Imagine seeing a furry, four-legged animal that meows. Mentally, you know what it is, but the word “cat” is stuck on the tip of your tongue. 

This phenomenon, known as Broca’s aphasia or expressive aphasia, is a language disorder that affects a person’s ability to speak or write. While the current go-to treatment is speech therapy, scientists at Northwestern University are working toward a different, possibly more effective treatment: using a brain computer interface (BCI) to convert brain signals into spoken words. In a new study, Northwestern Medicine scientists have, for the first time, identified specific brain regions outside the frontal lobe — in the temporal and parietal cortices — involved in the intent to produce speech. This opens the door to one day using a BCI to treat Broca’s aphasia. 

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a promising new approach that could be used to treat a rare and complex class of genetic diseases caused by defects in a relatively large region of the genome. By identifying and activating a master epigenetic switch using CRISPR, the researchers showed they can turn on many naturally suppressed genes from one parent to compensate for defects in the same genes provided by the second parent.

Los Angeles, CA – February 12, 2025—Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in wearable health technology by developing a novel self-healing electronic skin (E-Skin) that repairs itself in seconds after damage. This could potentially transform the landscape of personal health monitoring.