Biotechnology and Bioengineering News

November 7, 2016

Breakthrough in Genetic Modification of Grains

Researcher Just Served World First CRISPR Meal?

Those Research Cells Not Always What You Think

Biological Circuits Remember, Respond to Stimuli

Latest Headlines

updated 4:53pm EST

Tobacco Plants Engineered to Manufacture High Yields of Malaria Drug

Oct. 20, 2016 — In 2015, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded in part for the discovery of artemisinin, a plant-derived compound that's proven to be a lifesaver in treating ... read more

Antifungal RNA Spray Could Help Fight Barley Crop Disease

Oct. 13, 2016 — Spraying barley crops with RNA molecules that inhibit fungus growth could help protect the plants against disease, according to a new study. Plant diseases caused by fungi ... read more

Researchers Modify Yeast to Show How Plants Respond to a Key Hormone

Sep. 27, 2016 — Researchers have developed a novel toolkit based on modified yeast cells to tease out how plant genes and proteins respond to auxin, the most ubiquitous plant hormone. Their ... read more

Researcher Calls for Animal-Human Embryo Research to Proceed, but With Strong Animal Protections

Sep. 14, 2016 — A researcher calls for animal-human embryo research to proceed – but only with strong animal protections in place. So-called "chimera" research ... read more

Protein Found That Initiates DNA Repair

Sep. 9, 2016 — A research team has discovered a protein that may serve as a first responder that sets in motion a cascade of molecular activity to repair damaged ... read more

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

Synthetic Biology Used to Limit Bacterial Growth and Coordinate Drug Release

July 20, 2016 — Researchers have engineered a clinically relevant bacterium to produce cancer drugs and then self-destruct and release the ... 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

Dinosaur Brain Tissue Identified for First Time

Playing Pac-Man With Tiny Microbes

Healing Horses With Stem Cells

Elephant Gets Experimental Treatment to Relieve Arthritis

Chemists Create Clusters of Organelles by Mimicking Nature

Nov. 2, 2016 — Scientists have succeeded in organizing spherical compartments into clusters mimicking the way natural organelles would create complex structures. They managed to connect the synthetic compartments ... read more

Scientists Flip Molecular Switches to Distinguish Closely Related Immune Cell Populations

Nov. 1, 2016 — The cornerstone of genetics is the loss-of-function experiment. In short, this means that to figure out what exactly gene X is doing in a tissue of interest—be it developing brain cells or a ... read more

New Switch Decides Between Genome Repair, Death of Cells

Sep. 27, 2016 — The genetic information of every cell is encoded in the sequence of the DNA double helix. Double strand breaks in the DNA, which can be induced by radiation, are a dangerous threat to the cells, and ... read more

Shedding Light on the Limits of the Expanded Genetic Code

Sep. 15, 2016 — In 2014, scientists made a huge news splash when they reported the ability to grow bacteria with an expanded genetic code. Critics feared the rise of unnatural creatures; others appreciated 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 communities ... read more

Proteins Team Up to Turn on T Cells

July 15, 2016 — Scientists are learning how cells make the decision to become T ... 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 expression of genes that ... 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

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 research highlights ... 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 differently to antibiotics. The findings shed light on the complexity of ... 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 using ... 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, which until now produced errors when making copies of genetic information. ... 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

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Chemists create clusters of organelles by mimicking nature

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Scientists flip molecular switches to distinguish closely related immune cell populations

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

New switch decides between genome repair, death of cells

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Shedding light on the limits of the expanded genetic code

Monday, July 18, 2016

Gas sensors 'see' through soil to analyze microbial interactions

Friday, July 15, 2016

Proteins team up to turn on T cells

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Stem cells feel the force

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Researchers harness DNA as the engine of super-efficient nanomachine

Friday, July 1, 2016

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Fix for 3-billion-year-old genetic error could dramatically improve genetic sequencing

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