Topics: Biotechnology

K. Dane Wittrup is developing a class of cancer drugs inspired by the immune system's own disease-fighting antigens. Photo: Thomas Gearty

Enemy Invaders

Molecular bioengineer K. Dane Wittrup is designing cancer-fighting drugs.

Nobel laureate Phillip Sharp says MIT’s new cancer center will blend science and engineering to find new treatments for cancer. Photo: Ed Quinn

The Third Revolution

Nobel laureate Phillip Sharp says MIT’s new cancer center will blend science and engineering to find new treatments for cancer.

Asst. Prof. Kristala Prather’s message to the Senate was that biofuels have a lot to offer but aren’t a quick fix. Photo: Len Rubenstein

New Life

Asst. Prof. Kristala Prather is engineering bacteria and other living organisms to produce biofuels and other useful products.

Leona Samson’ studies of DNA repair mechanisms promise new strategies for cancer. Photo: Ed Quinn

Revealing DNA

Prof. Leona Samson hopes that one day treatments for cancer can be tailored to individual patients by determining how DNA repairs itself.

Vaccinia virus micrograph. Photo: Centers for Disease Control

Research Briefs

Potential help for arthritis, a safer smallpox vaccine, and more.