Research Highlights

Showcase of NIBIB-Supported Research: 2009

Super-Cool Imaging Technique Identifies Aggressive Tumors: December 22, 2009
Although current laboratory tests and imaging studies cannot predict whether a tumor will spread quickly, a new imaging technique – hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI—developed by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and GE Healthcare may provide new insights into how tumors use energy. The technique could help clinicians more precisely tailor therapies to slow or halt a tumor’s progress.

Designing Smart Surgical Microtools: November 30, 2009
Researchers have designed a fist-like surgical tool the size of a dust particle that can open and close in response to chemicals or heat. The device, called a microgripper, does not require batteries or any electrical source and some day could be used to collect biopsy samples, remove blood clots, and deliver drugs to parts of the human body that wired tools cannot access.

New Stroke Treatments on the Horizon: October 30, 2009
Once symptoms of a stroke appear, brain tissue begins to deteriorate. Restoring blood flow to the brain quickly can mean the difference between a return to health or months of disability. A research team at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has developed a device that easily snakes into the brain’s twisty vessels and can unclog an artery in a matter of minutes using gentle pulses of ultrasonic energy. This is in sharp contrast to current technologies that often take up to two hours to work.

Building an Artificial Ovary – A New Tool for Understanding Reproductive Biology and Preserving Fertility: September 30, 2009
Preserving fertility is a major concern for women and girls facing cancer diagnosis because chemotherapy and radiation are harmful to the ovaries. Scientists are developing 3-D scaffolds that mimic the ovary so that immature egg cells could be matured outside of the body. The technology will allow women to freeze their ovarian tissue for use at a later time, without the need for time-consuming ovarian stimulation.

Smooth or Wiggly Blood Vessel Shape Reveals Disease: August 31, 2009
Different diseases affect the shape of blood vessels. Cancer, for instance, tends to change vessels from smooth tubes into jagged conduits. But conventional imaging alone cannot reveal key details about a blood vessel’s shape. By combining magnetic resonance angiography with computer analysis, researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, have developed a noninvasive method to assess tumor malignancy and to track response to drug therapy. The approach also offers insight into how the brain ages.

Catch a Brain Wave and Teach it to Communicate: July 22, 2009
Communication is a challenge for people who are locked into their bodies as a result of a severe neuromuscular condition such as Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) or brainstem stroke. By training the brain to control its own electrical activity rather than the body’s muscles, researchers at the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, are helping these individuals remain connected to their families, friends, and colleagues and are opening up new possibilities for brain-computer interactions.

Cracking the Brain’s Firewall with Ultrasound: June 29, 2009
For too long the blood-brain barrier has kept potentially life-saving drugs from entering the central nervous system and brain. Now researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Sunnybrook Health Science Center, University of Toronto, have developed an ultrasound technique that temporarily opens the blood-brain barrier allowing drug therapies for diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s to pass into the central nervous system.

Taking the Elbow Grease Out of Scrubbing Sensitive Data from Medical Records: May 31, 2009
Advances in technology have contributed to the growth of electronic medical data systems, increasing concern among patients and health care providers about the confidentiality of clinical information. NIBIB-funded investigators have created software to aggregate and share health data with researchers while maintaining patient confidentiality.

The Little Microscope that Can: April 30, 2009
A new microscope the size of a bumblee’s hair bristle could change disease diagnosis in remote areas of the world as well as home-based disease monitoring. Developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, the lensless microscope relies on tubes and channels to guide samples through a chamber. A sensor similar to those used in digital cameras records the images.

Ronin: Masterless Samurai Protein Preserves Stem Cells: March 31, 2009
Embryonic stem (ES) cells have shown great promise in the creation of replacement cells and tissues to treat a number of diseases. Scientists at Baylor College identified a new protein, Ronin, which has potential for preserving stem cells for use in many medical applications.

Listening for One Cell in a Billion: February 25, 2009
By combining light and sound, researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, may have found a way to detect infections and cancer cells before they become life-threatening. Preliminary studies show the novel technique, in vivo photoacoustic flow cytometry, can pinpoint a single cluster of skin cancer cells in a billion blood cells.

Microchip Measures a Lot in a Little: January 30, 2009
Terry Phillips’ recycling immunoaffinity microchip can measure up to 30 proteins in a sample 1/100th the volume of a drop of blood. This cutting-edge tool is helping researchers study biomarkers in new ways and has the potential to make a tremendous impact on clinical care.