Articles tagged with Synthetic Biology
Scientists created a platform that pinpoints genetic triggers for microbes to produce new chemicals and materials. The method enables rapid, precise reprogramming of bacteria as biotechnology tools, supporting the domestic production of valuable products.
A team of researchers has successfully designed complete, functional bacteriophage genomes using AI, which could enable the creation of more durable phage-based therapies. The study also highlights important biosafety and biosecurity concerns that must be addressed to prevent potential harm.
Using artificial cells, researchers uncovered fundamental physical principles governing cell shape changes and front-rear polarity. They discovered that local interactions within the actin cytoskeleton can generate large-scale shape changes and front-rear polarity without relying on biochemical signaling.
Researchers have developed a genetic tool, mCHIRA, to study the effects of small sequence variations on gene regulation and tease apart the impact of genomic microenvironment. This approach enables scientists to test hundreds of regulatory DNA sequences and understand how cells determine which genes are active.
Researchers at Penn State will use the funding to develop new tools for investigating the genetics underpinning relationships between mosquitoes and various microbes. The projects aim to improve scientific understanding of mosquito-borne pathogens and eventually enable new discoveries that could help inhibit disease spread.
A review study reveals diverse metabolite families containing atypical atoms, including fluorine, selenium, arsenic, and boron, with distinct biological functions and properties. These elements shape natural products with structural and functional versatility, paving ways toward sustainable biotechnologies.
A team at TUM has developed a process to produce crucial amino acids from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and renewable energy. The approach converts solar energy into electricity, generating hydrogen that is then converted into methanol and eventually into amino acids.
Researchers use AI models to design synthetic RNA-guided nucleases with novel properties, outperforming natural enzymes in multiple cell types. The study reveals new structures and interactions of AI-designed proteins, demonstrating their potential for genetic engineering applications.
Researchers Cong Trinh and Seunghyun Ryu receive US Department of War funding to analyze fungal genes and develop new synthetic biology tools for mitigating fungal contamination in critical systems. The grant focuses on Candida species, which can degrade materials used in electronics, vehicles, and fuel systems.
Bacteriophages, viruses that naturally infect bacteria, can be engineered into rapid and highly specific biosensors for clinical diagnosis, food safety, and environmental monitoring. These phage-based systems offer a compelling alternative to conventional methods, which often involve tradeoffs between speed, sensitivity, and cost.
A new gene circuit technology has enabled cells to autonomously generate programmed responses, processing multiple molecular signals at once. The RATEX platform allows cells to compute and respond to various types of molecular information.
Researchers mapped the human kidney's developmental axis and engineered synthetic organizer cells to recreate key signals, producing improved lab-grown organoids. These advances enable more reliable models for studying disease and evaluating potential therapies.
Researchers propose that natural hallucinogens evolved to serve ecological functions such as defense, communication, and stress response. By modulating serotonin signaling pathways, these compounds can influence behavior in other species.
A POSTECH research team has created an automated, modular system for assembling reconstituted cell-free systems, significantly reducing costs by 95% and preparation time to 2 days. This innovation enables the customization of individual components, paving the way for improved biologically engineered high-value therapeutics.
Researchers designed artificial proteins that simultaneously form pentagonal and hexagonal arrangements to create virus-like structures. These structures can stably carry drugs, genetic materials, and enzymes within their interior space.
Researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo genetically engineer cyanobacteria to produce sulfated polysaccharides, a sustainable route for manufacturing biomaterials. The study demonstrates the feasibility of engineering complex biosynthetic pathways in photosynthetic organisms.
A new study describes an integrated solar reactor that uses engineered E. coli to grow biomass in a single beaker, combining sunlight, water, and CO2. This technology holds promise for producing environmentally clean chemicals and materials, as well as microbial protein.
Researchers have introduced an implantable 'living material' that contains bacteria sensing infections and releasing therapeutic molecules on demand. Engineered living cells can autonomously sense disease and deliver treatment directly at affected sites, offering a new class of medicine that sustains itself in vivo.
Researchers develop irreversible CRISPR base editing system to permanently block microbial survival, reducing environmental risk and genetic instability. The technology has broad applications in industrial biotechnology and biopharmaceutical fields.
An international team, led by Göttingen University, investigates how molecular crowding influences enzyme working efficiencies and signalling pathways within cells. The project aims to understand the role of cytoplasm's physical properties in controlling chemical reaction rates.
A protein from tardigrades has been found to protect synthetic cell membranes during dehydration, allowing them to survive rehydration. This discovery could lead to a way to store and transport biological microfactories, revolutionizing the production of medicines and other valuable molecules.
Researchers can now build and combine large DNA pieces, redesigning microbes as efficient cell factories for producing complex products like medicines and chemicals. This technology enables sustainable manufacturing, agriculture, and industrial biotechnology, and accelerates microbial cell factory development.
J. Craig Venter's pioneering work in expressed sequence tags revolutionized brain-expressed genes identification, while his synthetic cells paved the way for synthetic biology as a working discipline. His legacy has reshaped our understanding of genomes and their functions.
Researchers have developed a new method to build programmable artificial organelles inside living cells using RNA, enabling customization of cellular compartments and tunable properties. This approach may lead to specialized biological functions for nanomedicine and gene engineering.
Researchers from NUS engineered bacteria to restore metabolic balance across the gut, liver and brain, reducing brain toxins and preventing neurological symptoms. The approach preserves the natural diversity of the gut microbiome and has shown promising results in long-term safety studies.
Researchers at the University of Cape Town have identified a critical molecular switch that drives the formation of cancer-associated antigens. By understanding how enzymes relocate within a cell, they have uncovered key mechanisms for tumorigenesis.
An international team of researchers used AI to create tiny 'smart' proteins that detect chosen targets, opening the way to low-cost biosensors. The protein switches can work inside living cells and generate electrical signals, making them suitable for various sensing technologies.
CiQUS researchers develop a flexible system to replicate cellular functions by leveraging reversible chemical bonds and dynamic covalent chemistry. The approach enables the creation of microscopic chemical factories capable of hosting multiple reactions and accelerating reaction kinetics.
Researchers have repurposed a bacterial DNA synthesis system to enable DNA to act as an active 'field agent' inside living cells. This allows for the creation of programmable DNA fragments that can regulate gene expression and control protein behavior.
Professor Timo Betz's project aims to develop synthetic materials that mimic key behaviors of living cells, including self-organization and physical adaptation. By studying the mechanical properties of living cells, he will recreate part of the cell's interior in a synthetic way.
Researchers have identified and overcome metabolic instability as the key barrier to developing ovalicin, a potent relative of fumagillin. Using chem-bio hybrid synthesis, they created metabolically stable drug candidates that worked in animal models of amebiasis.
In a breakthrough study, researchers successfully integrated neuronal precursor cells into biobots, resulting in the formation of functional nervous systems. This development has significant implications for neuroscience, bioengineering, and regenerative medicine, enabling the investigation of fundamental questions about the origin of ...
Researchers at Tufts University and Wyss Institute created neurobots by adding nerve cells to tiny living forms called xenobots, which exhibit complex movements with simple neural networks. The resulting neurobots display unique behaviors and demonstrate the formation of primitive nervous systems.
Researchers developed a method called optovolution that uses light to guide the evolution of proteins with dynamic, multi-state, and computational functions. This approach favors variants with better dynamics, allowing for the creation of new variants with improved light sensitivity and responsiveness.
Researchers developed a method to produce durable lactate-based polyester with improved mechanical properties, comparable to traditional polymers. The new process resulted in a high molecular weight and balance of strength and elongation.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have created protein fibers that can exhibit high tensile strength, toughness, and mechanical stability, making them suitable for active wear and biomedical implants. The materials are grown using synthetic biology approaches and can be processed into a meat-like structure.
Researchers at Penn State have developed a bio-hybrid system that combines synthetic DNA with perovskite semiconductors to create a memory resistor that stores and processes data with minimal power consumption. This technology has the potential to enable more efficient data centers, speedier data processing and more complex data analysis.
A research team has developed a 'SUPER' platform that utilizes synthetic small RNAs as add-on controllers for genetic switches. This technology enhances the performance and stability of gene regulatory devices by addressing the issue of 'leakage', where genes continue to express at low levels even in the 'OFF' state.
A two-step approach to gene expression creates more resilient producers of nanostructures for advanced sensing and therapeutics. This new genetic regulatory system ensures host cells remain healthy while producing functional nanostructures.
A team from the University of Illinois developed a photobiocatalytic platform that enables Escherichia coli to produce complex molecules through light-driven enzymatic reactions. This breakthrough broadens the capabilities of biomanufacturing, offering a promising avenue for sustainable production of chemicals and materials.
A living biosensor made of bacteria detects acetic acid levels in wine, alerting wineries to potential spoilage. The sensor works in real-time and can detect volatile acetic acid in the air above wine bottles, enabling early intervention before damage is done.
A new study suggests that physical properties guided life before genes did. Phospholipids with more unsaturated bonds were more likely to merge and grow under freeze-thaw cycles.
Researchers from New England Biolabs and Yale University have developed a first fully synthetic bacteriophage engineering system using the High-Complexity Golden Gate Assembly platform. This method simplifies strain engineering techniques, allowing for rapid creation of tailored therapeutic strains to overcome antibiotic resistance.
Researchers developed a new technique called CLASSIC that enables large-scale testing of complex DNA circuits in human cells. The approach uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze vast numbers of complete circuits at once, providing scientists with a clearer picture of the rules governing genetic part behavior.
A multidisciplinary team of world-leading experts is developing an off-the-shelf engineered product that could address liver failure in millions of patients. The ImPLANT project aims to create synthetic biology-based gene circuits in human induced pluripotent stem cells to drive cell differentiation into all required liver cell types.
Researchers create a novel mathematical framework to control biological noise, enabling precise single-cell control. The 'Noise Robust Perfect Adaptation' technology suppresses stochastic fluctuations while maintaining stable average behavior, with promising applications in cancer therapy and synthetic biology.
Researchers at Northwestern University and Stanford University develop a new artificial metabolism that converts waste carbon dioxide into acetyl-CoA, a universal metabolite used by all living cells. The system, called Reductive Formate Pathway (ReForm), uses engineered enzymes to perform metabolic reactions never seen in nature.
A Danish research group has designed proteins that can detect specific DNA sequences and produce light, which can be captured by a phone's camera. This breakthrough enables quick and affordable analysis of samples in various fields such as healthcare, agriculture, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Researchers at Aarhus University equip artificial cells with tiny motors mimicking the bacterium's actin polymerization mechanism, creating a functional internal skeleton and network of protein filaments. The study demonstrates how motion and structural organization can emerge in synthetic systems.
Researchers have created a novel synthetic enzyme that efficiently converts CO2 into formic acid, opening up new possibilities for biotechnological production of valuable chemicals and fuels. The enzyme, FAR, tolerates high concentrations of formate and is stable in both living cells and cell-free systems.
Leading synthetic biologists share hard-won lessons from their decade-long quest to build the world's first synthetic eukaryotic genome. The insights could accelerate development of climate-resilient crops and custom-built cell factories.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have created phages with synthetic genetic material, allowing them to add and subtract genes. This breakthrough enables researchers to engineer phages to target specific bacteria, offering new hope for combating antibacterial resistance.
Genetic engineers design gene circuits to program cells with new functions, but dilution causes loss of function. Researchers use liquid-liquid phase separation to form transcriptional condensates around genes, protecting genetic programs and maintaining stability across cell generations.
The RODIN project aims to discover the subtle key structural features that cells engrave into materials when they are driven to produce specific tissues. The team will learn from this 'architectural wisdom' of cells to design new generations of higher performance biomaterials.
Scientists have created a micro-algal platform that allows for automated and fast testing of chloroplast genetic modifications, opening up plant chloroplasts to high-throughput applications. This platform enables researchers to fine-tune genetic circuits and identify which modifications have real potential.
Australian researchers have developed tiny compartments to help supercharge photosynthesis, enabling plants to fix carbon more efficiently. The team engineered encapsulins that can house the enzyme Rubisco in a confined space, allowing for fine-tuning of compatibility for future use in crops.
Researchers have developed new calcium channels that can be precisely controlled to study cellular signaling. The channels, built using artificial intelligence, were designed to mimic natural calcium channels and demonstrate their potential as tools for biomedical research.
Researchers at UC San Diego have discovered a new way to make yeast cells more efficient 'cell factories' for producing valuable plant compounds. The advance enables the sustainable manufacturing of plant-derived chemicals used to help plants defend against disease, repel pests, attract pollinators, and withstand environmental stresses.
Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh have created a soft material with a nerve net that mimics how simple living systems coordinate motion. The material responds to chemical reactions, producing mechanical movement without electronics or motors.
Researchers will investigate the role of invasive intestinal bacteria in disrupting the intestinal barrier and develop a novel mucin-on-a-chip to study inflammatory bowel disease. The study aims to provide insights into limiting bacterial drivers of IBD, proposing targeted therapies for chronic gastrointestinal disorders.