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Researchers funded by NIH have developed an imaging method that reveals a much more diverse and flexible DNA-protein chromatin chain than previously thought. The result suggests a nimbler structure to regulate gene expression, and provide a mechanism for chemical modifications of DNA to be maintained as cells divide.

A team of bioengineers supported through a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) has developed a pocket-sized, ultrasound imaging device to aid doctors in accurately placing needles into the lumbar, or lower, spine.

“Seeing is believing,” has been taken to heart by researchers as they strive to develop microscopes that will reveal biological structures and processes with increased clarity and detail. Now, researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering have developed a technique that uses the vibration of chemical bonds to produce specific colors that allow them to simultaneously observe, in cells and tissues, as many as 24 interacting molecules--each with a distinct color.

Using a larger dataset than for any previous human movement study, National Institutes of Health-funded researchers at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, have tracked physical activity by population for more than 100 countries. Their research follows on a recent estimate that more than 5 million people die each year from causes associated with inactivity.