Science Highlights

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.