Ingested or injected pharmaceuticals can target specific molecules involved in disease processes, but get distributed throughout the body where they can cause unwanted side effects. An approach known as electroceuticals aims to avoid systemic exposure by using small wires to electrically monitor and manipulate individual nerves that control organ function and carry information about disease.…
Nanovaccine Acts as “Swiss Army Knife” When Battling Tumors
Scientists are using their increasing knowledge of the complex interaction between cancer and the immune system to engineer increasingly potent anti-cancer vaccines. Now researchers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a synergistic nanovaccine packing DNA and RNA sequences that modulate the immune response, along with anti-tumor antigens, into one…
Deadly Infection IDed with Just One Blood Drop
NIH-funded biomedical engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a rapid test using a single drop of blood for early detection of the deadly blood infection, sepsis. The microfluidic chip could enable early intervention for this life-threatening complication, which accounts for the most deaths and highest medical expenses in hospitals worldwide. Sepsis…
Kaleidoscope of Colors Reveals Complex Biological Processes
Imaging Technique Measures Tumor Stiffness to Aid Surgical Planning
Important steps in planning tumor surgery include identifying borders between tumor and healthy tissue and assessing the tumor stiffness, e.g. hard and calcified or soft and pliant. For decades, tumors near the surface of the body have been evaluated for stiffness by simple palpation—the physician pressing on the tissue. Because tumors within the skull cannot…
Wearable Patch Sends Blood Alcohol Info to Cell Phone
Engineers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a small monitoring device, worn on the skin, that detects alcohol levels in perspiration. It was designed as a convenient method for individuals to monitor their alcohol intake, which could help reduce unsafe drinking that can lead to vehicle crashes, violence,…
Swarms of Magnetic Bacteria Could Be Used to Deliver Drugs to Tumors
Researchers funded in part by NIBIB have recently shown that magnetic bacteria are a promising vehicle for more efficiently delivering tumor-fighting drugs. They reported their results in the August 2016 issue of Nature Nanotechnology. One of the biggest challenges in cancer therapy is being able to sufficiently deliver chemotherapy drugs to tumors without exposing healthy…