When some species of bacteria find themselves in an environmentally stressful situation they can hunker down and form spores—hardened protein-coated spheres protecting a DNA-filled core, stable for years or even centuries. Tufts researchers have found new ways to expand the potential for using bacterial spores as catalysts for chemical reactions, biofuel production, or breaking down pollutants

Advances in medical technology have improved our health in part by bringing key aspects of care, once difficult to access, into the home. Tracking symptoms and even screening for certain types of illness outside of a laboratory or clinical setting puts more control into the hands of patients. New research from the University of Illinois is helping to provide a practical answer to the question, what does a holistic system need to look like in order to work outside the laboratory?

Research led by Han Keun Lee in the laboratory of electrical and computer engineering professor Brian Cunningham, in collaboration with bioengineering professor Xing Wang, was published in the IEEE Sensors Journal. Lee, Cunningham, Wang, and their coauthors shared the design and validation of a device that offers the capability to read and compare results from a variety of sensitive tests for pathogens or cancer-associated biomarkers, all within a housing similar in size and shape to an AirPods case.