Image shows bone progenitor cells labeled by red glow inside a cleared femur. Credit: A. Greenbaum et al., Science Translational Medicine (2017)

Cells engineered to produce insulin under the command of a smartphone helped keep blood sugar levels within normal limits in diabetic mice. More than 415 million people worldwide are living with diabetes, and frequently need to inject themselves with insulin to manage their blood sugars. Human cells can be genetically engineered into living factories that efficiently manufacture and deliver hormones and signaling molecules, but most synthetic biological circuits don’t offer the same degree of sensitivity and precision as digital sensors.

Combining living tissues and technology, Jiawei Shao et al...

Credit: UCL/Western Eye Hospital A patient’s retina showing hyperfluorescent signals – each white spot is a single ‘sick’ retinal nerve cell.

A simple, inexpensive diagnostic tool DARC (Detection of Apoptosing Retinal Cells) has been developed. In clinical trials it allowed for the first time visualization of individual nerve cell death in patients with glaucoma. Early detection means doctors can start treatments before sight loss begins. Ongoing trials are investigating the potential of the test for other neurodegenerative conditions.

Glaucoma affects 60 million people in the world, with 1 in 10 suffering total sight loss in both eyes. Early detection means doctors can start treatments before sight loss begins...

This is an artistic interpretation of how an electronic device in the stomach could be powered wirelessly. Credit: Ella Maru Studio / Giovanni Traverso / Abubakar Abid

Using mid-field wireless powering, investigators can transfer power from outside the body to electronics in the gastrointestinal tract. Imagers, gastric pacemakers and other diagnostic and therapeutic tools could someday transform the way diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are measured and treated. But in order for these electronic devices to work, they need a power source. Traditional power sources, eg. batteries, can be incompatible with the mucosal lining and have a limited lifespan within the body. A more promising possibility is to power electronic devices from outside the body...

MIT researchers have designed a system that can 3-D print the basic structure of an entire building. The system consists of a tracked vehicle that carries a large industrial robotic arm, which has a smaller, precision-motion robotic arm at its end. Credit: Photo Steven Keating, Julian Leland, Levi Cai, and Neri Oxman/Mediated Matter Group

Tech could enable faster, cheaper, more adaptable building construction. Structures built with this system could be produced faster and less expensively than traditional construction methods allow. A building could also be completely customized...