Scientists have found a way to sneak nanoparticles carrying tumor-fighting drugs past the immune system.
A rapid and highly efficient system for transferring large molecules, nanoparticles, and other agents into living cells opens new avenues for disease research and treatment.
A “test run” of radiation therapy in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma can show how much radiation is likely to be absorbed by a tumor during actual treatment. This information may help doctors to estimate the dose needed for effective treatment more precisely than currently used measures, such as a person’s height and weight.
Researchers administered a new method for treating chronic wounds using a novel ultrasound applicator that can be worn like a band-aid. The applicator delivers low-frequency, low-intensity ultrasound directly to wounds, and was found to significantly accelerate healing in five patients with venous ulcers.
Winners announced in the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) competition for diagnostics, therapeutics, and technologies for underserved populations.
NIBIB-funded scientists and engineers are teaming up with neurosurgeons to develop technologies that enable less invasive, image-guided removal of hard-to-reach brain tumors. Their technologies combine novel imaging techniques that allow surgeons to see deep within the brain during surgery with robotic systems that enhance the precision of tissue removal.
As part of the National Robotics Initiative, NIH has awarded funding for three projects to develop the next generation of robots that work cooperatively with people.
Researchers at NIH have developed two new microscopes, both the first of their kind. The first captures small, fast moving organisms at an unprecedented rate and the second displays large cell samples in three dimensions while decreasing the amount of harmful light exposure to the cells. Both microscopes surpass in clarity any other currently on the market.
NIBIB-funded researchers at Texas A&M are using the unique contraction and expansion properties of shape memory polymer foam to design a much improved treatment for brain aneurysms, which cause severe neurological damage or death for 30,000 Americans each year.
An international, multidisciplinary research team has developed an ultrathin membrane that can stick to skin and carry arrays of diagnostic sensors and stimulatory components. The “electronic skin” allows remote patient monitoring and may someday be used to deliver treatments.
Detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood can play an important role in early diagnosis, characterization of cancer subtypes, treatment monitoring and metastasis. NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a microfluidic system that isolates CTCs more efficiently than current technologies.
Researchers have developed a tissue scaffold that can deliver gene therapy to wounds over a period of several weeks.
Skin cancer surgery involves successive removal of tissue, which is processed using a 45 minute procedure to determine if residual cancer remains and is often repeated several times. Now, NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a microscopic technique that identifies residual cancer tissue in 90 seconds, promising to dramatically reduce the length, inefficiency, and cost of this common surgery.
There are many reasons some people may not get a flu shot, but would they be more likely to do so if there was a simple device that could be mailed directly to them, was easy enough to use by themselves, and provided at least the same level of protection as a traditional flu shot without the pain of a needle jab? A recent NIBIB-funded study suggests the answer is yes.
Four people with paraplegia are able to voluntarily move previously paralyzed muscles as a result of a novel therapy involving electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
With the ability to deliver light inside the body in a predictable manner and to host a variety of genetically engineered cells, hydrogels created by NIBIB grantee Andy Yun and colleagues may help address current challenges with applying optogenetic approaches in clinical care.
An international research team has built molecular “clamps” out of DNA that offer a powerful new tool for identifying individuals with an increased risk of cancer.
Significant funding from NIBIB has enabled researchers to develop a unique technology to help physicians perform ultrasound-guided procedures involving needle placement such as needle biopsies, central line insertion, and local anesthesia.
Researchers have developed a new supercooling technique to increase the amount of time human organs could remain viable outside the body. This study was conducted in rats, and if it succeeds in humans, it would enable a world-wide allocation of donor organs, saving more lives.
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering will host its second Edward C. Nagy New Investigator Symposium on July 30, 2014 on the NIH campus. There will be ten exciting presentations from recent new investigators covering a wide breadth of NIBIB-funded research.
Bioengineers have created three-dimensional brain-like tissue that functions like and has structural features similar to tissue in the rat brain and that can be kept alive in the lab for more than two months. The tissue could provide a superior model for studying normal brain function as well as injury and disease, and could assist in the development of new treatments for brain dysfunction.
NIBIB-funded researchers have developed an imaging system that rapidly and accurately detects a molecular marker found in brain gliomas. It promises to improve the precision of these difficult surgeries by enabling the complete removal of the tumor, while reducing residual damage to brain tissue and neural function.
Four winning teams were announced in the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge, a biomedical engineering design competition for teams of undergraduate students.
NIBIB-supported researchers have significantly reduced the amount of time it takes for a child to undergo an MRI scan at Stanford.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a novel sensor that can wirelessly relay pressure readings from inside a tumor.
Learn about exciting research in biotechnology with NIBIB's Bionic Man interactive web tool.
Researchers used human iPSC stem cells to grow brand new nerves in a rat model of spinal cord injury. The neurons grew tens of thousands of axons that extended the entire length of the spinal cord. The iPSCs were made using the skin cells of an 86 year old male, demonstrating that even in an individual of advanced age, the ability of the cells to be turned into a different cell type (pluripotency) remained.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from breast cancer patients were isolated from blood and grown in the laboratory for extensive genetic analysis. Such analysis enabled the identification of the most effective cancer drug or drug combination for each patient's tumor -- a significant step towards "precision" cancer treatment.
When individuals suffer a spinal cord injury, they often lose bladder control, which causes infections that can lead to kidney damage. Scientists used spinal stimulation technology to enable spinal cord- injured rats to empty their bladders more fully and in a timelier manner. The promising results achieved in rats represent a significant step towards deployment of this novel approach in humans with paraplegia.
Diagnosing HIV and other infectious diseases presents unique challenges in remote locations that lack electric power, refrigeration, and appropriately trained health care staff. To address these issues, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed a low-cost, electricity-free device capable of detecting the DNA of infectious pathogens, including HIV-1.
New research in robotics might help with stroke rehabilitation, guide wheelchairs, and assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Projects investigating co-robotics are the focus of new funding from the National Institutes of Health.
NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a novel 3D vaccine that could provide a more effective way to harness the immune system to fight cancer as well as infectious diseases. The vaccine spontaneously assembles into a scaffold once injected under the skin and is capable of recruiting, housing, and manipulating immune cells to generate a powerful immune response. The vaccine was recently found to be effective in delaying tumor growth in mice.
Researchers have reversed some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in mice using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided focused ultrasound.
A preliminary study conducted by researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) may improve our prediction of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
A research team including NIBIB-funded scientists has developed a new MRI technique for more precise and effective treatment for prostate cancer. The sharper MRI image can provide more accurate biopsies, enable better treatment planning, and help surgeons pinpoint the tumor while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
A new technique to create tissue-engineered bladders has been shown to decrease scarring and significantly increase tissue growth. The bladders are produced using scaffolds coated with anti-inflammatory peptides. Tissue-engineered organs such as supplemental bladders, small arteries, skin grafts, cartilage, and even a full trachea have been implanted in patients, but the procedures are still experimental, very costly, and often fail.
NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a highly effective sensor system to improve the quality of clinical breast examinations by physicians. To improve training, the device incorporates a sensor that indicates when a physician is palpating (pressing) with adequate force necessary to detect a lump in the breast.
A head and neck surgeon at UCSD discusses the development of new molecules that cause tumors and nerves to glow, making it easier for them to be identified during surgery.
An NIBIB grantee has developed an ultrafast camera that can acquire two-dimensional images at 100 billion frames per second, a speed capable of revealing light pulses and other phenomena previously too fast to be observed.
New paper and flexible polymer substrates were combined with special sensing devices for rapid and accurate detection of HIV and other pathogens for point-of-care medicine in remote areas, where there is minimal diagnostic infrastructure and a lack of trained medical technicians.
Researchers have developed a microfluidic chip that can capture rare clusters of circulating tumor cells, which could yield important new insights into how cancer spreads. The work was funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health.
NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a highly sensitive imaging technique for non-invasive screening of lymph nodes for metastatic cancer. The new imaging technique – so far tested in mice – offers a rapid tool to noninvasively identify cancer’s spread at its earliest stages.
Scientists at Georgia State University (GSU) with funding from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have designed an imaging technique to detect early-stage liver tumors, and have proven it successful in mice. Their study in an animal model is an essential step toward creating tools to improve liver tumor detection in human patients—whether primary liver cancer or metastatic tumors that arise in liver but have spread from other tissue.
An NIBIB-funded researcher has developed a new technique that creates digital pictures of a tissue’s chemical composition using light and a computer. The technique replaces the need for dyes or stains, which can be costly and require significant time and effort to apply.
NIBIB-supported researchers have created tiny gel particles that can perform the same essential functions as platelets. The particles could one day be used to control excessive bleeding following traumatic injury or in individuals with impaired clotting due to an inherited condition or as a result of certain medications or chemotherapy.
Researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering have designed a nanoparticle gene delivery system that destroys brain gliomas in a rat model, significantly extending the lives of the treated animals. The nanoparticles are filled with genes for an enzyme that converts a prodrug called ganciclovir into a potent destroyer of the glioma cells
NIBIB-funded researchers have developed two near-infrared contrast agents that are efficiently taken up by the thyroid and parathyroid glands following intravenous injection. The contrast agents could be used to help surgeons operate on the glands with greater precision.
A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health has generated a novel system for growing cardiac tissue from undifferentiated stem cells on a culture plate. This heart on a chip is a miniature physiologic system that could be used to model early heart development and screen drugs prescribed during pregnancy. Researchers from the University of California (UC) Berkeley; the Gladstone Institutes, in San Francisco; and UC San Francisco, reported their work in the July 14, 2015, online issue of Nature Communications.
The capture and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a valuable tool for cancer treatment decisions and therapy monitoring. Researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering are using sound waves to isolate CTCs without physical contact or damage to the cells, assuring that their original characteristics are maintained. The contact-free nature of the method offers the potential for more precise cancer treatment and monitoring.
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