Biotechnology and Bioengineering News

September 9, 2016

Researcher Just Served World First CRISPR Meal?

Those Research Cells Not Always What You Think

Biological Circuits Remember, Respond to Stimuli

Synthetic Biology Used to Coordinate Drug Release

Latest Headlines

updated 1:22am EDT

More Tomatoes, Faster: Accelerating Tomato Engineering

Aug. 30, 2016 — While looking for ways to make tomatoes and other crop plants more productive, researchers developed a way to cut the time required to modify a tomato's genes by six weeks. ... read more

Synthetic Biology: Engineering a Chemical Switch Into a Light-Driven Proton Pump

Aug. 9, 2016 — Synthetic biology is an emerging and rapidly evolving engineering discipline. Now scientists have engineered a chemically ... read more

A New Bio-Ink for 3-D Printing With Stem Cells

June 23, 2016 — Scientists have developed a new kind of bio-ink, which could eventually allow the production of complex tissues for surgical implants. The new stem cell-containing bio ink allows 3-D printing of ... read more

Malaria: A Genetically Attenuated Parasite Induces an Immune Response

July 18, 2016 — With nearly 3.2 billion people currently at risk of contracting malaria, scientists have experimentally developed a live, genetically attenuated vaccine for Plasmodium, the ... read more

Gas Sensors 'See' Through Soil to Analyze Microbial Interactions

July 18, 2016 — Researchers use programmed bacteria as gas sensors that help them 'see' into soil to learn about the behavior of the microbial ... read more

Stem Cells Feel the Force

July 12, 2016 — Scientists have gained new insights into how stem cells feel and respond to external mechanical forces by changing the way DNA is organized in the nucleus, and thereby the ... read more

Individual Mycobacteria Respond Differently to Antibiotics Based on Growth and Timing

July 1, 2016 — Scientists have identified factors that linked to why individual mycobacteria of the same genetic background can respond ... read more

E. Coli: The Ideal Transport Vehicle for Next-Gen Vaccines?

July 1, 2016 — Researchers have developed an E. coli-based transport capsule designed to help next-generation vaccines do a more efficient and effective job than today's immunizations. The ... read more

Unsilencing Silenced Genes by CRISPR/Cas9

July 1, 2016 — Scientists have developed a new technique to unleash silenced genes and change cell fates ... read more

Fix for 3-Billion-Year-Old Genetic Error Could Dramatically Improve Genetic Sequencing

June 23, 2016 — Researchers found a fix for a 3-billion-year-old glitch in one of the major carriers of information needed for life, RNA, ... read more

Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes to Fight Zika

How To Tell If Your Food Is Genetically Modified: It's Complicated

Pomegranates May Help Reverse Muscle Aging, Say Researchers

Floods in China Kill Almost 130, Wipe out Crops

Proteins Team Up to Turn on T Cells

July 15, 2016 — Scientists are learning how cells make the decision to become T ... read more

Researchers Harness DNA as the Engine of Super-Efficient Nanomachine

July 7, 2016 — Researchers have established a way to harness DNA as the engine of a microscopic 'machine' they can turn on to detect trace amounts of substances that range from viruses and bacteria to ... read more

Virus Uses 'Stolen' CRISPR to Hack Its Host's Immune System

June 14, 2016 — Microbiologists have discovered that the Cyanophage N1 virus carries a DNA sequence -- a CRISPR -- that is generally used by bacteria to fight off viral infection. The virus appears to use the stolen ... read more

Gene-Drive Modified Organisms Are Not Ready to Be Released Into Environment, Experts Say

June 8, 2016 — The emerging science of gene drives has the potential to address environmental and public health challenges, but gene-drive modified organisms are not ready to be released into the environment and ... read more

Gene Circuits in Live Cells Can Perform Complex Computations

June 3, 2016 — Researchers have developed a technique to integrate both analogue and digital computation in living cells, allowing them to form gene circuits capable of carrying out complex processing ... read more

Genetically Modified Golden Rice Falls Short on Lifesaving Promises

June 2, 2016 — Heralded on the cover of Time magazine in 2000 as a genetically modified (GMO) crop with the potential to save millions of lives in the Third World, Golden Rice is still years away from field ... read more

New CRISPR System for Targeting RNA

June 2, 2016 — Researchers have characterized a new CRISPR system that targets RNA, rather than DNA. The new approach has the potential to open a powerful avenue in cellular ... read more

New 'Genetic Barcode' Technique Reveals Details of Cell Lineage

May 26, 2016 — By using the gene editing tool CRISPR to create unique genetic 'barcodes,' it's possible to track the lineage of cells in a living organism, a new study ... read more

Consumer Knowledge Gap on Genetically Modified Food

May 25, 2016 — While consumers are aware of genetically modified crops and food, their knowledge level is limited and often at odds with the facts, according to a newly published ... read more

New Tools to Manipulate Biology

May 24, 2016 — Chemistry has provided many key tools and techniques to the biological community in the last twenty years. We can now make proteins that Mother Nature never thought of, image unique parts of live ... read more

Biologists Find How Plants Reconstitute Stem Cells

May 19, 2016 — Stem cells are typically thought to have the intrinsic ability to generate or replace specialized cells. However, a team of biologists has shown that regenerating plants can naturally reconstitute ... read more

A Path Away from Reliance on Oil, With the Help of Bacteria

May 19, 2016 — Adding genes to bacteria offers sustainable routes to make compounds currently obtained from ... read more

Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects

May 17, 2016 — An extensive study has found that new technologies in genetic engineering and conventional breeding are blurring the once clear distinctions between these two crop-improvement ... read more

Chance Finding Could Transform Plant Production

May 17, 2016 — An almost entirely accidental discovery by researchers could transform food and biofuel production and increase carbon capture on farmland. By tweaking a plant’s genetic profile, the researchers ... read more

Photosynthetic Bacteria Give Biologists a Cool New Tool

May 10, 2016 — Bioengineers have converted a protein pathway found in freshwater photosynthetic bacteria into the first engineered transcriptional regulatory tool that is activated exclusively by UV-violet light. ... read more

'Honeycomb' of Nanotubes Could Boost Genetic Engineering

Apr. 6, 2016 — Researchers have developed a new and highly efficient method for gene transfer. The technique, which involves culturing and transfecting cells with genetic material on an array of carbon nanotubes, ... read more

Pros and Cons of Mandatory GMO Labeling

Apr. 1, 2016 — Researchers have concluded that mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods is justified, based on an extensive review of international scientific and legal frameworks related to genetically ... read more

Proving the Genetic Code's Flexibility

Mar. 31, 2016 — Three-letter codons in a genome sequence can represent one of the 20 regularly used amino acids or stops. Scientists have discovered that microorganisms recognize more than one codon for ... read more

New Tools Allow Rapid ID of CRISPR-Cas System PAMs

Mar. 31, 2016 — CRISPR-Cas systems are widely heralded as a new generation of genetic tools. But development of these tools requires researchers to identify the protospacer-adjacent motifs that unlock each ... read more

New Methods of Enhancing Efficiency of Genetic Engineering in Mice, Rats

Mar. 24, 2016 — Two new gene modification methods have been developed: lsODN (long single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide) and 2H2OP (two-hit two-oligo with plasmid). These methods use CRISPR (Clustered Regularly ... read more

Friday, July 15, 2016

Proteins team up to turn on T cells

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Researchers harness DNA as the engine of super-efficient nanomachine

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Virus uses 'stolen' CRISPR to hack its host's immune system

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Gene-drive modified organisms are not ready to be released into environment, experts say

Friday, June 3, 2016

Gene circuits in live cells can perform complex computations

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Thursday, May 26, 2016

New 'genetic barcode' technique reveals details of cell lineage

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Consumer knowledge gap on genetically modified food

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

New tools to manipulate biology

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Photosynthetic bacteria give biologists a cool new tool

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

'Honeycomb' of nanotubes could boost genetic engineering

Friday, April 1, 2016

Pros and cons of mandatory GMO labeling

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Thursday, March 24, 2016

New methods of enhancing efficiency of genetic engineering in mice, rats

Thursday, March 17, 2016

For first time, scientists use CRISPR-Cas9 to target RNA in live cells

Monday, February 29, 2016

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

EU decision process hinders use of genetically modified trees

Monday, February 22, 2016

Microbiologists advance CRISPR research

Friday, February 19, 2016

New device may speed up DNA insertion into bacteria

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Monday, February 15, 2016

Using light to control protein transport from cell nucleus

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Breaking cell barriers with retractable protein nanoneedles

Thursday, February 4, 2016

A newly discovered form of immunity helps explain how bacteria fight off viruses

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Virologists investigating novel applications for viruses

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Fatty acids from genetically modified oilseed crops could replace fish oil

Friday, January 8, 2016

Gene editing technique improves vision in rats with inherited blindness

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Friday, December 18, 2015

Bacterium carrying a cloned Bt-gene could help millions infected with roundworms

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Bacteria engineered with synthetic circadian clocks

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Intracellular calcium integrates complex signaling to control stem cell activity

Monday, November 30, 2015

Shining light on microbial growth and death inside our guts

Thursday, November 26, 2015

DNA sequences in GMOs: Largest database now publicly available

Monday, November 23, 2015

Hydra can modify its genetic program

Monday, November 16, 2015

Monday, November 9, 2015

Flipping the switch to better see cancer cells at depths

Monday, November 2, 2015

Engineers design magnetic cell sensors

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Microbiomes could hold keys to improving life as we know it

Monday, October 26, 2015

Cellular stress management in people and plants

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Blocking differentiation is enough to give cells 'stemness'

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Teenagers and mutant tomatoes

Monday, October 19, 2015

Genome-edited plants, without DNA

Monday, October 12, 2015

Establishment of systems metabolic engineering strategies to develop microbial strains

Friday, October 9, 2015

A cure for vitamin B6 deficiency?

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Plant biosensor could help African farmers fight parasitic 'witchweed'

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Removing genes without a trace

Friday, September 25, 2015

Root microbiome engineering improves plant growth

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Protein conjugation method offers new possibilities for biomaterials

Monday, September 21, 2015

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Synthetic biology needs robust safety mechanisms before real world application

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Game-changing technology enables faster, cheaper gene editing

Monday, August 31, 2015

Biologists identify mechanisms of embryonic wound repair

Friday, August 28, 2015

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Modified bacteria become a multicellular circuit

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Embryonic stem cells controlled with light

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Regulatory, certification systems creating paralysis in use of genetically altered trees

Friday, August 14, 2015

Microbe that bolsters isobutanol production created

Monday, August 10, 2015

Bioengineers identify key genes, functions for sustaining microbial life

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

New biosensors for managing microbial 'workers'

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Simple flip of genetic switch determines aging or longevity in animals

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Sweet revenge against superbugs

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Model for robots with bacteria-controlled brains

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Basic computing elements created in bacteria

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Scientists program solitary yeast cells to say 'hello' to one another

Monday, June 22, 2015

Expanding the DNA alphabet: 'Extra' DNA base found to be stable in mammals

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Scientists use molecular 'lock and key' for potential control of GMOs

Monday, June 15, 2015

Bacterial genome scalpel can identify key gene regions

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Coral colonies more genetically diverse than assumed

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Researchers edit plant DNA using mechanism evolved in bacteria

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Friday, May 29, 2015

Stem cell switch on the move

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Scientists see a natural place for 'rewilded' plants in organic farming

Monday, May 4, 2015

Sixth DNA base discovered?

Friday, May 1, 2015

Highly efficient CRISPR knock-in in mouse

Thursday, April 30, 2015

New tool can switch behavior -- such as voracious eating -- 'on' and 'off'

Friday, April 24, 2015

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Horizontal gene transfer: Sweet potato naturally 'genetically modified'

Friday, April 17, 2015

Bioenergy: Genetics of wood formation

Monday, April 6, 2015

Engineers gain control of gene activity by synthetically creating key component of epigenome

Friday, April 3, 2015

CRISPR-Cas genome editing of candida albicans holds promise for overcoming deadly fungal infections

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Engineers develop new yeast strain to enhance biofuel and biochemical production