News Type: Research

Launching no earlier than March 6, Johns Hopkins University will send heart muscle tissues, contained in a specially-designed tissue chip the size of a small cellphone, up to the microgravity environment of the International Space Station for one month of observation.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have designed and successfully tested an experimental, super small package able to deliver molecular signals that tag implanted human cancer cells in mice and make them visible for destruction by the animals' immune systems. The new method was developed, say the researchers, to deliver an immune system "uncloaking" device directly to cancer cells.

In search of new ways to sequence human genomes and read critical alterations in DNA, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully used the gene cutting tool CRISPR to make cuts in DNA around lengthy tumor genes, which can be used to collect sequence information.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine report they have created a tiny, nanosize container that can slip inside cells and deliver protein-based medicines and gene therapies of any size — even hefty ones attached to the gene-editing tool called CRISPR.

Natalia Trayanova and other scientists at Johns Hopkins have successfully created personalized digital replicas of the upper chambers of the heart and used them to guide the precise treatment of patients suffering from persistent irregular heartbeats. These simulations accurately identified where clinicians need to destroy tissue to restore the heart’s normal rhythm.

In a proof-of-concept study, an international scientific team led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers has shown that a laboratory test using artificial intelligence tools has the potential to more accurately sort out which people with pancreatic cysts will go on to develop pancreatic cancers.

A study examines stem cells as they differentiate into heart muscle cells, finding that small, fleeting genetic mutations can affect disease risk over time.

Working with researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Joshua Doloff has devised a new way to prevent medical device fibrosis.

In a records review of 290 people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, scientists at Johns Hopkins say they have identified an average level of biological and anatomical brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease that occur three to 10 years — some even more than 30 years — before the disease’s first recognizable symptoms appear.

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers develop an image-based computer model of tumor behavior that captures more of the complexity of cancer growth.

Steven Salzberg, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, collaborated with researchers from the University of California, Davis and Save the Redwoods League to successfully sequence the coast redwood and giant sequoia genomes.

In a proof-of-principle study in mice, PhD candidate John Hickey and scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine report the creation of a specialized gel that acts like a lymph node to successfully activate and multiply cancer-fighting immune system T-cells.

In a landmark study, a group of U.S. scientists from Johns Hopkins, Stanford University and other institutions has found no long-lasting, major differences between the epigenomes of astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year in space aboard the International Space Station, and his twin brother, Mark, who remained on Earth.

In studies with lab-grown human cells and in mice, Aleksander Popel and other Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have found that an experimental drug may be twice as good at fighting vision loss as previously thought.

Working with mice, a team of Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers has developed a relatively inexpensive, portable mini microscope that could improve scientists’ ability to image the effects of cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions in the brains of living and active mice over time.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins report that a computer program they designed may help surgeons identify and label spinal segments during real time operating room procedures and avoid the costly and potentially debilitating consequences of operating on the wrong segment.

In a new study focusing on four regions of normal human brain tissue, Johns Hopkins scientists have found about 13,000 regions of epigenetic differences between neurons in different brain regions that vary by at least 10 percent.

A team led by Sridevi Sarma, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins, has found that the decision to “up the ante” even in the face of long odds is the result of an internal bias that adds up over time and involves a “push-pull” dynamic between the brain’s two hemispheres.

When graduate student Luke Osborn needed to test the fingertip sensors he’d spent years developing for prosthesis wearers, he didn’t have far to look. The ensuing collaboration and results hold big promise for amputees.

If you are wondering how long you personally are willing to stand in line to buy that hot new holiday gift, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say the answer may be found in the biological rules governing how animals typically forage for food and other rewards.

In a new analysis, Johns Hopkins scientists say that the collective genomes of 910 people of African descent have a large chunk — about 300 million bits — of genetic material missing from the basic reference genome.

A new Johns Hopkins study explores navigation similarities between the mind and robot swarms.

Driver genes in different metastases from the same patient are remarkably similar, providing optimism for the success of future targeted therapies, according to a published study by Science.

In a proof of concept study, scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have successfully performed 3D personalized virtual simulations of the heart to accurately identify where cardiac specialists should electrically destroy cardiac tissue to stop potentially fatal irregular and rapid heartbeats in patients with scarring in the heart.

In a “proof of concept” study, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully delivered nano-size packets of genetic code called microRNAs to treat human brain tumors implanted in mice.

The electronic ‘skin’ will enable amputees to perceive through prosthetic fingertips.

Researchers with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine received a $3 million grant to use computational modeling and software to understand biological data, in combination with unique in vitro and animal studies, to better treat liver cancer.

Jeff Siewerdsen and his team are advancing imaging technologies that will make surgery more precise and improve patient safety.

Uncovering the cerebellum’s “language” reveals workings of a biological learning machine

Often people think performing in front of others will make them mess up, but a new study led by a Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist found the opposite: being watched makes people do better.