In a step forward for genetic engineering and synthetic biology, researchers have modified a strain of Escherichia coli bacteria to be immune to natural viral infections while also minimizing the potential for the bacteria or their modified genes to escape into the wild.
Tag: Genetic Engineering
New technique makes gene editing at scale possible in animals, turning years of work into days and making new kinds of genetic experiments possible
A new gene editing technique developed by University of Oregon researchers compresses what previously would have been years of work into just a few days, making new kinds of research possible in animal models.
Proof-of-Concept Study Advances Potential New Way to Deliver Gene Therapy
Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have successfully used a cell’s natural process for making proteins to “slide” genetic instructions into a cell and produce critical proteins missing from those cells.

National Researcher of the Year 2022 Decodes Drug Resistance in Animals – A Step towards Sustainable Solutions
Chula Veterinary Lecturer and “National Outstanding Researcher 2022” has revealed the genetic code that causes drug resistance in animals that affects human health, animals, and the environment, and suggests comprehensive solutions under the concept “One Health”.
GW Wins Contract to Develop Antidote-Bearing Organisms to Protect Against Biological, Chemical Threats
The George Washington University has been awarded a $3.6 million contract to genetically modify commensal organisms to produce antidotes for harmful biological and chemical agents, such as anthrax, Ebola, and even COVID-19.
New Technology Designed to Genetically Control Disease-spreading Mosquitoes
Scientists have created the precision-guided sterile insect technique, a new CRISPR-based technology to control Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species responsible for spreading wide-ranging diseases including dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika.
Researchers invent world’s smallest biomechanical linkage
Researchers at Princeton University have built the world’s smallest mechanically interlocked biological structure, a deceptively simple two-ring chain made from tiny strands of amino acids called peptides.
Research to Prevent Blindness and Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Announce 2022 Recipient of RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research
Donald Zack, MD, PhD, is recognized for ground-breaking contributions to the field of vision research, funded by Research to Prevent Blindness, an anonymous donor, and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology.

New enzyme breaks down waste for less expensive biofuels, bioproducts
In a step toward increasing the cost-effectiveness of renewable biofuels and bioproducts, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered a microbial enzyme that degrades tough-to-break bonds in lignin, a waste product of biorefineries.
UC San Diego Scientists Develop the First CRISPR/Cas9-based Gene Drive in Plants
Researchers have created the first CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive designed for plants. The new technology, which allows scientists to cut and copy key genetic elements, helps scientists breed plants that defend against crop diseases and withstand the impacts of climate change.
Computers design precise genetic programs
A change of instructions in a computer program directs the computer to execute a different command. Similarly, synthetic biologists are learning the rules for how to direct the activities of human cells.
Genetically Engineered Nanoparticle Delivers Dexamethasone Directly to Inflamed Lungs
Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed immune cell-mimicking nanoparticles that target inflammation in the lungs and deliver drugs directly where they’re needed. As a proof of concept, the researchers filled the nanoparticles with the drug dexamethasone and administered them to mice with inflamed lung tissue. Inflammation was completely treated in mice given the nanoparticles, at a drug concentration where standard delivery methods did not have any efficacy.
Synthetic SPECIES Developed for Use as a Confinable Gene Drive
Scientists have developed a gene drive with a built-in genetic barrier that is designed to keep the drive under control. The researchers engineered synthetic fly species that, upon release in sufficient numbers, act as gene drives that can spread locally and be reversed if desired.
Researchers Create New CRISPR Tools to Help Contain Mosquito Disease Transmission
Scientists have developed a toolkit that helps pave the way to a gene drive designed to stop Culex mosquitoes from spreading disease. Culex mosquitoes spread devastating afflictions stemming from West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and the pathogen causing avian malaria.

Researchers Unveil Detailed Genome of Invasive Malaria Mosquito
Researchers have produced a groundbreaking new reference genome for the Asian malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi. The achievement will help scientists engineer advanced forms of defense against malaria transmission, including targeted CRISPR and gene drive-based strategies.

Making wheat and peanuts less allergenic
Research uses plant breeding and biotechnology to remove proteins associated with food allergies.

Synthetic Biology and Machine Learning Speed the Creation of Lab-Grown Livers
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have combined synthetic biology with a machine learning algorithm to create human liver organoids with blood and bile handling systems. When implanted into mice with failing livers, the lab-grown replacement livers extended life.
International Group of Scientists Explain the Advantages of Using Metabolic Engineering to Address Hidden Hunger
In a perspective paper, “Multiplying the efficiency and impact of biofortification through metabolic engineering,” published in Nature Communications, an international team of scientists, led by Ghent University, explain how plant genetic engineering can help to sustainably address micronutrient malnutrition.

New Technique Helps Solve a Long-Standing Obstacle for Microbial Genetic Engineering
Scientists can alter genes and transfer them from one organism to another using genetic engineering. To do this, genetic engineers use DNA recombination techniques to move fragments of DNA between organisms. Scientists can then modify the gene however they want. This process is called. Now scientists have developed a fast method to find new proteins involved in DNA recombination that can improve the efficiency of genetic engineering.

UCLA receives nearly $14 million from NIH to investigate gene therapy to combat HIV
UCLA researchers and colleagues have received a $13.65 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate and further develop an immunotherapy known as CAR T, which uses genetically modified stem cells to target and destroy HIV.
Researchers track how bacteria purge toxic metals
Cornell researchers combined genetic engineering, single-molecule tracking and protein quantitation to get a closer look at this mechanism and understand how it functions. The knowledge could lead to the development of more effective antibacterial treatments.

Foxglove plants produce heart medicine. Can science do it better?
Biologist Zhen Wang’s team recently published a pair of papers detailing characteristics of cardiac glycosides in two foxglove species. “This kind of study is important because we first have to know the accurate structure of natural compounds before we can explore their medicinal effects,” she says.

Are there edible cotton seeds?
Genetic engineering makes cotton seeds safe for human consumption
Russian expert is ready to comment on the coronavirus
Pavel Volchkov heads the Genome Engineering Lab at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), that has several key projects, all of them involving genome editing mediated by the CRISPR/Cas technology. Discovered just a few years ago, CRISPR/Cas has…