Stanford researchers used focused ultrasound to pry molecules of an anesthetic loose from nanoparticles. The drug’s release modified activity in brain regions targeted by the ultrasound beam.
With a $10 microchip, it’s possible to turn a $50,000 ultrasound machine into something closer to a 3D imaging device that normally costs around $250,000, researchers report.
Stanford University today announced that it has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate efforts in vaccine development. The $50 million grant over 10 years will build on existing technology developed at Stanford and housed in the Human Immune Monitoring Core, and will establish the Stanford Human Systems Immunology Center. The center aims to better understand how the immune system can be harnessed to develop vaccines for the world's most deadly infectious diseases.
By looking at groups of neurons in the emotional center of the brain, researchers now understand how neural networks in the brain form associations, like those made famous by Ivan Pavlov.
Stanford scientists produced a common cancer drug – previously only available from an endangered plant – in a common laboratory plant. This work could lead to a more stable supply of the drug and allow scientists to manipulate that drug to make it even safer and more effective.
Combining two cutting-edge techniques reveals that neurons in the prefrontal cortex are built to respond to reward or aversion, a finding with implications for treating mental illness and addictions.
The discovery supports a powerful tool for discovering galaxies that are otherwise too distant to observe, and could lead to advances that improve our understanding of dark matter.