening makes some cancers easier to detect, it can also ramp up drug resistance. New research suggests that these detrimental changes are not set in stone, however.

The dynamics of blood nutrient and lipid levels after consuming a high-fat meal are crucial indicators of both current and future cardiovascular health. A recent NIBIB-funded study from Boston University, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women's Hospital investigated how meal composition affects skin tissue properties shortly after eating. Source: The International Society for Optics and Photonics News 

A team of researchers funded by a NIBIB Small Business program grant developed a new ultrasound navigation system that could provide accurate, real-time, and intuitive needle insertion planning and guidance for lumbar puncture procedures.

Within bacterial cells, specialized immune systems known as retrons fend off viral attacks. They can also perform precise DNA editing. 

In a new study published in Nature Biotechnology, Shipman and his team greatly expand the universe of retron knowledge. They carried out a “census” of 163 never-before-tested retrons and identified many that can edit DNA more quickly and efficiently than those currently used in research. This research may contribute to genome engineering and future gene therapies.  

NIH has just awarded $17 million for a group of projects undertaken by small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations, and academia participating in the Blueprint MedTech program.

Early detection of respiratory diseases is critical for treatment. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a wearable lung patch which, in a pilot study, detected wheezing, a common indicator of asthma and COPD.

As antibiotic resistance becomes an increasingly serious threat to our health, the scientific and medical communities are searching for new medicines to fight infections. Researchers at Gladstone Institutes have just moved closer to that goal with a novel technique for harnessing the power of bacteriophages. Source: Gladstone Institutes News

Physical human feats require a high level of coordination between sensory and motor functions. What kind of achievements could robots perform with the same cohesion between sensing and action? In the medical space, researchers have begun to explore the possibilities.

Gene therapy, the idea of fixing faulty genes with healthy ones, has held immense promise. But a major hurdle has been finding a safe and efficient way to deliver those genes.

Now, researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) have made a significant breakthrough in gene editing technology that could revolutionize how genetic diseases are treated. Source: University of Hawaiʻi’s John A. Burns School of Medicine News

The National Institutes of Health and the higher education non-profit VentureWell have selected 11 winners and five honorable mentions in the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge, who are set to receive prizes totaling $160,000.

A new portable device would allow clinicians to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the ear, which could improve diagnostic accuracy. The NIBIB-funded study reported in the Journal of Biomedical Optics (JBO), describes this groundbreaking device from the University of Southern California's Caruso Department of Otolaryngology. 

Source: The International Society for Optics and Photonics News

Participants in a self-directed diet program lost significantly more weight by consuming higher amounts of protein and fiber, along with adhering to a personalized and flexible diet plan. Source: SciTech Daily

A new fluorescent imaging probe can for the first time objectively and non-invasively measure loss of smell, clinically known as anosmia. Targeting the olfactory nerve, the new tool has potential to eliminate biopsies used to diagnose certain anosmia conditions and to aid in the development of therapeutic interventions. This research, funded in part by NIBIB, was published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Source: Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging News

 

New research from a Florida State University professor and colleagues explains the mathematics behind how initial predispositions and additional information affect decision making.

The research team’s findings show that when decision makers quickly come to a conclusion, the decision is more influenced by their initial bias, or a tendency to err on the side of one of the choices presented. If decision makers wait to gather more information, the slower decision will be less biased. Source: Florida State University News

A team of NIBIB-funded researchers recently developed an AI platform that can analyze 3D pathology images to predict disease outcomes. Their method had improved performance in predicting prostate cancer outcomes when compared with traditional pathology approaches, such as analysis by expert pathologists using 2D images.

A study funded in part by NIBIB published in Science Advances describes new technology developed by the Rice University lab of bioengineer Jerzy Szablowski that could be a game changer for brain-based gene therapy. The new noninvasive tool can measure expression of gene therapy or endogenous genes in specific brain regions.

Source: Rice University News

A team of undergraduate researchers at UT Tyler have received $481,440 in funding from NIBIB. The focus of their research is developing formulations and algorithms to increase the speed and accuracy of ultrasound imaging so that it might one day be used to treat tumors. Source: KLTV

There are currently no treatments, preventive vaccines, or cures for prion diseases, which can be acquired, like mad cow disease, or inherited, like fatal familial insomnia. But an encouraging new study in mice suggests a potentially promising path for developing a treatment for people with these deadly conditions. Source: NIH Director's Blog

Working with the National Institutes of Health Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Tech test validation center, researchers from Atlanta’s Emory University and Grady Health System have helped push hepatitis C testing to new heights, participating in the creation of the first FDA-authorized point-of-care test for the virus. It’s a scientific breakthrough that could affect millions of Americans. Source: https://www.ajc.com/pulse/grady-emory-hep-c-breakthrough-this-device-re…

Due to its high accuracy, lab-based PCR testing is the gold standard for infectious disease diagnostics. Yet PCR's availability is limited, especially in low-resource settings. New research suggests a new kind of test could be more streamlined without sacrificing performance.

Bioengineering researchers at Rice University have developed ultrasmall, stable gas-filled protein nanostructures that could revolutionize ultrasound imaging and drug delivery. Unlike current microbubbles or nanobubbles that are too large to cross biological barriers effectively, the novel diamond-shaped 50-nanometer gas vesicles (50-NM GVs) — approximately the size of viruses — are believed to be the smallest stable, free-floating structures for medical imaging ever created. Source: Rice University News

Dr. Bruce Tromberg, NIBIB Director, speaks with Research America! Alliance on the history and trajectory of NIBIB and bioengineering as a tool that is focused on collaboration to develop cutting-edge technology in service of health science breakthroughs. Source: Research America! blog.

Researchers have established an RNA-based method that drives cells in the body to produce therapeutic proteins and secrete them into the bloodstream. The approach could extend the lifespan of drugs in the body, reducing the burden on patients.

Artificial intelligence models often play a role in medical diagnoses, especially when it comes to analyzing images such as X-rays. However, studies have found that these models don’t always perform well across all demographic groups, usually faring worse on women and people of color. Source:  Massachusetts Institute of Technology News 

A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has developed a soft, stretchy electronic device capable of simulating the feeling of pressure or vibration when worn on the skin. The new technology could pave the way for the development of advanced devices in virtual reality, medical prosthetics and wearable technology. Source: University of California San Diego.

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a new technique to better understand and test treatments for a group of extremely rare muscle disorders called dysferlinopathy or limb girdle muscular dystrophies 2B (LGMD2B). The approach grows complex, functional 3D muscle tissue from stem cells in the laboratory, creating a platform that replicates patient symptoms and treatment responses. Source: Duke University

The FDA granted marketing authorization for Cepheid’s Xpert HCV test and GeneXpert Xpress System, the first rapid test for hepatitis C virus intended for use in point-of-care settings. Source: Helio

NIBIB-funded researchers are working to make bladder surgeries better, tackling the issue from two vantage points: improving bladder function using a biodegradable construct that facilitates tissue regeneration, and enhancing patient monitoring by developing an implantable bladder sensor.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a new method that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and computer simulations to train robotic exoskeletons to autonomously help users save energy while walking, running and climbing stairs. Source: NC State University 

A research team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has developed a simple intervention to help treat specific cancer cells.  A biodegradable scaffold material studied in a mouse model was locally injected under the skin and used to restimulate CAR-T cells that were administered to increase their therapeutic effect. Source: Wysss Institute at Harvard University. 

To date, nine medical device developers participating in the RADx® Tech Independent Test Assessment Program have received emergency use authorization for at-home and point-of care test products that simultaneously detect COVID-19 and flu A/B.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created innovative soft robots equipped with electronic skins and artificial muscles, allowing them to sense their surroundings and adapt their movements in real-time. These features make soft sensory robots highly adaptable and useful for enhancing medical diagnostics and treatments.  Source: UNC Chapel Hill 

Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have improved a gene-editing technology that is now capable of inserting or substituting entire genes in the genome in human cells efficiently enough to be potentially useful for therapeutic applications. Source: The Broad Institute 

Johns Hopkins scientists have developed an artificial lymph node, which is implanted under the skin and designed to act like a learning hub and stimulator to teach immune system T-cells to recognize and kill cancer cells. Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Diabetic wounds are slow-healing, potentially life-threatening complications with limited treatment options. But a two-step, nanomaterial-based strategy may open doors to better care.

Researchers have, for the first time, visualized the full network of blood vessels across the cortex of awake mice, finding that blood vessels rhythmically expand and contract leading to “waves” washing across the surface of the brain. These findings, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), improve the understanding of how the brain receives blood, though the function of the waves remains a mystery. Source: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 

Penn State researchers recently developed an adhesive sensing device that seamlessly attaches to human skin to detect and monitor the wearer’s health. The writable sensors can be removed with tape, allowing new sensors to be patterned onto the device. Source: Penn State

Compared with receiving a kidney from a deceased donor who did not undergo dialysis, receiving a kidney from a deceased donor who underwent dialysis prior to kidney donation was associated with a significantly higher incidence of delayed graft function, but no significant difference in graft failure or death at follow-up.  Source: Eureka News Alert 

A team of scientists have developed a noninvasive alternative to current weight-loss options—an oral capsule containing a tiny vibrating motor that is designed to stimulate the stomach to produce the same sense of fullness people experience after eating a large meal.

Columbia University biomedical engineers have created BeatProfiler, a new comprehensive tool that uses AI to analyze heart cell function. It's the first system to integrate the analysis of different heart function indicators, such as contractility, calcium handling, and force output into one tool, speeding up the process significantly and reducing the chance for errors.  Source: Columbia University Engineering.

A collaborative NIH-funded team is using AI to mine common chest CT scans to predict mortality. Their research identified a collection of cardiac factors that were predictive of death in a large group of patients, potentially setting the stage for improved cardiac screening.

Inspired by past medical uses of natural, inorganic materials, Texas A&M University researchers, with support from NIBIB, have discovered a new technique for tissue regeneration using mineral-based nanomaterials. Source: Texas A&M

Researchers from Mass General Brigham and their collaborators present Tripath: new, deep learning models that can use 3D pathology datasets to make clinical outcome predictions. In collaboration with the University of Washington, the research team imaged curated prostate cancer specimens, using two 3D high-resolution imaging techniques. Tripath performed better than pathologists and outperformed deep learning models that rely on 2D morphology and thin tissue slices. Source: Mass General Brigham

Measuring heart rate or body temperature may sound easy, but retrieving the data from small animals with bulky traditional tech is difficult, especially during behavioral tests, which are critical for understanding brain disorders. Thanks to a recent study, the animal data is now in reach.

A new study involved high-resolution scans that enabled the researchers to visualize brain connections at submillimeter spatial resolution. Together, these pathways form a 'default ascending arousal network' that sustains wakefulness in the resting, conscious human brain.  Source: Massachusetts General Hospital

Penn State researchers have discovered two proteins that differentiate stem cells into the components of blood vessels. The finding has implications for drug testing and other clinical applications. Source: Penn State

Malignant primary brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer deaths among children and young adults with few therapeutic options. A preclinical study in Pharmaceutics shows that combining focused ultrasound with microbubbles opened the blood brain barrier to deliver immunotherapy into the brain of a large animal model.

If there were an unofficial theme of SIR 2024, it might be artificial intelligence—what it is, when to use it and where it might go next. From dedicated sessions to keynote lectures, the possibility of AI and robotics in interventional radiology was a frequent discussion. According to Bruce J. Tromberg, AI is changing the way physicians practice medicine. Source: SIRToday

Researchers developed a wireless implantable device that can monitor bladder filling and emptying in real time and send data to a smartphone. With further development, this type of device could help monitor recovery after bladder surgery and aid patients who have compromised bladder function. Source: NIH Research Matters

NIBIB-supported researchers have developed a smart nanoprobe designed to infiltrate prostate tumors and send back a signal using an optical imaging technique known as Raman spectroscopy. The new probe, evaluated in mice, has the potential to determine tumor aggressiveness and could also enable sequential monitoring of tumors during therapy to quickly determine if a treatment strategy is working.

NIBIB is marking the 10-year anniversary of a commercialization program that helps innovators bring their medical devices from the lab to the marketplace.

While pacemakers have treated many patients with heart rhythm disorders, their bulky design and use of wires limits their usefulness and poses a risk of heart damage or infection. Now, researchers have cut the cords, shrunk the size, and expanded the capabilities of current designs.

A team of engineers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and including colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently announced in the journal Nature Communications that they had successfully built a tissue-like bioelectronic mesh system. The mesh can grow along with the cardiac cells, allowing researchers to observe how the heart's mechanical and electrical functions change during the developmental process.

Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst

Many companies are now developing isothermal genetic tests that can diagnose a wide array of respiratory diseases, sexually transmitted infections and more. These products aim to provide precise and prompt diagnostic information, enabling people to quickly seek appropriate medical treatment. Source: Nature

UMass Chan Medical School researchers have documented a phenomenon that had confounded clinicians: Some people persistently test positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on rapid home antigen tests despite obtaining concurrent negative PCR tests. Source: Medical Xpress

A multidisciplinary group of NIH-funded scientists have successfully captured real-time, high-resolution images of the developing mouse placenta during the course of pregnancy. Their technique, which combines a surgically implanted window with a next-generation imaging system, provides key insight into placental development under both healthy and pathological conditions.

"We didn't," says Dr. Carlo Pierpaoli, chief of the NIH's laboratory on quantitative medical imaging. The NIH study was larger, Pierpaoli says, and used a control group that was better matched — in terms of age, profession, and location — to the group being studied. It also was designed to produce highly consistent results.

Source: NPR

“We hope these results will alleviate concerns about AHIs being associated with severe neurodegenerative changes in the brain,” says Carlo Pierpaoli, chief of the Laboratory on Quantitative Medical Imaging at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.

Source: Science

Carlo Pierpaoli, lead author on the neuroimaging study, said while there is no evidence of brain injury on the MRIs, it is still possible that those reporting AHIs “may be experiencing the results of an event that led to their symptoms, but the injury did not produce the long-term neuroimaging changes that are typically observed after severe trauma or stroke.”

Source: The Hill

The absence of signs of brain injuries does not rule out the possibility of an external adverse event causing the symptoms, said Carlo Pierpaoli, the lead author on the neuroimaging paper.

Source: Washington Post

After adjusting for multiple comparisons, no differences in MRI measures of brain structureopens in a new tab or window or function emerged between individuals with AHIs and matched controls, reported Carlo Pierpaoli, MD, PhD, of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering in Bethesda, Maryland, and co-authors in JAMA.

Source: MedPage Today

Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University have developed a new synergistic approach to revascularization that combines a new framework made from granular hydrogels with micropuncture, a surgical technique. Their preclinical method could rapidly grow organized blood vessels in live rats.

Researchers have developed a new catheter-based device that combines two powerful optical techniques to image the dangerous plaques that can build up inside the arteries that supply blood to the heart. By providing new details about plaque, the device could help clinicians and researchers improve treatments for preventing heart attacks and strokes.

Source: Optica Publishing Group

Researchers have developed sugar-coated gold nanoparticles to both image and destroy biofilms. In a study, they used the nanoparticles on the teeth and wounded skin of rats and mice, eliminating biofilms in as little as one minute and outperforming common antimicrobials.

Using a circuit-based system, scientists determined the ideal transcription factor levels to promote the successful reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells.

In recognition of International Women’s Day (March 8), we’re featuring Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Ph.D., a longtime bioengineer in academia who has contributed globally to improving women's health.

NIH announced finalists in its competition to accelerate development of diagnostic and monitoring technologies to improve fetal health outcomes in low-resource settings.

What if bacteria—which love to grow deep inside tumors—could guide cancer therapies directly to their target? NIH-funded researchers have engineered a bacterial strain to “light up” tumors so that reprogrammed T cells, drawn like a moth to a flame, can find and destroy them. Their preclinical treatment could potentially be effective against any solid tumor type.

The lungs are one of the most difficult organs for physicians to navigate. A collaborative team of NIH-funded researchers have built a compact robotic system that can autonomously steer around anatomical obstacles within the lungs of live animals.

A collaborative team of NIH-funded researchers is developing a way to obtain DNA shed from brain tumors using focused ultrasound. Their first-in-human study could be an important step towards improving the way brain tumors are diagnosed.

NIH announced the Phase 2 winners of the Neuromod prize competition.

Stanford Medicine researchers have developed a powerful new artificial intelligence model that can distinguish between male and female brains. The study revealed that the model was more than 90% successful at determining whether fMRI scans of brain activity came from a woman or a man. Source: Stanford Medicine

The qualities of flowing blood, or hemodynamics, hold important insights into vascular diseases, but technological limitations have largely kept measurements of these properties out of reach in the clinic. Now, there may be a potential solution on the horizon.

Using a virus-like delivery particle made from DNA, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard have created a vaccine that can induce a strong antibody response against SARS-CoV-2. Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

An NIBIB-funded U Pittsburgh civil engineer specializing in bridges and infrastructure has created the first “metamaterial” orthopedic implants. Source: SciTechDaily

NIH-funded researchers created nanoparticles that could deactivate immune cells and prevent severe allergic reactions in mice. The findings could lead to new approaches to prevent allergies and anaphylaxis in people. Source: NIH Research Matters

NIBIB Director elected to National Academy of Engineering

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled detailed images of brain cancer tissue using a new microscopy technology called decrowding expansion pathology (dExPath). Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital

NIH recently hosted the first in-person conference for the Point-of-Care Technology Research Network (POCTRN) since the pandemic that brought together more than 200 researchers, technology developers, clinicians and industry partners to discuss “Research and Innovation Translation Partnerships in Point-of-Care Technologies."

Highlights included two distinguished keynote speakers—new NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli and Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, director of the recently created Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).  Source: NIH Record

People with PTSD have a cerebellum about 2% smaller than unaffected adults, especially in areas that influence emotion and memory, according to new research from a Duke-led brain imaging study.  Source: Duke Today

Scientists from UChicago, Harvard, and Yale propose a self-organizing model of connectivity that applies across a wide range of organisms and potentially other types of networks as well. Source: University of Chicago

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a brain implant that sits on the surface while providing information about neural activity deep within the brain. The technology, tested in transgenic mice, brings the researchers a step closer to building a minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) that will provide high-resolution data about deep neural activity by recording from the brain surface. Source: University of California San Diego.

Sequencing all of the RNA in a cell can reveal information about that cell’s function and what it is doing at a given time. However, the sequencing process destroys the cell, making it difficult to study ongoing changes in gene expression. MIT researchers showed that they could monitor embryonic stem cells as they differentiated into several other cell types over several days. Source: Science Magazine

To provide better diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver diseases, researchers are working to use non-invasive MRI to detect and quantify liver fibrosis throughout the entire organ, which would enable earlier detection and the ability to monitor disease progression as well as the effects of treatment over time.

Just like a doctor adjusts the dose of a medication to the patient’s needs, genes that are modified in a person to treat or cure a disease (gene therapy), also needs to be maintained within a therapeutic window. However, there has been no strategy to implement a therapeutic window safely, limiting the potential applications of gene therapy in the clinic. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine report on a technology to effectively regulate gene expression, which could be a promising solution to fill this gap in gene therapy clinical applications. Source: Baylor College of Medicine

A first-of-its-kind vibrating pill that significantly reduces food consumption by mimicking the feeling of fullness was crafted by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and they believe the pill can be used as a cheaper, noninvasive option to treat obesity and other weight-related illnesses. Source: Forbes

An automated tool captures circulating tumor cells in children with central nervous system cancers. The tool could make it easier to identify tumors that don't respond to treatment.

Frequent insulin injections are an unpleasant reality for many patients with type 1 diabetes. However, new technology could create a different reality for these patients.

As a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery, cardiac surgeons are increasingly accessing the heart from within using central venous catheters.

Researchers have designed a lightweight helmet with tiny LEGO-size sensors that scan the brain while a person moves.

Researchers have created a pioneering helmet equipped with miniature LEGO-sized sensors capable of scanning the brain while in motion.

Engineers have developed a bio-compatible ink that solidifies into different 3D shapes and structures by absorbing ultrasound waves. 

With the potential to make procedures safer, less invasive, and more accessible, the robotic catheter may pave the way for a new era in cardiac care.

International effort to improve the resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for studying the human brain has led to an ultra-high resolution 7 Tesla scanner.

A beating heart makes for a formidable surgical arena, but a new robotic catheter could someday equip surgeons to operate in the cardiac environment with greater ease.

NIH-funded researchers have outlined a method to print biocompatible structures through thick, multi-layered tissues using focused ultrasound.

The federal government has expanded the Home Test to Treat program, an entirely virtual community health program that offers free COVID-19 health services.

As cases of flu and COVID-19 start to creep up, there’s a way to get tests and treatments for both.

Eligible adults can now receive free at-home rapid tests, telehealth sessions and at-home treatments for both COVID and influenza through a newly expanded federal government program. Source: ABCNews

A new wearable brain scanner is the first of its kind to accurately record magnetic fields generated by brain activity while people are in motion.

NIH Blueprint MedTech program has issued nine awards in its first competition cycle. The program seeks to accelerate transformative medical devices to treat disorders of the nervous system.

Researchers at Stanford revealed a novel physical mechanism that breast cancer cells use to break out and become invasive. They found that cancer cells work as a group to physically deform and tear through the basement membrane barrier. Source: Stanford News

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy invited the University of Arkansas Institute for Integrative & Innovative Research to demonstrate its innovative prosthetic hand system at the 2023 American Possibilities: White House Demo Day held in Washington, D.C., an event designed to showcase the breakthrough advancements that are possible with federally funded research and development. Source: University of Arkansas News

Artificially causing – or inducing – labor is becoming increasingly common, yet this practice comes with risks and its level of success is difficult to foresee. But now, new research may offer a way to help predict outcomes and improve the process.

Emory University announced on Wednesday that the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a team of academic and medical institutions — including Emory University, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta — $7.8 million for research. Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A research team led by Scott L. Delp, Ph.D. of Stanford University and colleagues, and funded by the National Institutes of Health, has developed a smart phone app that can track and analyze a person’s locomotion and other types of movements. Source: Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine

Spectral flow cytometry separates similarly emitting fluorophores and enabled Kaitlyn Sadtler to construct a 24-color rat panel for immunological analyses. Source: The Scientist

Introducing medical devices — commonly made of materials such as titanium, silicone, or collagen — into our bodies can elicit a host of different immune responses. While some responses can harm our bodies, others can help heal them. A new study fills in a critical piece of the puzzle.

A Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering research team is conducting the first phase 1 clinical trial of a magnetic, flexible endoscope that has the potential to provide a safer alternative to standard colonoscopy, particularly for individuals with inflammatory bowel disease. Source: Nashville Medical News

Navigating the labyrinthine vasculature of the brain with standard surgical instruments can be incredibly challenging, even for the steadiest of hands. But with some robotic assistance, brain surgeons could potentially operate with far greater ease.

Researchers have developed a smart phone app that can track and analyze human locomotion—the ability to move from one place to another—and other types of movements. They suggest that using the app costs only 1% of conventional motion analysis techniques and works 25 times faster. Source: NIH News. 

Researchers at Ohio State University have developed nanocarriers derived from mice skin cells that reduced lung inflammation in mice. Further research could lead to a treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome and other conditions.

Backed by a $2.6 million federal grant, a team of researchers from the University of Rhode Island and the UMass Chan Medical School is developing a wearable device that would be able to detect if people are taking their medication for opioid-use disorder, increasing the likelihood they would remain in treatment and preventing overdose deaths. Source: URI Rhody Today

Dendritic cells are key orchestrators of the immune response, but most vaccination strategies don’t effectively target them. NIBIB-funded researchers have developed biodegradable nanoparticles that are designed to deliver mRNA cargo to dendritic cells in the spleen. Combined with another type of immunotherapy, their vaccine had robust antitumor effects in multiple mouse models.

UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Lowell have received $8.9 million from the National Institutes of Health in support for their development of home care technology. Source: Worcester Business Journal

By combining non-invasive imaging techniques, a team of investigators led by Massachusetts General have created a comprehensive cellular atlas of a region of the human brain known as Broca’s area. The methods could be used to create 3D models of particular brain areas and the entire human brain. Source: Massachusetts General Hospital/Science Daily 

Researchers have pushed forward the boundaries of biomedical engineering one hundredfold with a new method for DNA detection with unprecedented sensitivity. Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst/Science Daily

Researchers have long recognized the therapeutic potential of using magnetoelectrics ⎯ materials that can turn magnetic fields into electric fields ⎯ to stimulate neural tissue in a minimally invasive way and help treat neurological disorders or nerve damage. A Rice University led team have designed the first magnetoelectric material that can be used to precisely stimulate neurons remotely and to bridge the gap in a broken sciatic nerve in a rat model.  Source: Rice University

Traditional medical imaging works great for people with light skin but has trouble getting clear pictures from patients with darker skin. A Johns Hopkins University–led team found a way to deliver clear pictures of anyone's internal anatomy, no matter their skin tone.  Source: Johns Hopkins University

eMed is working with the National Institutes of Health to study what impact having more at-home tests will have in controlling spread of disease...NIH is funding the test kits and telehealth visits for 80,000 to 100,000 people who enroll in the study through June 2024. Source: Time

Scientists have shown that their steerable lung robot can autonomously maneuver the intricacies of the lung, while avoiding important lung structures. Source: University of North Carolina Health Care/Science Daily

NIH will advance the development of home-based and point-of-care health technologies with awards to six technology research and development centers around the country. The centers comprise the Point of Care Technology Research Network (POCTRN) and will parlay the momentum of the original network established in 2007 by the NIBIB.

Researchers have identified uric acid as a potential therapy to enhance recovery from acute ischemic stroke using a new method for conducting preclinical animal research. Source: NIH.gov

The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Technology (RADx® Tech) Fetal Monitoring Challenge calls on scientists, engineers, and clinicians around the country to submit their innovative approaches and compete for prizes and additional resources to support technology development and clinical impact.

With Covid-19 cases up across the country, many people are once again relying on home tests to guide decisions about going to work and sending their kids to school and other activities.

Source: CNN

A team of Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering undergraduates took home a $15,000 prize at the National Institutes of Health’s 2023 Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge, which seeks innovative solutions to unmet health needs. Source: Johns Hopkins University

Many different conditions affect the accuracy of COVID tests, especially at-home tests, Todd Merchak, co-lead of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), told Health. Source: Health

The COVID tests that have been in use over the last few years should still work to detect new variants, assuming they aren’t expired.

Source: Health

Recent weeks have brought a rise in COVID-19 cases across the city, returning many sniffling, coughing city dwellers to the days of testing, medicating and quarantining. But the infrastructure around getting help for COVID has changed since previous surges. The CDC still “strongly encourages everyone” who takes an at-home COVID test to report the results, whether it is positive or negative, and recommends doing so through MakeMyTestCount.org, a collaboration between the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health and the health-care technology company Care Evolution. Source: West Side Rag

Some people using antigen tests have experienced a negative test result only to find out that they have the virus. New research shows that repeat testing every other day increases the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Scientists are working on a new approach to treating kidney failure that could one day free people from needing dialysis or having to take harsh drugs to suppress their immune system after a transplant. Source: UC San Francisco/Science Daily

Two teams of UC San Diego undergraduate bioengineering students won Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) awards from the National Institutes of Health. Source: UC San Diego

Information about a recent variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus including information about the impact on COVID-19 tests. Source: CBS News

Now in its 12th year, the DEBUT Challenge calls on teams of undergraduate students to produce technological solutions to a broad spectrum of unmet health needs.

A new study has demonstrated the ability for gene therapy to repair neural connections for those with the rare genetic brain disorder known as Hurler syndrome. Source: University of Minnesota Medical School/Science Daily

Scientists have trained a computer to analyze the brain activity of someone listening to music and, based only on those neuronal patterns, recreate the song.

The research produced a recognizable, if muffled version of Pink Floyd’s 1979 song, “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1).”

Before this, researchers had figured out how to use brain activity to reconstruct music with similar features to the song someone was listening to. Now, “you can actually listen to the brain and restore the music that person heard,” said Gerwin Schalk, a neuroscientist who directs a research lab in Shanghai and collected data for this study. Source: New York Times

The guitar chords echo strangely, as if emanating from the bottom of a well. The singer’s voice is also garbled, his lyrics barely intelligible. Nevertheless, if you know what’s coming, the song is recognizable: “All in all, it was just a brick in the wall.” It’s a snippet of “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)” from the album “The Wall,” which was a smash hit in 1979 for the U.K. rock band Pink Floyd. And it was re-created from brain recordings from people who listened to it. The reconstructed tune provides new insights into where in the brain music is processed. Source: Science

Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have used ultrasound to nudge rodents into an energy-conserving state that mirrors a natural, hibernation-like survival mechanism known as torpor. The technique could help buy precious time for patients in critical care.

Nanozymes—artificial enzymes that can carry out pre-determined chemical reactions—could selectively activate a cancer drug within a tumor while minimizing damage to healthy tissue in a mouse model of triple negative breast cancer.

PALISADE-X aims to provide the security necessary to study life-threatening medical issues without violating patient privacy.

New study identifies concerning gaps between how human radiologists score the accuracy of AI-generated radiology reports and how automated systems score them. Researchers designed two novel scoring systems that outperform current automated systems that evaluate the accuracy of AI narrative reports. Reliable scoring systems that accurately gauge the performance of AI models are critical for ensuring that AI continues to improve and that clinicians can trust them. Source: Harvard Medical School/Science Daily

The Interagency Modeling and Analysis Group (IMAG) celebrated its 20th year during the two-day annual IMAG Multiscale Modeling Consortium meeting in late June at the Natcher Conference Center and via virtual attendance. Source: NIH Record. 

A team of Rice University engineers has launched a first of its kind, open-source software that constructs and uses personalized computer models of how individual patients move to optimize treatments for neurologic and orthopedic mobility impairments. Source: Rice University

Established by NIBIB in January, the BETA Center will serve as a hub for expert teams of technology developers at the NIH intramural program and beyond to work together to rapidly address pressing health needs. Source: NIH Catalyst

For most of our tissues and cells, a lack of oxygen, or hypoxia, is bad news. However, cancer cells can thrive in these conditions, rendering tumors less susceptible to anti-cancer treatments including radiation. Now, new research may offer a way to break through cancer’s hypoxia-induced defenses.

This fully wireless ultrasound patch, which can capture detailed medical information and wirelessly transmit the data to a smart device, could represent a major step forward in at-home health care technology.

With an eye toward early disease detection, synthetic biology engineers at the University of Wisconsin have designed and engineered bacteria that find and detect fragments of DNA shed from infectious pathogens.

T cells experience different mechanical signals in different tissues. Researchers have engineered a tissue-mimicking hydrogel model to show that more elastic tissues induce T cells to become effector-like T cells with strong tumor-killing potential, while more viscous tissues induce them to become memory-like T cells. This new concept could help advance adaptive T cell therapies by producing desired patient-specific T cell populations in the dish that could provide stronger effects when infused back into the same patient. Source: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard/Science Daily

A first-of-its-kind robotic glove is lending a “hand” and providing hope to piano players who have suffered a disabling stroke. Developed by researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, the soft robotic hand exoskeleton uses artificial intelligence to improve hand dexterity. Source: Boca Raton Tribune

Researchers have discovered a new combination of drugs that significantly boosts the efficacy of anti-cancer treatments for colorectal cancers implanted in mice. The results also highlight a previously unknown mechanism of DNA repair. Source: National Cancer Institute

A team of researchers has developed a new method for controlling lower limb exoskeletons using deep reinforcement learning. The method enables more robust and natural walking control for users of lower limb exoskeletons. The study, "Robust walking control of a lower limb rehabilitation exoskeleton coupled with a musculoskeletal model via deep reinforcement learning," is available open access. Source: Kessler Foundation/Science Daily

Attaching sugar molecules to proteins can affect protein activities in the cell — and this behavior can be exploited to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL), according to a recent study. The finding sets up an unexpected approach to targeted therapy for this aggressive disease. Source: National Cancer Institute

Therapeutic nanocarriers engineered from adult skin cells can curb inflammation and tissue injury in damaged mouse lungs, new research shows, hinting at the promise of a treatment for lungs severely injured by infection or trauma. Source: Ohio State University/Science Daily

In Late January 2023, NIBIB launched a new center designed to accelerate biomedical discovery and therapeutics, in part by pulling together expert, multidisciplinary teams from throughout NIH to quickly respond when national or global health crises strike. Source: IEEE Pulse

This interview with Maryellen Giger, PhD, delves into the creation of the MIDRC imaging repository, how its data can be used to develop and evaluate AI algorithms, ways that bias can be introduced—and potentially mitigated—in medical imaging models, and what the future may hold.

One day, the ultrasound equipment that health care professionals use for essential diagnostic imaging may no longer be confined to the clinic, instead operated by patients in the comfort of their homes. New research marks a major step toward that future.

The University of Minnesota and Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand, are investing $12 million from two grants supplied by the National Institutes of Health into the development of a 0.7T portable MR for head scans, which they hope will improve access to imaging in remote and resource-limited areas. Source: DOTmed Healh Care Business News.

An artificial intelligence computer program that processes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can accurately identify changes in brain structure that result from repeated head injury, a new study in student athletes shows. These variations have not been captured by other traditional medical images such as computerized tomography (CT) scans. The new technology, researchers say, may help design new diagnostic tools to better understand subtle brain injuries that accumulate over time. Source: NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine/Science Daily

Researchers have shown that an automated cancer diagnostic method, which pairs cutting-edge ultrasound techniques with artificial intelligence, can accurately diagnose thyroid cancer, of which there are more than 40,000 new cases every year.

Researchers induced a hibernation-like state in mice by using ultrasound to stimulate the hypothalamus preoptic area in the brain, which helps to regulate body temperature and metabolism. The findings show the first noninvasive and safe method to induce such a state; a similar condition has been previously proposed for spaceflight or for patients with life-threatening health conditions. Source: Washington University in St. Louis/Science Daily

New research has demonstrated that a wearable brain scanner can measure brain function whilst people are standing and walking around. This breakthrough could help better understand and diagnose a range of neurological problems that affect movement, including Parkinson's Disease, stroke and concussion. Source: University of Nottingham/Science Daily

Engineers have developed the first fully integrated wearable ultrasound system for deep-tissue monitoring, including for subjects on the go. Source: University of California - San Diego/Science Daily

Researchers from Rice University have created drug-filled microparticles that can be engineered to degrade and release their therapeutic cargo days or weeks after administration. By combining multiple microparticles with different degradation times into a single injection, the researchers could develop a drug formulation that delivers many doses over time.

NIH researchers found that a gel made from the seeds of a South American palm tree entraps SARS-CoV-2 and the protein the virus uses to enter cells, preventing the virus from infecting cells in laboratory cultures. Their study is in Scientific Reports. Source: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Tissue engineering research has uncovered that a skin cell type could be a new therapeutic target to accelerate the healing of burns and possibly other wounds.

Automation uncovers combinations of amino acids that feed two bacterial species and could tell us much more about the 90% of bacteria that humans have hardly studied. An artificial intelligence system enables robots to conduct autonomous scientific experiments -- as many as 10,000 per day -- potentially driving a drastic leap forward in the pace of discovery in areas from medicine to agriculture to environmental science. Source: University of Michigan/Science Daily

A lab has developed a deep neural network that improves the accuracy of their unique devices for detecting pathogen biomarkers. Source: University of California - Santa Cruz/Science Daily

Engineers have developed a stretchable ultrasonic array capable of serial, non-invasive, three-dimensional imaging of tissues as deep as four centimeters below the surface of human skin, at a spatial resolution of 0.5 millimeters. This new method provides a non-invasive, longer-term alternative to current methods, with improved penetration depth. Source: University of California - San Diego/Science Daily

Researchers built a motor that could operate a robotic device made from non-magnetic materials and was powered by the magnetic field produced by the MRI.

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been recognized as a powerful tool in the field of medical imaging. However, these models can be subject to several biases, leading to inequities in how they benefit both doctors and patients. Understanding these biases and how to mitigate them is the first step towards a fair and trustworthy AI. Source: SPIE

The biological age of humans and mice undergoes a rapid increase in response to diverse forms of stress, which is reversed following recovery from stress, according to a new study. These changes occur over relatively short time periods of days or months, according to multiple independent epigenetic aging clocks. Source: Cell Press/Science Daily

NIH-funded researchers developed an online tool that can analyze self-collected, at-home videos with a smartphone. When deployed in a nationwide study, the tool could predict physical health and osteoarthritis of the knee or hip.

Developing and testing new treatments or vaccines for humans almost always requires animal trials, but these experiments can sometimes take years to complete and can raise ethical concerns about the animals' treatment. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed a new testing platform that encapsulates B cells -- some of the most important components of the immune system -- into miniature 'organoids' to make vaccine screening quicker and greatly reduce the number of animals needed. Source: American Chemical Society/Science Daily

Missing crucial doses of medicines and vaccines could become a thing of the past thanks to Rice University bioengineers' next-level technology for making time-released drugs. Source: Rice University/Science Daily

Scientists have employed inventive chemistry to produce an injectable biomaterial with significantly improved adhesive strength, stretchability, and toughness. This chemically modified, gelatin-based hydrogel has attractive features, including rapid gelation at room temperature and tunable levels of adhesion. This custom-engineered biomaterial is ideal as a surgical wound sealant, with its controllable adhesion and injectability and its superior adherence to a variety of tissue and organ surfaces. Source: Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation/Science Daily

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are developing lipid nanoparticles that are designed to carry mRNA specifically to the pancreas. Their study in mice could pave the way for novel therapies for intractable pancreatic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer.

When lymphatic vessels fail, typically their ability to pump out the fluid is compromised. Researchers have now developed a new treatment using nanoparticles that can repair lymphatic vessel pumping. Traditionally, researchers in the field have tried to regrow lymphatic vessels, but repairing the pumping action is a unique approach. Source: Georgia Institute of Technology/Science Daily

Researchers are developing new MRI contrast agents that are activated in low oxygen environments enabling improved diagnosis and treatment of hypoxic tumors as well as other diseases.

Since the development of functional magnetic resonance imaging in the 1990s, the reliance on neuroimaging has skyrocketed as researchers investigate how fMRI data from the brain at rest, and anatomical brain structure itself, can be used to predict individual traits, such as depression, cognitive decline, and brain disorders. But how reliable brain imaging is for detecting traits has been a subject of wide debate. Researchers now report that stronger links between brain measures and traits can be obtained when state-of-the-art pattern recognition (or 'machine learning') algorithms are utilized, which can garner high-powered results from moderate sample sizes. Source: Dartmouth College/Science Daily

Researchers create a biomimetic model to study wound healing in burn and laceration wounds. The team designed an in vitro model system made of fibroblasts embedded in a collagen hydrogel. Wounds were created in this microtissue using a microdissection knife to mimic laceration or a high-energy laser to simulate a burn. They discovered that fibroblasts clear away damaged tissue before depositing new material. This part of the healing process is slower in burn wounds. Source: American Institute of Physics/Science Daily

Bioengineers from Columbia University are developing a pipeline to systematically evaluate how bacterial treatments might synergize with existing anti-cancer therapies in preclinical models.

Scientists at Duke University supported with funds from NIBIB have developed an ultra-fast photoacoustic imaging system capable of visualizing functional and molecular changes in the brain related to major brain disorders. 

New research found that using focused-ultrasound-mediated liquid biopsy in a mouse model released more tau proteins and another biomarker into the blood than without the intervention. This noninvasive method could facilitate diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders, the researchers said. Source: Washington University in St. Louis/Science Daily

Doctors at the University of Florida Health Center are using artificial intelligence to help monitor their patients. The findings will help them develop algorithms that will soon provide real-time health care recommendations. NBC News’ Dr. John Torres on the future of technology in healthcare. Source: NBC News

A soldier suffers a serious gunshot wound on a remote battlefield or a machinist has a work accident and gets stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital. Secondary, uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injury is a leading cause of death for Americans ages one to 46. Chemical and biomedical engineers plan to change that with a novel microneedle patch that can immediately stop bleeding after injury. Source: Penn State/Science Daily

After years of research, an NIH-funded team has developed a wearable cardiac ultrasound imager that can non-invasively capture real-time images of the human heart. The prototype patch, which is about the size of a postage stamp, can be worn during exercise, providing valuable cardiac information when the heart is under stress.

Researchers have developed a new tool and technique that uses 'vortex ultrasound' -- a sort of ultrasonic tornado -- to break down blood clots in the brain. The new approach worked more quickly than existing techniques to eliminate clots formed in an in vitro model of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). Source: North Carolina State University/Science Daily

Using state-of-the-art imaging technology, NIH-funded researchers have found the secret behind the glassfrog’s ability to become transparent, an effective form of camouflage. Future research may provide insights into disorders related to blood clotting or stroke in humans.

NIBIB-funded researchers at Northwestern Universtiy have created the first highly mature neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells, a feat that opens new opportunities for medical research and potential transplantation therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries. Source: Science Daily.

NIH has launched the Home Test to Treat program, an entirely virtual community health intervention that will provide free COVID-19 health services—at-home rapid tests, telehealth sessions and at-home treatments—in selected communities.

Using a specialized MRI sensor, engineers have shown that they can detect light deep within tissues such as the brain. Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Science Daily

Researchers report that they have developed a new experimental pipeline to combine bacterial therapy with current cancer drugs. Their study, which explores resistance to bacterial therapy at the molecular level, has achieved better treatment efficacy without additional toxicity in laboratory models. Source: Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science/Science Daily

A team of engineers has developed a photoacoustic patch that can monitor biomolecules in deep tissues, including hemoglobin. It can perform 3D mapping of hemoglobin with a submillimeter spatial resolution in deep tissues, down to centimeters below the skin, versus other wearable electrochemical devices that only sense the biomolecules on the skin surface. Source: University of California - San Diego/Science Daily

A new website from NIH is allowing people in the United States to anonymously report their rapid test results. Sharing your results on the site, called MakeMyTestCount.org, bolsters the information public health departments have about whether or not the COVID is spreading. Source: VeryWell Health

NIBIB-funded researchers are developing a new method to treat pancreatic cancer. In their study, they combined an injectable radioactive gel with systemic chemotherapy in multiple mouse models of the disease. The treatment resulted in tumor regression in all evaluated models, an unprecedented result for this genetically diverse and aggressive type of cancer.

Biomedical and genetic engineers have designed a small fluorescent protein that emits and absorbs light that penetrates deep into biological tissue. Tailored to wavelengths in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum, this protein can help researchers capture deeper, cleaner, more precise biomedical images. Source: Duke University/Science Daily

Researchers led a large-scale global machine learning effort to securely aggregate knowledge from brain scans of 6,314 glioblastoma (GBM) patients at 71 sites around the globe and develop a model that can enhance identification and prediction of boundaries in three tumor sub-compartments, without compromising patient privacy. Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine/Science Daily

Researchers have applied emerging electronic tattoo (e-tattoo) technology to the tricky task of measuring stress levels by attaching a device to people's palms. Source: University of Texas at Austin/Science Daily

Researchers can detect 'toxic' small aggregates of a particular protein in the blood of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, as well as in individuals who showed no signs of cognitive impairment at the time the blood sample was taken, but who developed it at a later date. This blood test picks up oligomers -- or small, misfolded aggregates -- of the amyloid beta protein, which scientists believe triggers the development of Alzheimer's. Source: University of Washington/Science Daily

NIBIB-funded researchers are fine-tuning a wearable, cuffless blood pressure monitor. Made of graphene, one of the thinnest materials in the world, the device is worn on the underside of the wrist and can measure blood pressure with comparable accuracy to a standard blood pressure cuff.

Reporting a positive or negative test result just became easier through a new website from the National Institutes of Health. MakeMyTestCount.org, developed through NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx®) Tech program, allows users to anonymously report the results of any brand of at-home COVID-19 test.

Researchers have developed an innovative way to 'see' the fine structure and chemical composition of human cells with unmatched clarity and precision. Their technique takes a creative approach to signal detection. Source: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology/Science Daily

The National Institutes of Health has awarded research funding for seven pilot projects developing early stage, yet groundbreaking neuro-technologies. The innovative projects would enable new medical devices to diagnose and treat both acute and chronic disorders, from neuropathic pain to mental illness.

NIBIB researchers and their collaborators introduce several novel image restoration strategies that create sharp images with significantly reduced processing time and computing power.

When it blasts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Artemis I will carry two anthropomorphic mannequins strapped into its crew module. The mannequins are part of a project aided by a team of Duke University bioengineers with support from NIBIB.

Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT have developed a system that can detect a particular RNA sequence in live cells and produce a protein of interest in response. Using the technology, the team showed how they could identify specific cell types, detect and measure changes in the expression of individual genes, track transcriptional states, and control the production of proteins encoded by synthetic mRNA. Source: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard/Science Daily

NIBIB Director Bruce Tromberg talked about his love of lasers, the light-speed advances in optics and photonics he’s witnessed and contributed to throughout his career, and the unique role that NIBIB has played in NIH’s COVID-19 response in this interview with NIH MedlinePlus magazine. Source: MedlinePlus Magazine

Kaitlyn Sadtler, Ph.D., who earned an honorary doctorate from UMBC in 2022, presented a GRIT-X talk on immunology and how the body works to heal after injuries. Sadtler is an investigator and chief of the section on immunoengineering at the NIH’s National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. She shared how her team is working to develop new methods to help modulate the immune response to injury and implantation of medical devices.

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated the most effective treatment for pancreatic cancer ever recorded in mouse models. While most mouse trials consider simply halting growth a success, the new treatment completely eliminated tumors in 80% of mice across several model types, including those considered the most difficult to treat. Source: Science Daily/Duke University

Researchers have found that AI models could accurately predict self-reported race in several types of medical images, suggesting that race information could be unknowingly incorporated into image analysis models.

NIBIB Director Bruce J. Tromberg, Ph.D., has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Medicine.

Researchers have developed a low-cost imaging system that can provide quantitative information about how deep within tissue a cancer cell resides. The system can help surgeons distinguish healthy tissue from tumors and could minimize health disparities in low-resource clinical centers. Source: Science Daily/Optica

NIBIB-funded researchers have developed an interlinked tissue chip system that can model four mature organs in their perspective environments simultaneously. These multi-organ tissue chips could represent a new way to evaluate diseases or drugs that affect multiple different tissues.

The National Institutes of Health, through its Blueprint MedTech program, has established two incubator hubs and launched a funding solicitation in support of commercially viable, clinically focused neurotechnology solutions to diagnose and treat disorders of the nervous system.

NIBIB's Grace Peng provides an overview of the new NIH Bridge2AI program in an interview with Mimi Geerges. Source: Government Matters

NIBIB Intramural Research Program labs collaborate with other NIH researchers on tackle engineering challenges.

New computed tomography (CT) technology paired with artificial intelligence (AI)-based noise reduction offers superior detection of bone disease associated with multiple myeloma at lower radiation doses than conventional CT, according to a new study. Source: Science Daily/Radiological Society of North America

A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health has shown that commercially available rapid antigen tests can detect past and present variants of concern and has identified potential mutations that may impact test performance in the future.

The use of rapid Covid tests has soared this year with the spread of omicron and free shipments organized by the Biden Administration. But in August the US Food and Drug Administration cautioned that people who get a negative result should still repeat the test a couple days later. That communication has led to a lot of confusion. Source: Bloomberg

NIH announced it will provide funding to diagnostic test manufacturers for the development of the next generation of COVID-19 tests, with a focus on improved accessibility. Source: LabPulse 

NIH has issued two new funding opportunities for diagnostic test manufacturers to develop the next generation of COVID-19 diagnostics.

The NIH announced the winners of the DEBUT Challenge with prizes totaling $130,000

A new study that could have immediate implications for COVID-19 testing in schools found that with age-appropriate instructions, school-aged children can successfully use a nasal swab to obtain their own COVID-19 test specimen.

Using a suspended nanowire, a research team has created a tiny sensor that can simultaneously measure electrical and mechanical cellular responses in cardiac tissue, work promising for cardiac disease studies, drug testing and regenerative medicine. Source: Science Daily/University of Massachusetts Amherst

A team of researchers has developed a new class of biomaterial inks that mimic native characteristics of highly conductive human tissue, much like skin, which are essential for the ink to be used in 3D printing. Source: Science Daily/Texas A&M University

By combining optical measurements with ultrasound, researchers were able to study oxygen levels in the placenta, paving the way for a better understanding of this complex, crucial organ. Source: Science Daily/University of Pennsylvania

One team helped develop the first photon-counting detector (PCD)-CT system, which is superior to current CT technology. Another team has also been using artificial intelligence to lower the dose of radiation given to a patient when they are undergoing a conventional CT brain scan.

NIH today announced the winners of its NIH Technology Accelerator Challenge (NTAC) for Maternal Health, a prize competition for developers of diagnostic technologies to help improve maternal health around the world.

A research team developed a microscope that combines rapid high- and low-power light-sheet microscopy with an open top design that allows for rapid imaging of a wide range of sample types

A flaw in a widely used medical device that measures oxygen levels causes critically ill Asians, Blacks and Hispanics to receive less supplemental oxygen to help them breathe than white patients, according to data from a large study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Source: Reuters

Over the past two years, the pulse oximeter has become a crucial tool for tracking the health of COVID-19 patients. The small device clips onto a finger and measures the amount of oxygen in a patient's blood. But a growing body of evidence shows the device can be inaccurate when measuring oxygen levels in people with dark skin tones. A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine only adds to this concern. Source: NPR

Patients with darker skin who received less accurate readings of their oxygen levels using pulse oximeters — the ubiquitous devices clamped on hospitalized patients’ fingers — also received less supplemental oxygen during ICU stays, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Source: STAT

Minority patient groups may receive less supplemental oxygen in the ICU due to inaccurate readings from pulse oximeters.

The Council on Strategic Risks hosted a webinar on June 8 titled RADx® Initiative & COVID-19 Solutions: Bioengineering at Unprecedented Speed and Scale. This NIH RADx Initiative was critical in the shift from solely laboratory-based testing to the public-private partnership that enabled the production and accessibility of point-of-care and over-the-counter COVID-19 tests. Source: Council on Strategic Risks

Researchers funded by NIH's RADx Tech program have developed a fast, cost-effective method to detect the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants. The team adopted a customizable genotyping approach to identify known variants and subvariants—an approach that can augment current surveillance.

As more machine learning tools reach patients, developers are starting to get smart about the potential for bias to seep in. But a growing body of research aims to emphasize that even carefully trained models — ones built to ignore race — can breed inequity in care. Source: STAT

As they grow, solid tumors surround themselves with a thick, hard-to-penetrate wall of molecular defenses. Getting drugs past that barricade is notoriously difficult. Now, scientists have developed nanoparticles that can break down the physical barriers around tumors to reach cancer cells. Once inside, the nanoparticles release their payload: a gene editing system that alters DNA inside the tumor, blocking its growth and activating the immune system. Source: Science Daily/UT Southwestern Medical Center

Improvements in brain sensing technologies have allowed clinicians to perform increasingly complex surgeries and enabled researchers to map the signals of the brain that control feeling, movement, and thought.

Osteoarthritis – a painful condition that results from the deterioration of the cartilage in our joints – affects millions of people worldwide. To combat this issue, NIBIB-funded researchers are developing an implantable, biodegradable film that helps to regenerate the native cartilage at the site of damage. Their study, performed in rabbits, could be an initial, important step in the establishment of a new treatment.

After less than two years of data collection and processing, RSNA has successfully delivered over 30,000 de-identified imaging studies to the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC) project, an open-access platform which publishes data to be used for research. MIDRC is funded by NIBIB. Source: RSNA News

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a method to scan and image the blood flow and oxygen levels inside a mouse brain in real-time with enough resolution to view the activity of both individual vessels and the entire brain at once. This new imaging approach breaks long-standing speed and resolution barriers in brain imaging technologies and could uncover new insights into neurovascular diseases like stroke, dementia and even acute brain injury. Source: Science Daily/Duke University

This NIBIB-funded research is focused on creating a new group of nanomaterials designed to capture chemotherapy drugs before they impact healthy tissue. Source: AzoNano

NIBIB-funded researchers are developing an imaging method that would allow surgeons to better identify cancerous cells in breast tumor margins during surgery. This technique could lead to a reduction in follow-up breast cancer surgeries and reduce rates of breast cancer recurrence.

New research introduces a novel network analysis technology that uses minimally invasive resting state electrophysiological recordings to localize seizure onset brain regions and predict seizure outcomes in just 10 minutes. Source: Carnegie Mellon University

Researchers are improving the odds for patients with the development of an implantable soft electronic vascular monitoring system. Their smart stent and printed soft sensors, is capable of wireless real-time monitoring of hemodynamics without batteries or circuits. Source: Science Daily/Georgia Tech

A collaborative team from the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation have developed a silk composite for significantly improved tendon regeneration and repair. Source: Science Daily

The value of MRI can be dramatically increased by making its output more quantitative so that images become maps of important tissue properties. To help achieve those goals, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) in collaboration with NIBIB recently launched a unique service that provides MRI research centers and clinics with access to NIST-traceable reference standards. Source: NIST.

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is a non-ionizing imaging platform that combines light and ultrasound to safely image structures and molecules in the body. Researchers have now designed a nanoparticle-based PA contrast agent that targeted and significantly enhanced photoacoustic images of ovarian tumors in a mouse model.

As race season approaches, many runners have the same goal: go faster. But researchers now show that speeding up might require defying our natural biology. By combining data from runners monitored in a lab along with 37,000 runs recorded on wearable fitness trackers, scientists have found that humans' natural tendency is to run at a speed that conserves caloric loss -- something that racers seeking to shave time off their miles will have to overcome. Source: Science Daily/Cell Press

Bacterial infections are the leading cause of disease and death worldwide; an ongoing public health problem exacerbated by slow or inaccurate diagnostics. Now NIBIB-funded scientists have engineered an inexpensive, paper-based test that can rapidly identify multiple types of bacteria.

Columbia engineering team demonstrates first multi-organ chip made of engineered human tissues linked by vascular flow for improved modeling of systemic diseases like cancer. Source: Columbia University

Two recent studies supported by the National Institutes of Health Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Tech program demonstrate how widespread distribution of COVID-19 at-home antigen tests can be used as an effective public health strategy to reduce the spread of the disease. Source: UMass Chan

NIBIB-funded researchers are developing an autonomous robot that can perform bowel surgery with minimal assistance from a surgeon. In preclinical models, the robot outperformed expert surgeons when compared head-to-head.

Two years ago, Sangeeta Bhatia and Christopher Chen founded a biotech company that on Wednesday officially launched as Satellite Bio in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company aims to translate the work of Bhatia, Chen and their cofounder Arnav Chhabra into "tissue therapeutics" — regenerative medicines built from bioengineered tissue structures, or "satellites," that can be implanted into patients. Source: BiopharmaDive

A new type of COVID-19 test is hitting the market, and could change how we detect the virus. MicroGEM, a Virginia-based molecular biology company with a Charlottesville office, is using its new saliva test to track COVID-19. Source: NBC TV12 Richmond, Virginia.

As the number of Covid-19 cases grows in the United States, experts wonder if the country fully understands the current threat from the pandemic. As the use of at-home Covid-19 tests rises, so does the concern that most of those test results go unreported, leading to an undercount of the true number of Covid-19 cases across the country. Source: CNN.com

An NIH-funded team at Cornell University has developed a compound delivered into the nose that blocked a protein used by SARS-CoV-2 to get into cells and prevented severe infection in mice. Antiviral drugs that target host cells may work against many existing and future variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Source: NIH Research Matters

NIBIB-funded researchers are developing a method to activate natural killer cells using an external magnetic field, which not only enhances their cytotoxicity, but allows them to be tracked using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to verify that they’ve reached their target.

In a high-tech lab on Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus in Baltimore, engineers have been building a robot that may be able to stitch back together the broken vessels in your belly and at some point maybe your brain, no doctor needed. Source: The Baltimore Sun

A small preliminary study from Northwestern Medicine has shown that a blood test may identify risk of stillbirth and placentitis in pregnant individuals who have had COVID-19. The finding builds on another study with similar results and could have implications in how physicians screen for and address high-risk pregnancies.

A new rapid PCR COVID-19 test invented by Northwestern University faculty and Minute Molecular Diagnostics has received FDA emergency use authorization.

Engineering researchers have invented an advanced brain-computer interface with a flexible and moldable backing and penetrating microneedles. Adding a flexible backing to this kind of brain-computer interface allows the device to more evenly conform to the brain’s complex curved surface and to more uniformly distribute the microneedles that pierce the cortex. The microneedles, which are 10 times thinner than the human hair, protrude from the flexible backing, penetrate the surface of the brain tissue without piercing surface venules, and record signals from nearby nerve cells evenly across a wide area of the cortex.

Kaitlyn Sadtler, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and Jamel Ali, Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, have received a Grainger Grant for their project titled, “Evaluating the role of micro-mechanical remodeling during immune-mediating tissue regeneration.” The award to Florida A&M University, marks the first Grainger Grant to a Historically Black College and University. Source: National Academy of Engineering

Researchers in Atlanta have helped the federal government evaluate dozens of Covid tests and pioneer a new model for developing novel diagnostics. Source: The New York Times

Researchers have discovered a molecular switch involved in controlling the transition from normal tissue repair to incomplete, or permanent, damage. The NIH-supported researchers also suggest a possible drug candidate to control this switch and slow the progression of chronic kidney disease. Source: NIH Director's Blog

he difference between a social butterfly and a lone wolf is actually at least eight differences, according to new findings by a team of Duke brain researchers.

Scientists have developed a single point-of-care assay that identifies malaria, typhoid—or both simultaneously—in just 15 minutes.

Currently, there is little research focused on understanding mechanisms and drug discovery of lymphatic vascular diseases. However, conditions such as lymphedema, a buildup of fluid in the body when the lymph system is damaged, impact more than 200,000 people every year in the United States alone.

NIBIB grantee Wilbur Lam was quoted in this Washington Post article about the ‘test to treat’ COVID-19 plan. Lam leads the Atlanta Center for Microsystems Engineered POC Tech at Emory University, which has been evaluating COVID-19 tests for RADx®.

Monitoring vitals and diagnosing ailments can be clunky, painful and inconvenient. But researchers like NIBIB-funded Huanyu “Larry” Cheng at Penn State are working to improve health monitoring by creating wearable sensors that collect data for clinicians while limiting discomfort for patients.

Bioengineers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) are asking big questions—and striking up trans-NIH collaborations to answer them. And by joining forces with researchers across NIH’s intramural research program (IRP), they’re moving discovery into entirely new places. Read more at the NIH Catalyst.

In a new study published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers demonstrated that human kidney organoids are useful models to identify the point of permanent and reversible kidney cell damage and they also discovered a drug candidate that could potentially prevent chronic disease before reaching that point. Read more at STAT.

NIBIB-funded researchers are developing a robotic pill that, after swallowing, can deliver biologic drugs into the stomach, which could provide an alternative method for self-injection for a wide range of therapies.

Ultrasound scans, best known for monitoring pregnancies or imaging organs, can also be used to stimulate cells and direct cell function. A team of Penn State researchers has developed an easier, more effective way to harness the technology for biomedical applications.

RADx Tech program has issued contracts to help meet the ongoing needs and challenges of COVID-19 diagnostic testing.

The National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx®) Tech program is working to identify necessary elements of at-home COVID-19 diagnostic test kits that may be used independently by people with disabilities.

This Associated Press interview with NIBIB Director Dr. Bruce Tromberg delves into COVID-19 infectiousness and COVID-19 antigen tests.

A newly designed wearable magnetic metamaterial, developed by NIBIB-funded researchers, could help make MRI scans crisper, faster, and cheaper.

This article describes self-test reporting mechanisms used in the CDC-NIH Say Yes! COVID Test program. The pilot demonstrates that it is possible to establish an efficient and scalable electronic pathway for self-test result reporting to public health authorities.

The University of Illinois Chicago College of Engineering and College of Education have received a federal grant to continue a summer biomedical engineering program that has trained 27 Chicago Public Schools science teachers over the last five years. The five-year grant from NIBIB was awarded in January to continue funding the Biomedical Engineering Experience for Science Teachers program.

The NIH recently invested over $74 million over five years to support 19 DS-I Africa awards that will conduct research and training activities across the continent.

A robot has performed laparoscopic surgery on the soft tissue of a pig without the guiding hand of a human—a significant step toward fully automated surgery on humans. Designed by a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers, the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot, or STAR. Source: ed today in Science Robotics.

Mammoth Biosciences has secured an emergency authorization from the FDA for its high-throughput COVID-19 test, which is powered by CRISPR gene-editing enzymes.

Fluidigm, "the South San Francisco-based company, which landed NIH money in a Shark Tank-style program for Covid-19 testing, announced that it will take on an investment worth $250 million from Casdin Capital and Viking Global investors, ". The company "will also rebrand, and call itself Standard BioTools.

Siemens Healthineers AG will supply 50 million rapid Covid-19 test kits as part of President Joe Biden‘s push to deliver 1 billion free at-home tests to Americans, the Defense Department said.

How much should you trust the results of a rapid antigen test? That's a question many people are asking these days amid recent research and anecdotes suggesting these tests may be less sensitive to omicron. Researchers are working fast to figure out what's going on and how to improve the tests. Source: NPR.

NIBIB-funded researchers have found a way to model the human neuromuscular junction by growing these synapses in a lab, which could accelerate novel treatments for neuromuscular diseases.

With questions swirling about how well rapid COVID-19 tests work when it comes to detecting the omicron variant, leading scientists are now reassuring the public that they do work, and have a valuable role to play in the ongoing pandemic. Read more at ABC news online. ABC news online.

As the coronavirus spawns a record-breaking wave of infections, new research suggests that rapid tests widely used to identify potential covid-19 cases might be less effective at identifying illness caused by the swiftly spreading omicron variant. Read more at the Washington Post. Washington Post.

The U.S. drug regulator has granted emergency use authorization to German health technology company Siemens Healthineers' (SHLG.DE) at-home COVID-19 tests, a move that will boost availability of tests pressured by rising infection cases. Read more at Reuters. Reuters.

NIH RADx Tech Independent Test Assessment Program provides support for FDA authorization of two rapid at-home COVID-19 tests.

The US FDA said Tuesday that quick antigen tests people take at home may be less sensitive to picking up the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, but health officials say they're still a useful tool. Read more at CNN health. CNN health

A new study shows how the brown anole lizard solves one of nature's most complex problems -- breathing -- with ultimate simplicity. Whereas human lungs develop over months and years into baroque tree-like structures, the anole lung develops in just a few days into crude lobes covered with bulbous protuberances. These gourd-like structures, while far less refined, allow the lizard to exchange oxygen for waste gases just as human lungs do. And because they grow quickly by leveraging simple mechanical processes, anole lungs provide new inspiration for engineers designing advanced biotechnologies.

As our brains age, small lesions begin to pop up in the bundles of white matter that carry messages between our neurons. The lesions can damage this white matter and lead to cognitive deficits. Now, researchers not only provide an explanation for the location of these lesions but also how they develop in the first place.

Hari Shroff, NIBIB, answers questions about his latest research into confocal microscopy. Source: AZO Life Sciences.

New MRI technology, developed by Siemens in collaboration with researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and College of Engineering, will expand imaging access for patients with implanted medical devices, severe obesity or claustrophobia. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is the first in the United States to install this recently FDA-approved full body MRI for patient care. Source: OSU.edu.

Artificial intelligence (AI) models that evaluate medical images have potential to speed up and improve accuracy of cancer diagnoses, but they may also be vulnerable to cyberattacks. Researchers simulated an attack that falsified mammogram images, fooling both an AI breast cancer diagnosis model and human breast imaging radiologist experts.

Awards will support innovative technologies to help improve maternal health around the world.

NIH-funded researchers are investigating how to use smartwatches to predict clinical test results, which could potentially serve as an early warning signal for underlying health issues.

A team led by NIBIB scientists has developed hardware and software innovations to construct super-resolution, 3D confocal images of fine structures in living samples.

Washington University in St. Louis is joining a major international effort to advance data science, catalyze innovation and spur health discoveries across Africa. The program is supported by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Common Fund, which will invest nearly $75 million over five years to fund the Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) program. Source: Washington University in St. Louis

Lung autopsy and plasma samples from people who died of COVID-19 have provided a clearer picture of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads and damages lung tissue. NIH scientists and their collaborators say the information, published in Science Translational Medicine, could help predict severe and prolonged COVID-19 cases, particularly among high-risk people, and inform effective treatments. Read more at NIH.gov.

A team of researchers has developed a noninvasive diagnostic method that may one day replace the biopsy with a simple blood test.

Innovative, evidence-based strategies are needed to tackle the global burden of hypertension. The ubiquity of mobile phones in emerging economies, such as Ghana, provides a new health care delivery paradigm to improve hypertension health outcomes.

Medical science is a key step closer to the cryopreservation of brain slices used in neurological research, pancreatic cells for the treatment of diabetes and even whole organs thanks to a new computer model that predicts how tissue’s size will change during the preservation process.

Fluorescent “dots” – that is, tiny particles that can emit light – have a multitude of promising biomedical applications, yet making such dots is usually a long and tedious process that uses harsh chemicals. Now, NIBIB-funded researchers are developing a fluorescent dot that is not only easier to make, but uses environmentally friendly materials.

The NIH RADx initiative today announced the launch of the When To Test Calculator for Individuals, a companion to the version for organizations introduced last winter. By responding to just a few prompts, the new individual impact calculator indicates whether a person should get a test—now or soon.

Investigators have developed and tested a targeted contrast agent that can detect blood clots in the hearts of patients with atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat. The strategy could be used to find clots in other parts of the body as well, such as in vessels that, when blocked, can lead to stroke.

A University of Arkansas professor has received a four-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop non-invasive, real-time “optical biopsies” of chronic skin wounds.

Researchers have demonstrated the first experimental cross-sectional medical image that doesn't require tomography, a mathematical process used to reconstruct images in CT and PET scans. The work could lead to cheaper, easier and more accurate medical imaging.

NIH is investing about $74.5 million over five years to advance data science, catalyze innovation and spur health discoveries across Africa. Under its new Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) program.

NIH is investing $70 million from the American Rescue Plan to help bring more high-quality, at-home tests onto the market in the U.S. in coordination with the FDA. NIH’s new Independent Test Assessment Program (ITAP) will establish an accelerated pathway to support FDA evaluation of tests with potential for large-scale manufacturing.

NIBIB-funded engineers are using deep learning to differentiate tumor more accurately from normal tissue in positron emission tomography (PET) images.

In Ann Arbor, Mich., as in many other cities across the country, you’d be hard-pressed to find a rapid Covid-19 test today — they’re not available at the nearby Walmart or at local pharmacies. Source:  STAT.

The NIH RADx initiative announced today that it has issued contract awards totaling $77.7 million to develop and manufacture 12 new rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The home and point-of-care testing platforms target the need for high-performance, low-cost home tests and point-of-care tests that can potentially detect multiple respiratory infections.

Detect™, Inc., a Connecticut-based health technology company, announced today that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected the Detect™ Covid-19 Test to receive funding from the highly competitive Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Initiative (RADxSM).

The National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative announced on Thursday that it has awarded $77.7 million to develop and manufacture 12 new rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2. Source: Genomeweb

An engineer is reporting fast screening of the surface proteins of exosomes for cancer diagnostics and biomarker discovery.

With a new $1.3 million grant from the NIBIB, researchers led by University of Florida associate professor Zhoumeng Lin are building a tool that can offer drug researchers insight into how well a new nanoparticle-based cancer therapy will work, even before a drug enters animal testing. Source: Nano Magazine.

Johns Hopkins University engineers are the first to use a non-invasive optical probe to understand the complex changes in tumors after immunotherapy, a treatment that harnesses the immune system to fight cancer. Their method combines detailed mapping of the biochemical composition of tumors with machine learning. Source: JHU.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, doesn’t always cause symptoms, but people who have asymptomatic infections can unknowingly spread the disease. These asymptomatic infections may cause up to half of the viral spread in the United States. Source: NIH.gov

National Institutes of Health Common Fund’s Bridge2AI Program Will Build Ethical, Inclusive, and Interpretable Data Sets.

National Institutes of Health Common Fund’s Bridge2AI Program Will Build Ethical, Inclusive, and Interpretable Data Sets.

In this year's edition of the Minnies, AuntMinnie.com recognizes excellence in radiology. Dr. Judy Gichoya, 2021 DATA Scholar at NIBIB and Fogarty International Institute, and an Emory University assistant professor is one of the finalists for Most Influential Radiology Researcher. Source AuntMinnie.com.

ANP Technologies announced on Monday that its SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test has received Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.

With the Covid-19 pandemic causing ventilator shortages around the globe, three biomedical engineering graduates from the University of South Florida are receiving national recognition for their efforts to mitigate the scarcity of these lifesaving machines.

NIBIB-funded engineers are using focused ultrasound to modulate motor activity in the brain without surgical device implantation, a first step toward non-invasive brain stimulation therapies.

Duke Engineering’s First-Year Design program team triumphed at the NIH’s 9th annual DEBUT Challenge. The team’s project, named LowCostomy, received the National Cancer Institute Prize for Technologies for Cancer Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment. The team received $15,000 in prize money in recognition for their work. Source: Duke University.

A new $13.3 million contract from the NIH's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative will enable the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA to expand its capacity to process COVID-19 tests.

Engineers developed a way to grow tiny replicas of the pancreas, using either healthy or cancerous pancreatic cells. Their models could help researchers develop and test potential drugs for pancreatic cancer.

As mice watched movies, scientists watched their brains to see how vision could be represented reliably. The answer is that consistency in representation is governed by a circuit of inhibitory neurons. Source: The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT.

NIBIB-funded researchers are working on an ankle prosthetic that relies on the user’s residual muscles—and the electrical signals that they generate—to help amputees control their posture continuously.

Equipped with a color 3D camera, an inertial measurement sensor, and its own on-board computer, a newly improved robotic cane could offer blind and visually impaired users a new way to navigate indoors. Development of the device was co-funded by NIBIB the NEI. Source: National Eye Institute.

The gut microbiome can impact us in a variety of different ways, from our metabolism to our mood. Now, NIBIB-funded researchers are investigating if a fiber-based gel can restore beneficial microbes in the gut to enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of cancer immunotherapy treatment.

Researchers have developed a capsule that can carry large protein drugs, such as monoclonal antibodies, and inject them directly into the lining of the stomach.

The human body can be genetically inclined to attack its own cells, destroying the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin, which helps convert sugar into energy. Called Type 1 diabetes, this disorder can occur at any age and can be fatal if not carefully managed with insulin shots or an insulin pump to balance the body's sugar levels.

Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorder is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the placenta remains attached to the uterus after childbirth. Now researchers have developed a blood test to identify this condition, enabling early intervention by high-risk pregnancy specialists.

NIBIB selected three winning teams for designs that excel according to four criteria: the significance of the problem being addressed; the impact on clinical care; the innovation of the design; and the ideation process or existence of a working prototype.

A Rice University bioengineer and her Brown School of Engineering team were awarded an NIH grant to create gene activity sensors and activators that hold unmatched potential for the treatment of infectious diseases, diabetes, genetic disorders, and cancer. Source: AZO Life Sciences

The RADx program has paved a path forward for small- and medium-sized diagnostics companies with innovative ideas and novel technologies to help meet public health challenges and compete in the marketplace. A funded network of agile academic or private laboratories that can objectively evaluate novel clinical tests, whether they originate from the largest diagnostics companies or new startups, can provide impartial and cost-effective third-party assessments of test performance to facilitate FDA decision making. Source: Nature Biotechnology.

NIBIB-funded research drives progress in the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of middle ear infections.

Bioengineers have developed biocompatible self-assembling “piezoelectric wafers,” which can be made rapidly and inexpensively to enable broad use of implantable muscle-powered electromechanical therapies.

NIH-funded researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have demonstrated the potential of a neuromodulation approach that uses low-intensity ultrasound energy, called transcranial focused ultrasound—or tFUS.

Estimates developed by PHICOR, a public health research group, suggest that more than 40 percent of U.S. residents may not be sufficiently protected against the Delta variant. Source: New York Times. New York Times.

Researchers are pushing organ-on-a-chip devices to new levels that could change the way clinicians approach cancer treatment, particularly ovarian cancer.

Nanofiber-based treatments stimulate the body to mount its own biological attack on immune disorders.

In an opinion piece, Roxanne Khamsi, a science journalist covering the COVID-19 pandemic, says that “throughout the pandemic, there have been various kinds of medical anomalies,” such as “people who test positive for months and others who never get infected despite living in close quarters with Covid sufferers.” Khamsi writes that “such surprising cases are often declared ‘outliers’ and shrugged off (and, indeed, should be downplayed when designing public health policies for the general population), but unusual examples of any disease can offer important insights for scientists, and most critically, lead to new medicines for that illness and others.” NIBIB immunologist Kaitlyn Sadtler is quoted as saying, “The complexity of the immune system cannot be overstated. ... It makes it amazingly effective but amazingly difficult to understand.” Source: New York Times

A team of researchers has developed a modified version of two-photon imaging that can scan deeper within tissue and perform the imaging much faster than previously possible.

– The National Institutes of Health are helping to fund an evolution in medical imaging, and a University at Buffalo-led research team is leading the way.
Jun Xia, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, received a $1.6 million grant to improve medical imaging for people with chronic leg ulcers. The project is a collaboration with the surgery clinic of UBMD Physician’s Group and other UB researchers.

Rapid antigens testing is just as effective in preventing COVID-19 outbreaks as polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests when used as part of a regular screening program, according to the National Institutes of Health. Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News

A small study funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIS) has found that Covid-19 lateral flow tests (LFTs) can be as effective in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests when used for serial screening conducted every three days. Source: Medical Device Network.

A small study funded by NIH has found that COVID-19 antigen testing and PCR tests are equally effective in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection when used for serial screening conducted every three days. The results are good news for antigen test makers such as Abbott, Becton Dickinson and Quidel. Source: Medtechdive

In a study that compares rapid antigen and laboratory PCR approaches for COVID-19 serial screening, researchers affiliated with the NIH RADx initiative reported results from 43 people infected with the virus.

The editors of MIT Technology Review introduce this year's 35 brilliant young entrepreneurs, inventors, visionaries, humanitarians and pioneers who are working to make the world a better place. Source: MIT Technology Review

Amid the continued deluge of emergency use authorizations from the FDA, rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 are more widely available and easily accessible than ever. Source: FierceBiotech

In a new study, researchers have designed a miniaturized 3D-printed device to inactivate Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common bacterium that causes the infection.

Many people don't realize that the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi residing within the gastrointestinal tract --collectively called the gut microbiome -- are connected to overall health, and specifically to cancer.

NIH researchers report that the prevalence of COVID-19 in the United States during spring and summer of 2020 far exceeded the known number of cases. For every diagnosed COVID-19 case in this time frame, the researchers estimate that there were 4.8 undiagnosed cases, representing an additional 16.8 million cases by July alone.

A change of instructions in a computer program directs the computer to execute a different command. Similarly, synthetic biologists are learning the rules for how to direct the activities of human cells.

This study investigates how the nucleocapsid protein, or N protein, of the SARS-CoV-2 virus packages the viral genome.

Understanding the physics of clot contraction could potentially lead to new ways to treat bleeding problems and clotting problems.

Sickle cell disease leads to chronic pain, organ failure, and early death in patients worldwide. A team has demonstrated a gene editing approach that efficiently corrects the mutation underlying SCD in patient blood stem cells and in mice. This treatment rescued disease symptoms in animal models, enabling long-lasting production of healthy blood cells, and could inspire a therapeutic strategy for SCD.

Hydrogels are commonly used inside the body to help in tissue regeneration and drug delivery. However, once inside, they can be challenging to control for optimal use. A team of researchers is developing a new way to manipulate the gel -- by using light.

A team has developed a new brain stimulation technique using focused ultrasound that is able to turn specific types of neurons in the brain on and off and precisely control motor activity without surgical device implantation.

Unlike many other viral testing platforms, MatMaCorp’s all-in-one Solas 8 testing device provides results for six samples in 120 minutes and doesn’t require the additional lab support often lacking in rural areas. To help make the pivot to the human health market, the company applied to the NIH RADx initiative, Source: VentureWell

A team of NIH microscopists and computer scientists used a type of artificial intelligence called a neural network to obtain clearer pictures of cells at work even with extremely low, cell-friendly light levels.

Thinking back to a year ago when terror struck worldwide and the full weight of the Covid-19 pandemic began to set in, NIH quickly mobilized on multiple fronts—one of which was the RADx initiative, with the goal of helping to meet the huge demand for fast, accurate Covid-19 tests. Source: NIH Record.

Smartwatches and other wearable devices may be used to sense illness, dehydration and even changes to the red blood cell count, according to biomedical engineers and genomics researchers.

It's the rare individual who actually looks forward to getting jabbed with a needle, even if what's in the needle can protect them from a serious disease such as COVID-19. Source: National Public Radio.

NIBIB-funded researchers are investigating long-lasting, customizable nanobubbles for ultrasound contrast agents.

For this episode of the Microsamplify Podcast, we spoke with research scientist Kaitlyn Sadtler, PhD, an Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator and Chief of the Section for Immunoengineering at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In early 2020, Dr. Sadtler and a team of researchers conducted one of the very first serology studies of the novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, in an effort to identify undetected cases of COVID-19 illness in the United States. Source: Neoteryx

New research demonstrates that noninvasive neuromodulation via low-intensity ultrasound can have cell-type selectivity in manipulating neurons.

Pitt County, North Carolina “is one of two communities in the country that are part of a national study on ramping up at-home testing for coronavirus.” The county “is home to rolling farmland, the city of Greenville, East Carolina University and one of the largest health departments in eastern North Carolina.” Health leaders in the county “said that was why the National Institutes of Health chose the area to test what could be the future of coronavirus screening in the United States.” Source: WRAL=TV Raleigh, NC

Chase Cornelison's research at UMass Amherst explores the proliferating power of cancer cells to treat spinal cord injuries and restore function following brain damage, promising research that has earned an NIH Trailblazer Award. Source: News Medical.

The new technique is capable of printing the models 10-50 times faster than the industry standard—in minutes instead of hours— a major step in the quest to create 3D-printed replacement organs.

Chattanooga, TN (WDEF) – The Say Yes! COVID Test At-Home Challenge launched Tuesday. The Hamilton County Health Department, CDC, and National Institute of Health all collaborated for this testing challenge. Source: WDEF News 12 Now

One-year into implementation of the NIH RADx initiative, the IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology has dedicated a specialissue to exploring the innovative structure and operation of the RADx Tech program.

The technique used in this preclinical study could aid tissue regeneration following severe accidents, surgical resections, or progressive muscle loss due to age or genetic disease.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced three new contracts and one new award to an existing contract for scale-up and manufacturing of novel COVID-19 testing technologies.

Update: The Hamilton County Health Department launched a new initiative to tackle the asymptomatic spread of COVID-19.

The "Say Yes! COVID Test" Challenge campaign kicked off on Tuesday.

The department partnered with the Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health to provide county residents with free, rapid, at-home COVID-19 test kits. Source: WRCBtv

The FDA’s approval last month of “two rapid at-home antigen tests, Abbott’s BinaxNOW and Quidel’s QuickVue, [which] will soon be sold over the counter on drugstore shelves, without the need for a prescription.” The article says these approvals have critical potential impact on the testing front and will help the US catch up to other developed nations in terms of rapid antigen testing. The piece highlights comments in an interview by Bruce Tromberg, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, who said, “We are in a risky period with variant growth, incomplete vaccination, return to school, increased population mobility and reduced mask wearing. ... The need to do screening, using accessible tests at home, on a large scale and on a regular cadence, is even more important.” Source: Scientific American

Greenlight Guru, the medtech industry's leading medical device quality management software (MDQMS) platform, today announced its selection as the premier QMS for the National Institute of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Tech program, led by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. This program aims to improve the speed of innovation in the development, commercialization and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing. Source: Prnewswire

he US RADx program has spawned a phalanx of diagnostic products to market in just 12 months. Its long-term impact on point-of-care, at-home and population testing may be even more profound. Source: Nature Biotechnology

NIBIB-funded engineers have developed a flexible epidermal patch that can simultaneously and continuously monitor cardiac output and metabolic levels of glucose, lactate, caffeine, or alcohol. The patch is a major step towards continuous non-invasive health monitoring.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health announced a new initiative on Wednesday to help determine whether frequent, widespread use of rapid coronavirus test slows the spread of the virus. Source: The News Times.

The CDC, in collaboration with the NIH, has launched an innovative community health initiative called “Say Yes! COVID Test.” Up to 160,000 residents in two US communities will have access to free, rapid antigen tests that they can administer themselves to use three times a week for one month.

Two US counties will receive a surge of free, rapid, at-home Covid-19 tests in an effort to study how people use them and how that impacts Covid-19 trends in the community, according to an announcement Wednesday by the National Institutes of Health. Source: CNN.

Researchers have generated synthetic mucins with a polymer backbone that more accurately mimics the structure and function of naturally occurring mucins. They also showed that these synthetic mucins could effectively neutralize the bacterial toxin that causes cholera.

Sickle cell disease is the most prevalent inherited blood disorder in the world, affecting 70,000 to 100,000 Americans. However, it is considered an orphan disease, meaning it impacts less than 200,000 people nationally, and is therefore underrepresented in therapeutic research.

NIH has awarded four additional contracts for the development and scaled-up manufacturing of new COVID-19 diagnostic testing technologies through its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Tech (RADx) initiative. The awards total $29.3 million and will help increase testing capacity for COVID-19.

ROSALIND, a software leader in extracting meaningful insights from diverse pools of life science data, today announced the launch of a web-based platform for monitoring the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants and evaluating the effects on the performance of diagnostic tests. The new platform, called the ROSALIND Diagnostic Monitoring (DxM) system, is available starting today and will be used by diagnostic test manufacturers and regulators to monitor assay performance against the rapidly evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants. Source: Business Wire.

The development and authorization of COVID-19 POC and at-home tests has been remarkable; a process that can often take more than a year took only a few months in many cases. We believe that lessons learned from our experiences with COVID-19 could be leveraged to facilitate a large-scale effort for swift, widespread access to accurate and reliable tests for a variety of diseases. Source: Health Affairs.

Abnormal heart rhythms—cardiac arrhythmias—are a major worldwide health problem. Now scientists are using ultrasound for more accurate maps of arrhythmic sites in the heart for improved success of ablation procedures.

In Made of Stronger Stuff, psychologist Kimberley Wilson and doctor Xand van Tulleken learn how Jason became the first person in the world with a neural enabled prosthetic hand, and as a result, regained the sensation of touch in his fingers. Source: BBC Radio Podcast.

“The Biden administration is preparing to launch the first of several Covid-19 testing hubs to coordinate and oversee a $650 million expansion of testing in K-8 schools and congregate settings like homeless shelters.” HHS expects “to open the first hub in April, as part of a public-private partnership that could eventually add up to 25 million tests per month to the nation’s testing totals, two sources briefed on the plans told POLITICO.” This initiative “is the first attempt at formalizing a national testing strategy – something public-health experts have wanted for months.” It follows a marked decline in US COVID-19 testing from about 2 million per day in January to 1.5 million currently. The article mentions “Bruce Tromberg, a scientist at the National Institutes of Health who leads the federal government’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative.” Source: Politico

An NIH-funded research team has launched a study to assess performance and usability of a smartphone app paired with the Quidel QuickVue At-Home COVID-19 Test, which received FDA emergency use authorization for use with a prescription.

At the Feb 24, 2021, U.S. Congressional Optics & Photonics (O&P) Caucus launch event, NIBIB Director Bruce Tromberg spoke about the impact that optics and photonics technologies have had in advancing cutting-edge methods, discoveries and devices in biology and medicine. Source: Optics & Photonics.

Using Facebook-like algorithms, a bespoke microscope, and hefty doses of patience, a team of scientists has determined the brain structure of one of biology's most powerful model organisms, the transparent, millimeter-long nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Source: STAT Plus.

Sometimes scientists discover exciting results after spending years searching for an answer to a single question. But sometimes discoveries are made by surprising collaborations and connections—resulting in answers to questions no one would have thought ask.

Studying the developing brain of a living animal has long been thought to be an almost impossible task thanks to the intricate tangle of neurons and vast labyrinth-like paths of connections that need to be imaged in real time. Source: BBC Science Focus.

For every documented COVID-19 infection during the first six months of the pandemic last year, five cases slipped by undiagnosed — roughly 16.8 million — according to a federal study led by a University of Maryland, Baltimore County graduate. Source: Baltimore Sun

While the progress toward widespread COVID-19 vaccination is encouraging, testing, masking, social distancing, contact tracing and isolation will continue to play a key role in limiting outbreaks and keeping schools and businesses open. Source: BENCH press

The final RADx portfolio of products to be developed and scaled includes a diversity of diagnostics from companies such as Illumina, Quidel, Fluidigm, and Mesa Biotech, and is likely to result in a near-term manufacturing boom in rapid antigen tests and over-the-counter home-use diagnostics. Source: genomeweb.

Engineers have developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can be worn on the neck to continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the wearer's levels of glucose as well as lactate, alcohol or caffeine. It is the first wearable device that monitors cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemical levels in the human body at the same time.

Vascular and interventional radiologists report the development of a new ionic liquid formulation that killed cancer cells and allowed uniform distribution of a chemotherapy drug into liver tumors and other solid tumors in the lab. This discovery could solve a problem that has long plagued drug delivery to tumors.

The DOD, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded $231.8 million to Ellume USA LLC to onshore production capacity of the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test for the United States. Read more at the Department of Defense website.

Biomedical engineers have demonstrated that human muscle has an innate ability to ward off damaging effects of chronic inflammation when exercised. The discovery was made possible through the use of lab-grown, engineered human muscle, demonstrating the potential power of the first-of-its-kind platform in such research endeavors.

Compared to standard machine learning models, deep learning models are largely superior at discerning patterns and discriminative features in brain imaging, despite being more complex in their architecture.

The Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC), a collaboration of leading medical imaging organizations funded by NIBIB, has launched a repository of imaging data to facilitate medical imaging research on COVID-19.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded three new contracts totaling $36.7 million for the development of new COVID-19 diagnostic testing technologies and production of specimen collection kits and swabs. The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative has advanced the scale-up of 25 testing projects since July 2020, which now include lab-based, point-of-care, and potential at-home formats.

Researchers have successfully used a DNA-editing technique to extend the lifespan of mice with the genetic variation associated with progeria, a rare genetic disease that causes extreme premature aging in children and can significantly shorten their life expectancy.

Research into what is known as the gut-brain axis continues to reveal how the brain and gut influence each other’s health and well-being. Now researchers are endeavoring to learn more about gut-brain discourse using a model system built in a lab dish.

The FDA granted emergency use authorization today for an innovative COVID-19 viral antigen test developed with support from the NIH RADx Initiative.

Some two dozen companies are working on tests that let you sample and process results at home, including some that connect to your smartphone. But widespread use is still likely months away. Source: The Wall Street Journal.

Organizations gained an easy way to assess the costs of COVID-19 testing plans this week, in the form of a free, online calculator funded and launched by NIBIB. Read more at Homeland Preparedness News.

Every year thousands of Americans, mostly over age 75, require replacement of their aortic valve. Now 3D printed patient-specific models of the aorta can aid presurgical planning and improve outcomes of minimally invasive valve replacement.

A data analytics tool shows organizations how different COVID-19 testing strategies and other mitigation methods can help reduce the spread of the virus. Read more at Health IT Analytics.

In a new study, a team of researchers outlines the technology for a CRISPR-based test for COVID-19 that uses a smartphone camera to provide accurate results in under 30 minutes.

The COVID-19 Testing Impact Calculator is a free resource that shows how different approaches to testing and other mitigation measures, such as mask use, can curb the spread of the virus in any organization.

Britain has become the first country to license a fully tested covid-19 vaccine. The Economist’s health policy editor explains why this a historic milestone. Read more at Economist..

A new tool sponsored by the NIH may be helpful in keeping holiday gatherings -- or any other meeting -- as safe and as coronavirus-free as possible. Watch at CNN.

A team of engineers has demonstrated how a new algorithm they developed was able to successfully predict whether or not a COVID-19 patient would need ICU intervention. This artificial intelligence-based approach could be a valuable tool in determining a proper course of treatment for individual patients.

New research finds vibrations of the protein spikes on coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, play a crucial part in allowing the virus to penetrate human cells. The findings could help determine how dangerous different strains or mutations of coronaviruses may be, and might point to a new approach to developing treatments.

3D bioprinted algae can be harnessed as a sustainable source of oxygen for human cells in engineered vascularized tissues, researchers report. They embedded the bioprinted photosynthetic algae, along with human liver-derived cells, in a 3D hydrogel matrix to create honeycomb-shaped tissues with lobules, similar to the human liver.

As news emerged this week that an experimental vaccine against covid-19 has proved effective in late-stage clinical trials, hopes that the pandemic’s days may be numbered are running high. Read more at Economist.

A new study lays out a large medical analytics framework that can be used in neuroscience and neurology to study brain connectivity in living organisms.

While immunotherapies work well for some cancers, others are immune-resistant and condemn patients to the severe side effects of long-term chemo treatment. A new cancer vaccine successfully treated immune-resistant breast cancer in mice, 100% of which survived a second injection of cancer cells, indicating long-term immunity with no side effects.

Scientists have developed a method to bioprint a type of cartilage that could someday help restore knee function damaged by arthritis or injury.

New SARS-CoV-2 rapid tests, which can deliver results in a matter of minutes in the field rather than taking days in clinical diagnostic labs, are starting to become widely available. Read more at Nature biotechnology.

The COVID-19 Test Us program was conceived soon after the RADx launch in April to facilitate clinical studies for testing technologies in the real-word setting.

Researchers reported developing a cardiac patch made from fully rubbery electronics that can be placed directly on the heart to collect electrophysiological activity, temperature, heartbeat and other indicators, all at the same time.

The coronavirus outbreaks at the White House, first among President Trump and his inner circle and now circulating among Vice President Mike Pence’s staff, illustrate some of the limits of Covid-19 diagnostic tests. Read more at Forbes.

A scientist and entrepreneur is working to use simple LED light to help determine if certain chemotherapy options will work for specific patients.

Researchers have designed a skin-like device that can be attached to the face and measure small movements such as a twitch or a smile. With this approach, patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) could communicate a variety of sentiments with small movements that are measured and interpreted by the device.

Engineers have demonstrated how a deep learning algorithm can be applied to a conventional computerized tomography (CT) scan in order to produce images that would typically require a higher level of imaging technology known as dual-energy CT.

Thin tissue grafts and flexible electronics have a host of applications for wound healing, regenerative medicine and biosensing. A new device inspired by an octopus's sucker rapidly transfers delicate tissue or electronic sheets to the patient, overcoming a key barrier to clinical application.

A team of experts from engineering, neuroscience, applied microbiology, and physics has been making headway on building a platform that can monitor and model the real-time processing of gut microbiome serotonin activity.

In a groundbreaking new study, researchers have 3D printed unique fluid channels at the micron scale that could automate production of diagnostics, sensors, and assays used for a variety of medical tests and other applications.

NIH, working in collaboration with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), today announced a third round of contract awards for scale-up and manufacturing of new COVID-19 testing technologies.

An ideal infectious disease test is accurate, fast, cheap, and can be performed at home. Read more at Biocompare Future Lab.

Neuroscientists distinguish brain regions based on what they do, but now have a new way to overlay information about how they are built, too.

Artificial intelligence can speed the development of 3D-printed bioscaffolds that help injuries heal, according to researchers.

Researchers have created a new PET imaging agent that detects signs of inflammation. Such a tracer could aid diagnosis and study of diseases ranging from cardiovascular disease to cancer to COVID-19.

The NCI and the NIBIB chose the seven projects from nearly 200 different ideas. The projects represent a broad range of solutions for immediate public health needs related to the pandemic, and several focus on solutions for medically underserved communities and people with limited access to healthcare. Read more Health IT Analytics.

NIH has awarded seven contracts to companies and academic institutions to develop digital health solutions that help address the COVID-19 pandemic.

NIH announced $129.3 million in scale-up and manufacturing support for a new set of COVID-19 testing technologies as part of RADx. These tests add to initial awards made to seven companies on July 31, 2020.

Researchers have developed a groundbreaking process for multi-material 3D printing of lifelike models of the heart's aortic valve and the surrounding structures that mimic the exact look and feel of a real patient.

A new article looks at the use of virtual imaging trials in effective assessment and optimization of CT and radiography acquisitions and analysis tools to help manage the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The winners of National Institutes of Health’s 9th annual Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge developed simple and low-cost diagnostics and treatments for conditions such as tuberculosis, cervical cancer, birth defects, and onchocerciasis (river blindness).

NIBIB-funded researchers at NYU Langone Health worked with Facebook AI researchers to develop a method to speed up MRI scans.

NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a way to use artificial intelligence to speed up MRI imaging without sacrificing quality.

A team has developed a class of light-switchable, highly adaptable molecular tools with new capabilities to control cellular activities. The antibody-like proteins, called OptoBinders, have potential applications including protein purification, the improved production of biofuels, and new types of targeted cancer therapies.

Researchers demonstrated how a deep learning framework they call 'Brain-NET' can accurately predict a person's level of expertise in terms of their surgical motor skills, based solely on neuroimaging data.

NIH announced that AI technology is underway to aid physicians across the United States in the global war against COVID-19. These efforts are taking place with the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center, which is comprised of research from physicists, physicians, radiologists, and scientists across the country. Read more at The Burgundy Zine.

NIBIB-funded researchers have created nanoparticles for successful gene therapy of a mouse model of macular degeneration. The nanoparticle carriers have the potential to significantly expand the effectiveness of gene therapies for human eye diseases, including blindness.

NIBIB mourns the passing of molecular imaging pioneer and NIBIB Advisory Council member, Sanjiv “Sam” Gambhir, M.D., Ph.D.

Brain tumors are typically diagnosed using MRI imaging because taking a sample for a tissue biopsy is risky and may not be possible due to tumor location or a patient’s poor health conditions. Researchers are developing a method to diagnose brain tumors without any incisions.

The NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative seeks to speed up the development of tests. In April, Congress allocated $1.5 billion towards the program; last week, RADx announced the seven tests that passed the preliminary round of vetting and will now be produced en masse. Read more at Quartz
.

Leading radiology associations are collaborating on a large, open-source COVID-19 database with images to help doctors better understand the disease. Read more at HealthImaging
.

The National Institutes of Health is turning to artificial intelligence and imaging scans to not only help detect cases of COVID-19 earlier, but to potentially personalize treatments for the spreading disease. Read more at Fierce Biotech.

The National Institutes of Health yesterday announced the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center, a public-private initiative that will create medical imaging tools to detect and personalize therapies for COVID-19 patients. Read more at AHA.

The National Institutes of Health has launched an ambitious effort to use artificial intelligence, computation, and medical imaging to enable early disease detection, inform successful treatment strategies, and predict individual disease outcomes of COVID-19.

Scientists at the NIH are pioneering better Covid-19 diagnostic methods using artificial intelligence and stacks of digital lung and heart images through a new project the agency announced Wednesday. Read more at Bloomberg Law.

Researchers have reported a new form of electronics known as 'drawn-on-skin electronics,' allowing multifunctional sensors and circuits to be drawn on the skin with an ink pen.

After scrutinizing several dozen submissions to its national, “Shark Tank”-esque pitch competition for new COVID-19 diagnostics technologies, the National Institutes of Health has selected its first seven projects that will move on to a new phase of manufacturing and scale-up—and has unlocked nearly a quarter of a billion dollars for the effort. Read more at Fierce Biotech
.

Building on early-stage funding by NIBIB to develop an implantable artificial kidney, researchers at the University of California San Francisco were selected for a substantial prize in the HHS KidneyX Challenge.

On Friday, the NIH announced the first seven winners of a competition to produce next-generation coronavirus tests to help battle the spread of COVID-19. Together, they will receive $248.7 million to further develop their tests and hopefully make them available by the fall. Read more at NPR.

he National Institutes of Health selected Ginkgo Bioworks, Mammoth Biosciences, Quidel, and four other companies to receive nearly $250 million to develop new Covid-19 diagnostic tests through its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics program, the agency announced Friday. Read more at STAT.

The National Institutes of Health awarded $248.7 million to seven companies to accelerate the development of new coronavirus diagnostic technologies as the country grapples with rising case numbers and testing shortages. The federal research agency expects some of the companies to potentially be able to perform hundreds of thousands of tests come September. Read more at Forbes.

NIH is investing $248.7 million in new technologies to address challenges associated with COVID-19 testing (which detects SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus). NIH’s RADx initiative has awarded contracts to seven biomedical diagnostic companies to support a range of new lab-based and point-of-care tests.

UCF Researchers were awarded a prize in the HHS KidneyX Challenge for development of an implantable artificial kidney device that allows patients to perform dialysis at home. The project previously received support from NIBIB.

Former NIBIB Director calls for collaboration among engineers and health professionals to address complicated challenges, including COVID19.

In a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientific leaders from the National Institutes of Health set forth a framework to increase significantly the number, quality and type of daily tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and help reduce inequities for underserved populations that have been disproportionally affected by the disease.

In a groundbreaking new study, researchers have 3D printed a functioning centimeter-scale human heart pump in the lab. The discovery could have major implications for studying heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States killing more than 600,000 people a year.

To help the world respond to COVID-19, 3M and researchers at MIT are testing a new rapid test that detects the virus. Accelerated research is underway to learn if a simple-to-use, diagnostic device can produce highly accurate results within minutes and is feasible to mass manufacture.

Read more here.

Scientists were able to show that bioengineered uteri in an animal model developed the native tissue-like structures needed to support normal reproductive function.

Using DNA origami as a virus-like scaffold, researchers designed an HIV-like particle that provokes a strong response from human immune cells grown in the lab. They are now testing this approach as a potential vaccine candidate in live animals, and adapting it to SARS-CoV-2, as well as other pathogens.

A new technique funded by NIBIB and developed by University of Minnesota researchers allows 3D printing of hydrogel-based sensors directly on the surface of organs, such as lungs—even as they expand and contract. The technology was developed to support robot-assisted medical treatments.

Scientists at NIBIB have developed new image processing techniques for microscopes that can reduce post-processing time up to several thousand-fold.

A new $2.3 million grant from the NIBIB at NIH will support a research effort led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to make a virtual surgery scenario – and others like it – a reality.

Read more at Mirage News.

NIBIB-funded researchers at Stanford University have created an artificial neural network that analyzes lung CT scans to provide information about lung cancer severity that can guide treatment options.

Mechanical engineers and computer scientists have developed a 3D printing technique that uses motion capture technology, similar to that used in Hollywood movies, to print electronic sensors directly on organs that are expanding and contracting.

Understanding the source and network of signals as the brain functions is a central goal of brain research. Now, Carnegie Mellon engineers have created a system for high-density EEG imaging of the origin and path of normal and abnormal brain signals.

The National Institutes of Health wasted no time and putting pandemic stimulus money to use. It launched RADx, a program to enlist industry in academia in a biomedical engineering approach to the pandemic.

Read more and listen to the interview at the Federal News Network.

Neuroengineers have created a tiny surgical implant that can electrically stimulate the brain and nervous system without using a battery or wired power supply.

Researchers are working on an entirely new way to detect blood clots, especially in pediatric patients.

An injectable electrode could prove a better way to ease chronic nerve pain than opioid painkillers or bulky and expensive implants, animal research suggests.

Dr. Kaitlyn Sadtler of the National Institutes of Health still identifies with her younger self, running through the sprinklers and going to the Frederick County Fair. She earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences and a Ph.D.and now is an investigator at the NIBIB at the NIH in Bethesda.

For more, visit WJLA-TV.

The podcast Epidemic, hosted by Dr. Celine Grounder and Robert Klain, featured episode 21: Are Antibodies the Holy Grail? Guests for this podcast episode are NIBIB's Kaitlyn Sadtler and NIAID's Matthew Memoli, who discuss the SARS-CoV-2 serology study they are conducting at NIH.

Listen and read a transcript.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) are adapting a minimally invasive, safer approach to electrically treat pain directly at the source as part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative.

To counter drug resistance, scientists must engineer new drugs to kill mutated cancer cells or pathogens. Now, Penn State engineers have developed a new approach for predicting which mutation has expanded the most in a population and should be targeted to design the most effective new drug.

Focused ultrasound, the researchers hope, could revolutionize treatment for conditions from Alzheimer's to epilepsy to brain tumors -- and even help repair the devastating damage caused by stroke.

The Tissue Chips in Space initiative is an ambitious collaborative endeavor that brings NIBIB, NCATS, and the ISS U.S. National Laboratory together to rapidly advance tissue chip technology for biomedical research.

NIH has announced a new initiative aimed at speeding innovation, development and commercialization of COVID-19 testing technologies, a pivotal component needed to return to normal during this unprecedented global pandemic.

The National Institutes of Health is launching a new initiative to turbocharge innovation, development and commercialization of COVID-19 testing technologies as a way to help society get back to a place where restrictions can be lifted.

Read more at Fox News.

The National Institutes of Health on Wednesday announced a new $1.5 billion initiative to rapidly develop coronavirus diagnostics, an effort it says will result in the deployment of “millions of tests per week” by late summer or fall of this year.

Read more at STAT.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced a $1.5 billion initiative to speed breakthroughs in diagnostic tests for the virus that causes COVID-19. The program aims to increase the U.S. capacity for SARS-CoV-2 testing up to 100-fold by late summer, in time for the start of the flu season.

Read more at Science.

A competition between researchers is part of a $1.5 billion program that seeks to speed development of accurate, quick and easy-to-use COVID-19 tests, NIH announced Wednesday.

Read HealthDay article at US News & World Report.

Marking a major milestone on the path to meeting the objectives of the NIH BRAIN initiative, researchers advance high-density electroencephalography (EEG) as the future paradigm for dynamic functional neuroimaging.

A team at ClearCam, Inc., with funding from the NIBIB and ties to the University of Texas at Austin, designed a device for wiping a laparoscope lens clean, much the same way that a wiper blade clears a fogged up window.

Medical physicists at the Mayo Clinic have just made a unique library of computed tomography (CT) data publicly available so that imaging researchers can study, develop, validate, and optimize algorithms and enhance imaging hardware to produce peak-quality CT images using low radiation doses.

Researchers at the University of Memphis-based Center of Excellence for Mobile Sensor Data-to-Knowledge (MD2K) have introduced a new mobile app that may support physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. MD2K is supported by NIH with a grant administered by the NIBIB.

In this interview, David Zierler, Oral Historian for AIP, interviews Richard Leapman, Senior Investigator in the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and Scientific Director of the intramural program. Leapman recounts his childhood in England and he describes his early and formative experience playing with an optical microscope. Source: American Institute of Physics

A new study has begun recruiting at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, to determine how many adults in the United States without a confirmed history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have antibodies to the virus.

Bioengineers have created a blood-drawing robot that performed as well or better than technicians. The device could increase blood draw success from difficult- to-find veins and allow healthcare workers more time to treat patients.

Bioengineers have combined standard microscopy, infrared light, and artificial intelligence to assemble digital biopsies that identify important molecular characteristics of cancer biopsy samples.

Grace C.Y. Peng, Ph.D., Director of the NIBIB Program in Mathematical Modeling, Simulation and Analysis, has been elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE College of Fellows).

Researchers have used an ultrasound technique they pioneered a decade ago -- electromechanical wave imaging (EWI) -- to accurately localize atrial and ventricular cardiac arrhythmias in adult patients in a double-blinded clinical study. They evaluated the accuracy of EWI for localization of various arrhythmias in all four chambers of the heart prior to catheter ablation: the results showed that EWI correctly predicted 96% of arrhythmia locations as compared with 71% for 12-lead ECGs.

Whether it is a drug-resistant strain of bacteria, or cancer cells that no longer react to the drugs intended to kill them, diverse mutations make cells resistant to chemicals, and 'second generation' approaches are needed. Now, a team of engineers may have a way to predict which mutations will occur in people, creating an easier path to create effective pharmaceuticals.

With the help of photolithography and programmable DNA, researchers have created a new technique that can rapidly 'print' two-dimensional arrays of cells and proteins that mimic a wide variety of cellular environments in the body. This technique could help scientists develop a better understanding of the complex cell-to-cell messaging that dictates a cell's final fate.

Biological engineers have created a multitissue model that lets them study the relationships between different organs and the immune system on a microfluidic chip seeded with human cells. With this 'organs-on-a-chip' model, they could explore the role of immune cells in ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory diseases.

Ranu Jung designs neural engineering projects that drive the process of transforming basic discoveries into clinical applications. In this interview she explains how collaborative projects can at once advance the understanding of the brain and the development of medical devices.

Bioengineers have created a 3D-printed scaffold designed to regenerate complex tissues composed of multiple layers of cells with different biological and mechanical properties.

NIH has granted Sandia $6 million to build the prototype medical device that would make magnetoencephalography (MEG) — a type of noninvasive brain scan — more comfortable, more accessible and potentially more accurate.

With his election this past February to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), NIH’s Peter Basser achieved one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to any engineer.

Engineers have created a tabletop device that combines a robot, artificial intelligence and near-infrared and ultrasound imaging to draw blood or insert catheters to deliver fluids and drugs. Their research results suggest that autonomous systems like the image-guided robotic device could outperform people on some complex medical tasks.

Scientists report they have designed and successfully tested an experimental, super small package able to deliver molecular signals that tag implanted human cancer cells in mice and make them visible for destruction by the animals' immune systems. The new method was developed, say the researchers, to deliver an immune system 'uncloaking' device directly to cancer cells.

A team created an adaptable, wearable and stretchable fabric embroidered with conductive threads that provides excellent signal-to-noise ratio for enhanced MRI scanning.

The National Institutes of Health has launched a $1 million Technology Accelerator Challenge (TAC) to spur the design and development of non-invasive, handheld, digital technologies to detect, diagnose, and guide therapies for diseases with high global and public health impact.

Medical researchers can now use label-free microscopic techniques to visualize extracellular vesicles, which are associated with cancer.

Experts believe that tuberculosis, or TB, has been a scourge for humans for some 15,000 years, with the first medical documentation of the disease coming out of India around 1000 B.C.E. Today, the World Health Organization reports that TB is still the leading cause of death worldwide from a single infectious agent, responsible for some 1.5 million fatalities annually.

By adding infrared capability to the ubiquitous, standard optical microscope, researchers hope to bring cancer diagnosis into the digital era. Pairing infrared measurements with high-resolution optical images and machine learning algorithms, the researchers created digital biopsies that closely correlated with traditional pathology techniques and also outperformed state-of-the-art infrared microscopes.

A team of engineers has created an ultra-small, wireless, battery-free device that uses light to record individual neurons so neuroscientists can see how the brain is working.

A new synthetic biology toolkit developed at Northwestern Engineering will help researchers design mammalian cells with new functionalities. The toolkit, called the Composable Mammalian Elements of Transcription (COMET), could result in new therapies for difficult-to-treat diseases, like cancer.

In the future, robots could take blood samples, benefiting patients and healthcare workers alike. A team has created a blood-sampling robot that performed as well or better than people, according to the first human clinical trial of an automated blood drawing and testing device.

Bioengineers print 3D implants with layered cells destined to become distinct combinations of tissue, like bone and cartilage. The scaffolds degrade over time to leave the natural tissues in place.

Most medicines work by binding to and blocking the effect of disease-causing molecules. Now, to accelerate the identification of potential new medicines, bioengineers have created a computer model that mimics the way molecules bind.

Bruce Tromberg’s words drew murmurs of recognition from a crowd at the Photonics West conference in San Francisco, US, where he opened a packed Saturday afternoon of talks on entrepreneurship in healthcare photonics.

Promising intracellular protein-based therapeutics have been of limited use due to the difficulty of delivery into diseased cells. Now bioengineers have developed nanoparticles that can deliver these therapeutics to their targets—avoiding degradation and toxic interactions with healthy tissues.

Engineers have developed a light-sensitive material that allows gastrointestinal devices to be triggered to break down inside the body when they are exposed to light from an ingestible LED.

New camera technology that takes up to 1 trillion frames per second is so advanced it can take images of transparent phenomena, U.S. researchers say. The camera builds on previous research, in which the team used the technology to capture light traveling in slow motion.

Read more at Newsweek.

Millions of people are treated with antibiotics each year for infections or as a preventative measure. Two teams of NIBIB-funded scientists have been working to find alternative solutions for treating bacterial infections, especially antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

After a patient swallows anordinary-looking capsule, the star’s six arms unfold inside the stomach and steadily release ingredients for a week; then the arms break off and leave the body like undigested food. The pill can deliver a variety of prescription medicines.

A first-of-its-kind study on molecular interactions by biomedical engineers will make it easier and more efficient for scientists to develop new medicines and other therapies for diseases such as cancer, HIV, and autoimmune diseases.

Neurologists have observed reduced neural activity during non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM). Now MRI imaging during NREM reveals an exchange between brain blood and cerebrospinal fluid that may function to remove neurotoxic waste products.

A wearable monitoring device to make treatments easier and more affordable for the millions of people with swallowing disorders is about to be released into the market.

Scientists report they have created a tiny, nanosize container that can slip inside cells and deliver protein-based medicines and gene therapies of any size -- even hefty ones attached to the gene-editing tool called CRISPR.

Researchers have found that very slow spontaneous blood vessel pulsations drive the clearance of substances from the brain, indicating that targeting and improving this process may help to prevent or treat amyloid-beta accumulation.

QuantX backstops radiologists with AI-enabled software that analyzes MRIs to confirm or challenge their diagnosis.

A novel method produces a new class of radioactive tracers that are used for medical imaging. The method allows them to attach radioactive atoms to compounds that have previously been difficult or even impossible to label.  The advance will make it easier to track medications in the body and identify tumors and other diseases.

Researchers studying six adults who had one of their brain hemispheres removed during childhood to reduce epileptic seizures found that the remaining half of the brain formed unusually strong connections between different functional brain networks, which potentially help the body to function as if the brain were intact.

Doctors need better ways to detect and monitor heart disease, the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Researchers with support from NIBIB has developed an improved optical imaging technique that found differences between potentially life-threatening coronary plaques and those posing less imminent danger for patients with coronary artery disease.

Wearable and implantable devices may allow for intensive self-care for patients with kidney failure outside of the clinic.

The researchers genetically engineered CAR T cells with molecular tags, which they were able to monitor in an animal model using position emission tomography (PET) imaging.

Electrically stimulating nerves can reduce epileptic seizures, soothe chronic pain, and treat depression. Now, biomedical engineers have made a significant advance that could dramatically reduce the cost of neuromodulation therapy, increase its reliability and make it much less invasive.

Low-frequency electric stimulation shows promise as a possible alternative to medications for restoring hair growth in people whose hair has begun to thin.

The novel approach better mimics the tumor environment in patients. Made with extracellular matrix (ECM) from pig brains and seeded with tumors from patients, the system is revealing tumor/ECM interactions that aid tumor growth, providing potential targets for new therapies.

Researchers have designed a more precise and versatile genome editing system, named prime editing, that harnesses the power of CRISPR-Cas9 in combination with another protein, reverse transcriptase, to directly edit DNA in human cells.

Mothers and children in low resource communities often suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Now NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a system that can be used for tests to rapidly identify blood micronutrient levels in remote areas with limited healthcare infrastructure.

The annual awards ceremony at the National Academy of Engineering was highly unusual in that, of the 12 broad engineering categories represented at NAE – from chemical to mechanical and civil to electrical – three 2019 NAE awards were in biomedical engineering.

As the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias grows, so too does the pressure on the medical community to identify dementias as early as possible and potentially treat them. Researchers on both sides of the Atlantic are using optical technologies to capture the manifestations of dementia in the brain before outward symptoms of the condition occur.

Read more at Photonics.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $3.4 million to a team of researchers at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech to develop and produce a “lymph node on a chip.” This tiny, yet sophisticated physical model of the gland will be designed to help researchers better understand the inner workings of the node itself, and, thereby, the broader immune system.

Read more at UVA Today.

MIT engineers designed a drug capsule that can carry insulin or other protein drugs and protect them from the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract. When the capsule reaches the small intestine, it breaks down to reveal dissolvable microneedles that attach to the intestinal wall and release drug for uptake into the bloodstream.

Biological engineers can program bacteriophages to kill different strains of E. coli by making mutations in the protein that the viruses use to bind to host cells. These engineered phages are less likely to provoke resistance in bacteria, and could help to overcome antibiotic resistance.

Anew intubation assist device received the top prize in the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge, a contest supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the nonprofit VentureWell.

Read more at JAMANetwork.

Researchers have developed 3-dimensional human tissue culture models of pediatric and adult brain cancers in a brain-mimicking microenvironment, that includes brain-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) -- the complex network of proteins and amino acids with bound sugars that not only provides support for surrounding neural tissue, but also helps to guide cell growth and development. The development represents a significant advancement for the study of brain tumor biology and pharmacological response.

To reverse the opioid crisis that continues to grip the nation, the National Institutes of Health has awarded $945 million in total fiscal year 2019 funding for grants, contracts and cooperative agreements across 41 states through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative.

A metamaterial made of plastic and copper may be able to enhance the quality (signal-to-noise ratio) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by four times and speed up scan times by 14 times.

A new ultrasound technique provides a non-invasive way of assessing bone structure on the microscale. Researchers hope to fine-tune the technique for use in assessing osteoporosis risk and treatment.

Biography of Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Ph.D., a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University engineers and builds tissues to improve health and cure disease.

Women undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer are checked for tumor cells that may have spread to surrounding tissues, but current technologies miss very small metastatic areas. Now a laser microscopy technique is able to identify these regions with great accuracy.

For years, scientists have explored ways to alter the cells of microorganisms in efforts to improve how many products are made, including medicines, fuels, and even beer. But altering the genetic and regulatory processes that take place within cells presents challenges. Now bioengineers is working with a team of researchers to engineer microbial consortia, wherein cell subpopulations are engineered to work together to carry out a desired function.

New research has more than tripled the amount of time human livers can be stored for transplantation. Scientists have modified a previous protocol to extend the viability of rat livers and successfully applied it to human livers.

NIBIB-funded biomedical engineers at the Ohio State University (OSU) have demonstrated a new method for delivering an anti-cancer drug in a study that tested the effect in animal models.

What factors affect how human touch perceives softness, like the feel of pressing your fingertip against a marshmallow, a piece of clay or a rubber ball? By exploring this question in detail, researchers discovered clever tricks to design materials that replicate different levels of perceived softness. The findings provide fundamental insights into designing tactile materials and haptic interfaces that can recreate realistic touch sensations.

The development of new bone can be a multistep process: first, stem cells differentiate into cartilage cells. Next, the cartilage cells become bone cells. But that's not all: the cells must experience some mechanical stresses during the transformation in order to transform efficiently from stem cells to bone cells.

Researchers have taken a key step forward in developing a new, possibly safer contrast agent for use in MRI exams.

Painless skin patch collects fluid to monitor biomarkers to speed up and simplify routine diagnostic testing. 

Brain function can be tracked in real-time using a new MRI method that has the potential to shed light on altered neuronal activity in brain diseases.

Macrophages are white blood cells that accumulate in tumors, where they aid cancer progression. Now scientists have identified a surface protein found only on the macrophages residing in tumors, exposing a target for precise tumor treatments.

Paralyzing damage in spinal cord injury is often caused by the zealous immune response to the injury. NIBIB-funded engineers have developed nanoparticles that lure immune cells away from the spinal cord, allowing regeneration that restored spinal cord function in mice.

Four NIBIB grantees are among more than 300 recipients of the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers announced by President Donald J. Trump on July 2, 2019.

A new deep learning technique constructs better macroscopic medical images of cells and tissues at ultra-fast speeds.

Researchers have developed a new 3D printed device that will make it faster and easier to identify women at risk for premature birth.

Scientists have taken a common, yet laborious lab test and redesigned it to be performed in small 3D printed pipette tips used to measure and transfer fluids in the laboratory.

NIBIB-funded researchers use passive cavitation imaging, an ultrasound imaging technique, to create an image and estimate the amount of drug that crossed the blood-brain barrier to reach a specific location in the brain.

Bioengineers used bone engineered in a 3D-printed mold and grown alongside the ribs of sheep to successfully replace a portion of the animals’ jaw bones.

A team of NIBIB-funded bioengineers at RPI developed an AI technique to rapidly convert low-dose CT scans to superior images compared to a conventional technique. Low-dose CT minimizes x-ray radiation to a patient.

Researchers have created 3D printed customized implants that may boost the power of cell-based therapies for repairing injured spinal cords.

A team of researchers has developed an innovative way to print therapeutics in 3D for regenerative medicine.

A new report, with contributions from NIBIB provides a roadmap for translational research on artificial intelligence (AI) in medical imaging. The report, published in the May 28, 2019, Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Bioengineers have developed a 3D printing technique that creates the interacting networks for transport of air, blood, and other bodily fluids—a major step toward 3D printed replacement organs.

A desire for a simpler, cheaper way to do common laboratory tests for medical diagnoses led researchers to develop a new technology that reduces cost and time.

Researchers have created a 3D-printed microchip electrophoresis device that can sensitively detect three serum biomarkers of PTB.

Learn about Dr. Charolotte Gaydos's scientific accomplishments throughout her career journey and her advice for women scientists.

Learn about Dr. Quyen Nguyen's scientific accomplishments throughout her career journey and her advice for women scientists.

Learn about Dr. Carla Pugh's scientific accomplishments throughout her career journey and her advice for women scientists.

A team of NIH-funded researchers at Stanford University Medical School has found that children with autism improved measurably on a test of socialization and learning when their therapy included an at-home intervention with Google Glass.

Multi-scale modeling in health and healthcare is a rapidly growing field. It uses computers and other technologies to address health-related issues and problems. Read more at Forbes

NIBIB-funded researchers used photoacoustic imaging for rapid measurement of metabolic rate of individual cells from breast tumors—information that can help guide treatment strategies.

NIBIB researchers have designed a nanoparticle that generates radiation-induced oxygen free radicals in the low-oxygen center of tumors, dramatically increasing tumor destruction.

NIBIB-funded researchers have designed a new class of 2D nanomaterials that are disc-shaped and flat on the surface, to aid in treatments for cartilage repair.

NIBIB-funded researchers created a new 3D bioprinted tumor model in a laboratory dish to screen anticancer drugs and study the spread of cancer.

An NIH-funded team has developed a technique called implosion fabrication to build impressively small and intricate components on the nanoscale.

A million Americans with injury or age-related disabilities need someone to help them eat. Now engineers have taught a robot to pick up food with a fork and gingerly deliver it to a person’s mouth.

Photoacoustic microscopy technique allows researchers to analyze metabolic characteristics of cancer cells with laser light and high-frequency ultrasonic sensing.

Biomedical engineers have developed a smartphone app for anemia screening that can assess blood hemoglobin levels through the window of the user’s fingernail.

Researchers funded by NIBIB have designed neuron-like probes that can be implanted and remain viable for long-term use to study and treat the brain.

Bruce Tromberg on the rise of biophotonics, merging multi-disciplinary approaches, and his new role at the NIH.

Researchers are one step closer to delivering precise amounts of medication to exact location.

An NIH-funded team at the University of Colorado (UC) has assembled a clearer picture of the molecular activity that occurs when nanoparticles injected into the body are marked for immune system attack.

NIBIB-funded engineers are designing aortic heart valve replacements made of polymers rather than animal heart tissues. The goal is to optimize valve performance and enable increased use of a minimally-invasive method for valve replacement over open heart surgery.

Researchers have developed a way to study cancer cells which could lead to new and improved treatment.

Researchers are making amazing progress in developing new imaging approaches that provide us with jaw-dropping views of a wide range of biological systems, including the incredibly complex neural networks within the mammalian brain. 

Nanogenerator’s electrical pulses provide beneficial outcomes with no side effects – rat study.

NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a 3D-printed scaffold coated in aggrecan, a native cartilage component, to improve the regeneration of cartilage tissue in joints.

Much as a frame provides structural support for a house and the chassis provides strength and shape for a car, a team of engineers believes they have a way to create the structural framework for growing living tissue using an off-the-shelf 3-D printer. Read more at Penn State News.

Engineers have developed a smartphone case and app that could make it easier for patients to record and track their blood glucose readings, whether they're at home or on the go. Read more at the UC San Diego News Center.

Engineers and nutritionists have created a swift solution for a challenging global health problem: a low-cost, rapid test to detect iron and vitamin A deficiencies at the point of care. Read more from Cornell University.

A newly developed microscope is providing scientists with a greatly enhanced tool to study how neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease affect neuron communication. Read more from the Optical Society.