Speeding Up MRI Scans to Save Lives

BU researchers design an “intelligent” magnetic metamaterial that could make MRI more affordable and accessible By Art Jahnke | Via The Brink Boston University researchers have developed a new, “intelligent” metamaterial—which costs less than 10 bucks to build—that could revolutionize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), making the entire MRI process faster, safer, and more accessible to […]

Wong Builds Catalog of Tools for Genetic Research

The key, new element in this work is that these recombinases are inducible—their functions can be turned on and off. A recombinase is an enzyme that can recognize a specific DNA sequence and then perform a specific function at that site such as cutting out a gene from the DNA.

A Picture-Perfect Look at How Electrical Activity Travels through the Brain

Brain cells function using rapid electrical impulses, a process that underlies our thoughts, behavior, and perception of the world. Yet, for a long time, it’s been challenging for scientists to see exactly how individual neurons work together in larger circuits.

Now, a new technique reported in Nature finally gives the clearest picture ever of brain cell activity. Using a voltage-sensing molecule that fluorescently lights up when brain cells are electrically active, researchers at Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have shown that they can see the activity of many more individual neurons than before as they fire inside the brains of mice.

Three BU Research Teams Win First Kilachand Fund Awards

$100 million fund will continue to honor cutting-edge researchers in life sciences and engineering By Chuck Leddy Originally featured on The Brink In 2018, BU trustee Rajen Kilachand (Questrom’74, Hon.’14) made the largest gift in Boston University’s history: $115 million. From that gift, $100 million established an endowment, the Rajen Kilachand Fund for Integrated Life […]

BU Biomedical Engineer Ed Damiano Raises $126 Million for Bionic Pancreas

Investors bank on socially minded public benefit corporation and its medical device for people with type 1 diabetes Ed Damiano’s journey to help the millions of people who suffer from type 1 diabetes—which began nearly 20 years ago, when his infant son, David, was diagnosed with the disease—took a huge leap forward this week. The […]