Biological Engineering – MIT Spectrum

The illustration depicts Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (white) living on mammalian cells in the gut (large pink cells coated in microvilli) and being activated by exogenously added chemical signals (small green dots) to express specific genes, such as those encoding light-generating luciferase proteins (glowing bacteria). Image: Janet Iwasa

Programmable Bacteria Could Monitor, Diagnose, and Treat Disease

Summer 2015

Mending a Broken Heart

Laurie Boyer’s work may one day help develop cures for heart defects and disease.

Image: Wikimedia Commons CC by SA 3.0

Tales from the Sewers: Looking Underground for Public Health Data

Making Stuff at MIT

Kristala Jones Prather is working to develop a better biofuel. Photo: Len Rubenstein

Spring 2012

Biofuel in the Pipeline

Kristala Prather is designing a better biofuel — one that’s closer to the octane of gasoline.

Krystyn Van Vliet is at the forefront of a relatively new field called chemomechanics. Photo: Len Rubenstein

Fall 2011

Applications Abound for Nano Field

Prof. Forest White hopes his work will lead to an effective new treatment for the most common type of adult brain tumor, glioblastoma - the kind that killed Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Photo: Richard Howard

Spring 2010

Cancer Drugs

Prof. Forest White of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research is working to develop novel drug treatments.

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Engineering Brain Circuits

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Renewing The Brain

Darrell Irvine hopes to imbue the body's natural defenses with superhero powers. Photo: Thomas Gearty

Fall 2009

New Materials

Prof. Darrell Irvine is using new materials to power up the immune system against disease.