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Bioengineering researchers at Rice University have developed ultrasmall, stable gas-filled protein nanostructures that could revolutionize ultrasound imaging and drug delivery. Unlike current microbubbles or nanobubbles that are too large to cross biological barriers effectively, the novel diamond-shaped 50-nanometer gas vesicles (50-NM GVs) — approximately the size of viruses — are believed to be the smallest stable, free-floating structures for medical imaging ever created. Source: Rice University News

Dr. Bruce Tromberg, NIBIB Director, speaks with Research America! Alliance on the history and trajectory of NIBIB and bioengineering as a tool that is focused on collaboration to develop cutting-edge technology in service of health science breakthroughs. Source: Research America! blog.

Artificial intelligence models often play a role in medical diagnoses, especially when it comes to analyzing images such as X-rays. However, studies have found that these models don’t always perform well across all demographic groups, usually faring worse on women and people of color. Source:  Massachusetts Institute of Technology News 

A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has developed a soft, stretchy electronic device capable of simulating the feeling of pressure or vibration when worn on the skin. The new technology could pave the way for the development of advanced devices in virtual reality, medical prosthetics and wearable technology. Source: University of California San Diego.

The FDA granted marketing authorization for Cepheid’s Xpert HCV test and GeneXpert Xpress System, the first rapid test for hepatitis C virus intended for use in point-of-care settings. Source: Helio

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a new technique to better understand and test treatments for a group of extremely rare muscle disorders called dysferlinopathy or limb girdle muscular dystrophies 2B (LGMD2B). The approach grows complex, functional 3D muscle tissue from stem cells in the laboratory, creating a platform that replicates patient symptoms and treatment responses. Source: Duke University

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a new method that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and computer simulations to train robotic exoskeletons to autonomously help users save energy while walking, running and climbing stairs. Source: NC State University 

A research team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has developed a simple intervention to help treat specific cancer cells.  A biodegradable scaffold material studied in a mouse model was locally injected under the skin and used to restimulate CAR-T cells that were administered to increase their therapeutic effect. Source: Wysss Institute at Harvard University. 

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created innovative soft robots equipped with electronic skins and artificial muscles, allowing them to sense their surroundings and adapt their movements in real-time. These features make soft sensory robots highly adaptable and useful for enhancing medical diagnostics and treatments.  Source: UNC Chapel Hill