Synthetic Biology – News and Features

Researchers have engineered an enzyme to produce synthetic genetic material, advancing the discovery of new therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune, metabolic and infectious diseases.

Researchers have discovered how cells of a Comamonas bacterium are breaking down plastic for food. They chew the plastic into nanoparticles, secrete enzymes and ultimately use a ring of carbon atoms from the plastic as a food source.

Using a specialized bacterium, scientists have transferred DNA instructions for all manner of amino acids, peptides, proteins or other molecules found in animal-based products, into different plants’ cells.

Researchers discovered that bacteria can perform DNA inversions within single genes, altering their genetic coding. This finding challenges traditional genetic understanding and may lead to novel applications in synthetic biology.

A study led by scientists at Stanford Medicine has shown that inversions, which cause a physical flip of a segment of DNA and change an organism’s genetic identity, can occur within a single gene, challenging a central dogma of biology.

A new CRISPRkit could bring modern biology advances to the classroom for about two dollars per kit, helping students understand the technology by using it themselves.

Researchers have developed a technique using DNA microbeads to control organoid development. This method releases growth factors and signal molecules precisely, creating more complex and realistic organoids.

Technology Networks spoke to Dr. Steven Benner to learn more about what synthetic "alien" DNA can tell us about life on other planets and how this technology could be harnessed to improve disease diagnostics and treatment.

A new and open access “Human Gut Microbiome Atlas” could help researchers and healthcare professionals better understand disease signatures of the gut microbiome and lead to more effective treatments.

A new genome recording strategy aims to turn cells into their own historians, by storing information about transient biological events inside living cells.