Newsroom

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.

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 

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.

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.

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

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

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.