Explore more about: Cancer

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

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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