tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74461828625543141622024-02-02T10:41:30.072-08:00Synthetic Biology TechnologyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-10986623628964547052023-08-24T17:42:00.000-07:002023-08-24T17:42:26.528-07:00Synthetic Biology Basics<h1>Synthetic Biology Basics</h1>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtj7xR2XSZ9t1qOnFddBvsoG6MTHH5a-zUeC8oW6TrN8STKMqq4a1ZT9G4tFEm5ZWvKHLdLcjKicSP7PZtgqCkN0fUyfRXzk-0_xDP3Ml9aTm6fqC4oV0-0xg8xbA5vX1tV90OYvKbfaB-o9wxPtUczRXGNjqcU4nt5YO2weuCb2ZVNWKSiIlRwVPjb0/s512/Synthetic-Biology-Basics.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtj7xR2XSZ9t1qOnFddBvsoG6MTHH5a-zUeC8oW6TrN8STKMqq4a1ZT9G4tFEm5ZWvKHLdLcjKicSP7PZtgqCkN0fUyfRXzk-0_xDP3Ml9aTm6fqC4oV0-0xg8xbA5vX1tV90OYvKbfaB-o9wxPtUczRXGNjqcU4nt5YO2weuCb2ZVNWKSiIlRwVPjb0/w400-h400/Synthetic-Biology-Basics.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Synthetic Biology Basics</span></h4></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white" style="text-align: center;">What is synthetic biology, and how does it combine biology and engineering?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Synthetic biology involves designing and manipulating biological systems for useful purposes by applying engineering principles to biology.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">How is genetic engineering at the core of synthetic biology?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Genetic engineering is central to synthetic biology, involving the deliberate modification of DNA sequences to achieve specific functions.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">What are "biobricks," and how do they relate to standardization in synthetic biology?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">"Biobricks" are standardized genetic components that work like building blocks, enabling the assembly of complex biological systems by promoting modularity.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">How does computational modeling contribute to synthetic biology?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Computational tools and modeling, known as bioinformatics, assist in analyzing biological data, predicting outcomes, and designing optimal genetic sequences before experiments.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">In what ways does synthetic biology impact biotechnology and biofuel production?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Synthetic biology accelerates the development of genetically engineered organisms to produce valuable compounds like biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and enzymes.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">How does synthetic biology contribute to medical advancements?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Synthetic biology offers avenues for drug production, such as engineered bacteria producing therapeutic proteins, and designing biosensors for rapid disease detection.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">How can synthetic organisms contribute to bioremediation and environmental solutions?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Engineered microbes can remediate polluted environments by breaking down pollutants and toxins, contributing to sustainable waste management.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">How does synthetic biology play a role in agricultural innovation?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Synthetic biology aids in creating resilient crops with enhanced nutrition, disease resistance, and adaptability to changing climates.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">How does synthetic biology intersect with materials science?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Synthetic biology and biomimicry converge to create novel materials inspired by nature, including bioplastics, textiles, and construction materials.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">What is artificial biology, and how does it relate to synthetic DNA?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Artificial biology involves creating life forms using synthetic DNA, including the incorporation of non-natural genetic elements known as xenobiology.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">What ethical concerns arise with synthetic biology?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Ethical boundaries and concerns about dual-use arise as synthetic biology could lead to the creation of potentially harmful organisms or their malicious use.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">How could engineered organisms impact the environment unintentionally?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Engineered organisms might disrupt ecosystems if released into the environment. Risk assessment and containment strategies are essential to avoid unintended ecological consequences.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">How does the intersection of synthetic biology and biotechnology raise questions about intellectual property?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Intellectual property rights, access to genetic information, and the balance between proprietary knowledge and open collaboration become significant concerns.</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-secondary text-white">In conclusion, what is the role of synthetic biology in our future?</div>
<div class="p-3 mb-2 bg-primary text-white">Synthetic biology exemplifies human innovation, pushing the boundaries of life's potential. Responsible addressing of ethical, safety, and regulatory aspects is vital as it reshapes industries and our relationship with nature.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-37067660864968500182016-01-21T18:13:00.000-08:002018-02-09T15:29:00.539-08:00Researchers Improves CRISPR's Cut-and-Paste Functionality<h2 class="title">
<span style="color: maroon;">Advance improves cutting and pasting with CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing</span></h2>
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University of California, Berkeley<br />
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January 20, 2016<br />
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Berkeley researchers have made a major improvement in CRISPR-Cas9 technology that achieves an unprecedented success rate of 60 percent when replacing a short stretch of DNA with another.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Researchers Improves CRISPR's Cut-and-Paste Functionality</b></td></tr>
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The improved technique is especially useful when trying to repair genetic mutations that cause hereditary diseases, such as sickle cell disease or severe combined immune deficiency. The technique allows researchers to patch an abnormal section of DNA with the normal sequence and potentially correct the defect and is already working in cell culture to improve ongoing efforts to repair defective genes.<br />
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“The exciting thing about CRISPR-Cas9 is the promise of fixing genes in place in our genome, but the efficiency for that can be very low,” said Jacob Corn, scientific director of the Innovative Genomics Initiative at UC Berkeley, a group that focuses on next-generation genome editing and gene regulation for lab and clinical application. “If you think of gene editing as a word processor, we know how to cut, but we need a more efficient way to paste and glue a new piece of DNA where we make the cut.”<br />
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“In cases where you want to change very small regions of DNA, up to 30 base pairs, this technique would be extremely effective,” said first author Christopher Richardson, an IGI postdoc.<br />
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Problems in short sections of DNA, including single base-pair mutations, are typical of many genetic diseases. Base pairs are the individual building blocks of DNA, strung end-to-end in a strand that coils around a complementary strand to make the well-known helical, double-stranded DNA molecule.<br />
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Richardson, Corn and their IGI colleagues describe the new technique in the Jan. 21 issue of the journal <em>Nature Biotechnology</em>.<br />
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<strong>Grabbing onto a loose strand</strong><br />
Richardson invented the new approach after finding that the Cas9 protein, which does the actual DNA cutting, remains attached to the chromosome for up to six hours, long after it has sliced through the double-stranded DNA. Richardson looked closely at the Cas9 protein bound to the two strands of DNA and discovered that while the protein hangs onto three of the cut ends, one of the ends remains free.<br />
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When Cas9 cuts DNA, repair systems in the cell can grab a piece of complementary DNA, called a template, to repair the cut. Researchers can add templates containing changes that alter existing sequences in the genome — for example, correcting a disease-causing mutation.<br />
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Richardson reasoned that bringing the substitute template directly to the site of the cut would improve the patching efficiency, and constructed a piece of DNA that matches the free DNA end and carries the genetic sequence to be inserted at the other end. The technique worked extremely well, allowing successful repair of a mutation with up to 60 percent efficiency.<br />
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“Our data indicate that Cas9 breaks could be different at a molecular level from breaks generated by other targeted nucleases, such as TALENS and zinc-finger nucleases, which suggests that strategies like the ones we are using can give you more efficient repair of Cas9 breaks,” Richardson said.<br />
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The researchers also showed that variants of the Cas9 protein that bind DNA but do<em>not</em> cut also can successfully paste a new DNA sequence at the binding site, possibly by forming a “bubble” structure on the target DNA that also acts to attract the repair template. Gene editing using Cas9 without genome cutting could be safer than typical gene editing by removing the danger of off-target cutting in the genome, Corn said.<br />
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Co-authors with Richardson and Corn are IGI researchers Jordan Ray, Mark DeWitt and Gemma Curie. The work was funded by the Li Ka Shing Foundation.<br />
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News Release Source : <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/advance-improves-cutting-and-pasting-crispr-cas9-gene-editing" target="_blank">Advance improves cutting and pasting with CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing</a></span><br />
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Image Credit : <a href="http://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/news_images/Cas9binding750-410x273.jpg" target="_blank">University of California, Berkeley</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-31091131441376647432015-09-24T21:26:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:31.690-08:00Synthetic Biology Needs Safety and Stability before Real World
Application<h2 class="page_title"><span style="color: #800000;">Synthetic biology needs robust safety mechanisms before real world application</span></h2><br/><p class="summary"><span style="color: #808080;"><em><strong>Ethics and technology hold the key to the success of synthetic biology</strong></em></span></p><br/><p class="summary">ELSEVIER</p><br/><p class="summary">Amsterdam</p><br/><p class="summary">September 16, 2015</p><br/>Targeted cancer treatments, toxicity sensors and living factories: synthetic biology has the potential to revolutionize science and medicine. But before the technology is ready for real-world applications, more attention needs to be paid to its safety and stability, say experts in a review article published in <em>Current Opinion in Chemical Biology</em>.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_270" align="aligncenter" width="560"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2015/09/25/synthetic-biology-needs-safety-and-stability-before-real-world-application/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-038/" rel="attachment wp-att-270"><img class="size-full wp-image-270" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-038.jpg" alt="Synthetic Biology Needs Safety and Stability before Real World Application www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-038" width="560" height="477" /></a> <span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Synthetic Biology Needs Safety and Stability before Real World Application</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>Synthetic biology involves engineering microbes like bacteria to program them to behave in certain ways. For example, bacteria can be engineered to glow when they detect certain molecules, and can be turned into tiny factories to produce chemicals.<br/><br/>Synthetic biology has now reached a stage where it's ready to move out of the lab and into the real world, to be used in patients and in the field. According to Professor Pamela Silver, one of the authors of the article from Harvard Medical School in the US, this move means researchers should increase focus on the safety of engineered microbes in biological systems like the human body.<br/><br/>"Historically, molecular biologists engineered microbes as industrial organisms to produce different molecules," said Professor Silver. "The more we discovered about microbes, the easier it was to program them. We've now reached a very exciting phase in synthetic biology where we're ready to apply what we've developed in the real world, and this is where safety is vital."<br/><br/>Microbes have an impact on health; the way they interact with animals is being ever more revealed by microbiome research - studies on all the microbes that live in the body - and this is making them easier and faster to engineer. Scientists are now able to synthesize whole genomes, making it technically possible to build a microbe from scratch.<br/><br/>"Ultimately, this is the future - this will be the way we program microbes and other cell types," said Dr. Silver. "Microbes have small genomes, so they're not too complex to build from scratch. That gives us huge opportunities to design them to do specific jobs, and we can also program in safety mechanisms."<br/><br/>One of the big safety issues associated with engineering microbial genomes is the transfer of their genes to wild microbes. Microbes are able to transfer segments of their DNA during reproduction, which leads to genetic evolution. One key challenge associated with synthetic biology is preventing this transfer between the engineered genome and wild microbial genomes.<br/><br/>There are already several levels of safety infrastructure in place to ensure no unethical research is done, and the kinds of organisms that are allowed in laboratories. The focus now, according to Dr. Silver, is on technology to ensure safety. When scientists build synthetic microbes, they can program in mechanisms called kill switches that cause the microbes to self-destruct if their environment changes in certain ways.<br/><br/>Microbial sensors and drug delivery systems can be shown to work in the lab, but researchers are not yet sure how they will function in a human body or a large-scale bioreactor. Engineered organisms have huge potential, but they will only be useful if proven to be reliable, predictable, and cost effective. Today, engineered bacteria are already in clinical trials for cancer, and this is just the beginning, says Dr. Silver.<br/><br/>"The rate at which this field is moving forward is incredible. I don't know what happened - maybe it's the media coverage, maybe the charisma - but we're on the verge of something very exciting. Once we've figured out how to make genomes more quickly and easily, synthetic biology will change the way we work as researchers, and even the way we treat diseases."<br/><p align="center">###</p><br/>Read the story on Elsevier Connect<br/><br/><strong>Article details</strong><br/><br/>"Synthetic biology expands chemical control of microorganisms" by Tyler J Ford and Pamela A Silver (doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2015.05.012). The article appears in <em>Current Opinion in Chemical Biology</em>, Volume 28 (October 2015), published by Elsevier.<br/><br/>News Release Source : <span style="color: #000000;"><a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/e-sbn091615.php" target="_blank">Synthetic biology needs robust safety mechanisms before real world application</a></span><br/><p class="summary"></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-7197118173387484412015-09-08T18:54:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:31.244-08:00MIT Researchers Develop Basic Computing Elements for Bacteria<h2 class="article-heading"><span style="color: #800000;">Researchers develop basic computing elements for bacteria</span></h2><br/>MIT July 9, 2015<br/><br/>The “friendly” bacteria inside our digestive systems are being given an upgrade, which may one day allow them to be programmed to detect and ultimately treat diseases such as colon cancer and immune disorders.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_264" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2015/09/09/mit-researchers-develop-basic-computing-elements-for-bacteria/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-037/" rel="attachment wp-att-264"><img class="size-full wp-image-264" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-037.jpg" alt="MIT Researchers Develop Basic Computing Elements for Bacteria www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-037" width="650" height="434" /></a> <span style="color: #800000;"><strong><em>The illustration depicts Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (white) living on mammalian cells in the gut (large pink cells coated in microvilli) and being activated by exogenously added chemical signals (small green dots) to express specific genes, such as those encoding light-generating luciferase proteins (glowing bacteria).</em></strong></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>In a paper published today in the journal <em>Cell Systems</em>, researchers at MIT unveil a series of sensors, memory switches, and circuits that can be encoded in the common human gut bacterium <em>Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron</em>.<br/><br/>These basic computing elements will allow the bacteria to sense, memorize, and respond to signals in the gut, with future applications that might include the early detection and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer.<br/><br/>Researchers have previously built genetic circuits inside model organisms such as <em>E. coli</em>. However, such strains are only found at low levels within the human gut, according to Timothy Lu, an associate professor of biological engineering and of electrical engineering and computer science, who led the research alongside Christopher Voigt, a professor of biological engineering at MIT.<br/><br/>“We wanted to work with strains like <em>B. thetaiotaomicron</em> that are present in many people in abundant levels, and can stably colonize the gut for long periods of time,” Lu says.<br/><br/>The team developed a series of genetic parts that can be used to precisely program gene expression within the bacteria. “Using these parts, we built four sensors that can be encoded in the bacterium’s DNA that respond to a signal to switch genes on and off inside <em>B. thetaiotaomicron</em>,” Voigt says. These can be food additives, including sugars, which allow the bacteria to be controlled by the food that is eaten by the host, Voigt adds.<br/><br/><strong>Bacterial “memory”</strong><br/><br/>To sense and report on pathologies in the gut, including signs of bleeding or inflammation, the bacteria will need to remember this information and report it externally. To enable them to do this, the researchers equipped <em>B. thetaiotaomicron</em> with a form of genetic memory. They used a class of proteins known as recombinases, which can record information into bacterial DNA by recognizing specific DNA addresses and inverting their direction.<br/><br/>The researchers also implemented a technology known as CRISPR interference, which can be used to control which genes are turned on or off in the bacterium. The researchers used it to modulate the ability of <em>B. thetaiotaomicron</em> to consume a specific nutrient and to resist being killed by an antimicrobial molecule.<br/><br/>The researchers demonstrated that their set of genetic tools and switches functioned within <em>B. thetaiotaomicron</em>colonizing the gut of mice. When the mice were fed food containing the right ingredients, they showed that the bacteria could remember what the mice ate.<br/><br/><strong>Expanded toolkit</strong><br/><br/>The researchers now plan to expand the application of their tools to different species of <em>Bacteroides</em>. That is because the microbial makeup of the gut varies from person to person, meaning that a particular species might be the dominant bacteria in one patient, but not in others.<br/><br/>“We aim to expand our genetic toolkit to a wide range of bacteria that are important commensal organisms in the human gut,” Lu says.<br/><br/>The concept of using microbes to sense and respond to signs of disease could also be used elsewhere in the body, he adds.<br/><br/>In addition, more advanced genetic computing circuits could be built upon this genetic toolkit in <em>Bacteroides</em> to enhance their performance as noninvasive diagnostics and therapeutics.<br/><br/>“For example, we want to have high sensitivity and specificity when diagnosing disease with engineered bacteria,” Lu says. “To achieve this, we could engineer bacteria to detect multiple biomarkers, and only trigger a response when they are all present.”<br/><br/>Tom Ellis, group leader of the Centre for Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the research, says the paper takes many of the best tools that have been developed for synthetic biology applications with <em>E. coli </em>and moves them over to use with a common class of gut bacteria.<br/><br/>“Whereas others have developed tools and applications for engineering genetic circuits, or biosensors, in bacteria that are then placed in the gut, this paper stands out from the crowd by first engineering a member of the <em>Bacteroides</em> genus, the most common type of bacteria found in our guts,” Ellis says. The study has so far shown the efficacy of the approach in mice, and there will be a long road ahead before it can be approved for use in humans, Ellis says.<br/><br/>However, the paper really opens up the possibility of one day having engineered cells resident in our guts for long periods of time, he says. “These could do tasks like sensing and recording, or even in-situ synthesis of therapeutic molecules as and when they are needed.”<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a href="http://news.mit.edu/2015/basic-computing-for-bacteria-0709" target="_blank">Researchers develop basic computing elements for bacteria</a><br/><br/>Image Credit : <a href="https://www.eecs.mit.edu/news-events/media/researchers-develop-basic-computing-elements-bacteria">MIT</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-22510453121917425872015-08-08T18:00:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:30.841-08:00Synthetic Biology Students Compete in iGEM 2015<h2><span style="color: #800000;">Synthetic Biology Students Compete in iGEM 2015 Giant <em><strong>Jamboree</strong></em></span></h2><br/><h5><span style="color: #999999;"><em><strong><small>12th annual conference and competition to showcase student innovations in genetically engineered biological systems</small></strong></em></span></h5><br/><span class="xn-location">CAMBRIDGE, Mass.</span>, <span class="xn-chron">Aug. 5, 2015</span> /PRNewswire/<br/><br/><a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://www.igem.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">iGEM</a>, the largest synthetic biology community and premiere synthetic biology competition, today announced that more than 250 student-led teams will present their innovations at the iGEM Giant Jamboree,<span class="xn-chron">September 24-28, 2015</span> at the Hynes Convention Center in <span class="xn-location">Boston, MA.</span> The 12<sup>th</sup> annual <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://2015.igem.org/Giant_Jamboree" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">iGEM 2015 Giant Jamboree</a> gathers the industry's brightest minds for a five-day conference to collaborate on education and advancement of the synthetic biology field.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_256" align="aligncenter" width="722"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-036.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-256" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-036.jpg" alt="Synthetic Biology Students Compete in iGEM 2015 www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-036" width="722" height="292" /></a> <span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Synthetic Biology Students Compete in iGEM 2015</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>Over 4600 participants on 280 teams registered to take part in the 2015 competition. Teams represent countries across the world including <span class="xn-location">North America</span> (82), <span class="xn-location">Latin America</span> (20), <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> (72), <span class="xn-location">Asia</span> (104), and <span class="xn-location">Africa</span> (2). Students' knowledge of synthetic biology is put to the ultimate test as teams work for months to solve real-world challenges by creating novel genetically engineered systems. Their local experiences in a global community impart unique perspective in the field, especially as projects span a broad range across <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://2015.igem.org/Giant_Jamboree/Projects" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">15 different tracks</a> —including energy, environment, food and nutrition, manufacturing, health and medicine, community labs, among others.<br/><br/>After receiving a standard kit of BioBrick biological parts from the iGEM <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://parts.igem.org/Main_Page" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Registry of Standard Biological Parts</a>, an open library of biological parts that can be mixed and matched to build synthetic biology devices and systems, each team manages their own projects, advocates for their research, and secures funding. Teams are also challenged to actively consider and address the safety, security and environmental implications of their work.<br/><br/>"Much more than an annual student competition, the iGEM Giant Jamboree is also an international incubator for the synthetic biology industry that has spun out more than 20 competition projects into new startups," said <span class="xn-person">Randy Rettberg</span>, iGEM Foundation president. "With a spotlight on innovation, the iGEM Giant Jamboree also is about collaboration and giving back. iGEM competition teams submit biological parts from their projects to the Registry of Standard Biological Parts in a cycle that helps tomorrow's iGEM teams and research labs."<br/><br/>The iGEM Giant Jamboree five-day conference features today's leaders in synthetic biology. Team presentations and exhibition hall poster sessions showcase the latest research. Workshops, panel discussions and much more inspire and educate future synthetic biologists, introducing the next generation of elite researchers and scientists—the entrepreneurs, lab leaders, and workforce of biotechnology's future. The competition and conference concludes with an awards gala where winners will be presented on Monday, September 28. Through the iGEM competition, the <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://igem.org/About" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">iGEM Foundation</a> promotes education, safety and security, policy and regulation, multidisciplinary teamwork, technology, community, and open sharing.<br/><br/><b><u>Additional Resources</u></b><br/><ul type="disc"><br/> <li><b>iGEM</b> <b>Press Kit</b> and <b>Photos</b>: <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://www.igem.org/Press_Kit" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.igem.org/Press_Kit</a></li><br/> <li><b>2015 iGEM Giant Jamboree Brochure:</b> full details on the conference & competition, from event program, to registration, sponsorship and more: <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://2015.igem.org/Giant_Jamboree" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://2015.igem.org/Giant_Jamboree</a></li><br/> <li><b>2014 iGEM Giant Jamboree Booklet:</b> Read about real-world solutions from last year's competition:<a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://2014.igem.org/Giant_Jamboree/Booklet" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://2014.igem.org/Giant_Jamboree/Booklet</a></li><br/> <li><b>iGEM Registry of Standard Biological Parts</b>: <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://parts.igem.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://parts.igem.org</a></li><br/></ul><br/><b><u>About the iGEM Foundation<br/></u></b>The <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://igem.org/Main_Page" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">iGEM Foundation</a> is dedicated to education and competition, advancement of synthetic biology, and the development of open community and collaboration. iGEM, the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition, is a non-profit organization that inspires future synthetic biologists by hosting high school and collegiate level competitions in synthetic biology. iGEM also maintains the <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://parts.igem.org/Main_Page" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Registry of Standard Biological Parts</a> with over 20,000 specified genetic parts—the world's largest collection of BioBricks, open source DNA parts.<br/><br/>SOURCE iGEM<br/>RELATED LINKS<br/><a class="seoquake-nofollow" title="Link to http://igem.org" href="http://igem.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://igem.org</a><br/><br/>News Release Source : <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/synthetic-biology-students-compete-in-igem-2015-giant-jamboree-300123862.html" target="_blank">Synthetic Biology Students Compete in iGEM 2015 Giant</a><br/><br/>Image Credit : <a href="http://igem.org" target="_blank">iGEM</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-6320615318393973252015-01-01T16:01:00.000-08:002018-02-01T11:15:30.389-08:00Scientists Believe Synthetic Biology a Key to Long-term Manned Space
Missions<h2 class="page_title"><span style="color: #800000;">Synthetic biology for space exploration</span></h2><br/><h5 class="summary">Berkeley Lab scientists believe biomanufacturing a key to long-term manned space missions</h5><br/>DOE/LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY<br/><br/>Does synthetic biology hold the key to manned space exploration of Mars and the Moon? Berkeley Lab researchers have used synthetic biology to produce an inexpensive and reliable microbial-based alternative to the world's most effective anti-malaria drug, and to develop clean, green and sustainable alternatives to gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. In the future, synthetic biology could also be used to make manned space missions more practical.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_250" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-035.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-250" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-035.jpg" alt="Scientists Believe Synthetic Biology a Key to Long-term Manned Space Missions www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-035" width="650" height="657" /></a> <span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Scientists Believe Synthetic Biology a Key to Long-term Manned Space Missions</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>"Not only does synthetic biology promise to make the travel to extraterrestrial locations more practical and bearable, it could also be transformative once explorers arrive at their destination," says Adam Arkin, director of Berkeley Lab's Physical Biosciences Division (PBD) and a leading authority on synthetic and systems biology.<br/><br/>"During flight, the ability to augment fuel and other energy needs, to provide small amounts of needed materials, plus renewable, nutritional and taste-engineered food, and drugs-on-demand can save costs and increase astronaut health and welfare," Arkin says. "At an extraterrestrial base, synthetic biology could even make more effective use of the catalytic activities of diverse organisms."<br/><br/>Arkin is the senior author of a paper in the <em>Journal of the Royal Society Interface</em> that reports on a techno-economic analysis demonstrating "the significant utility of deploying non-traditional biological techniques to harness available volatiles and waste resources on manned long-duration space missions." The paper is titled "Towards Synthetic Biological Approaches to Resource Utilization on Space Missions." The lead and corresponding author is Amor Menezes, a postdoctoral scholar in Arkin's research group at the University of California (UC) Berkeley. Other co-authors are John Cumbers and John Hogan with the NASA Ames Research Center.<br/><br/>One of the biggest challenges to manned space missions is the expense. The NASA rule-of-thumb is that every unit mass of payload launched requires the support of an additional 99 units of mass, with "support" encompassing everything from fuel to oxygen to food and medicine for the astronauts, etc. Most of the current technologies now deployed or under development for providing this support are abiotic, meaning non-biological. Arkin, Menezes and their collaborators have shown that providing this support with technologies based on existing biological processes is a more than viable alternative.<br/><br/>"Because synthetic biology allows us to engineer biological processes to our advantage, we found in our analysis that technologies, when using common space metrics such as mass, power and volume, have the potential to provide substantial cost savings, especially in mass," Menezes says.<br/><br/>In their study, the authors looked at four target areas: fuel generation, food production, biopolymer synthesis, and pharmaceutical manufacture. They showed that for a 916 day manned mission to Mars, the use of microbial biomanufacturing capabilities could reduce the mass of fuel manufacturing by 56-percent, the mass of food-shipments by 38-percent, and the shipped mass to 3D-print a habitat for six by a whopping 85-percent. In addition, microbes could also completely replenish expired or irradiated stocks of pharmaceuticals, which would provide independence from unmanned re-supply spacecraft that take up to 210 days to arrive.<br/><br/>"Space has always provided a wonderful test of whether technology can meet strict engineering standards for both effect and safety," Arkin says. "NASA has worked decades to ensure that the specifications that new technologies must meet are rigorous and realistic, which allowed us to perform up-front techno-economic analysis."<br/><br/>The big advantage biological manufacturing holds over abiotic manufacturing is the remarkable ability of natural and engineered microbes to transform very simple starting substrates, such as carbon dioxide, water biomass or minerals, into materials that astronauts on long-term missions will need. This capability should prove especially useful for future extraterrestrial settlements.<br/><br/>"The mineral and carbon composition of other celestial bodies is different from the bulk of Earth, but the earth is diverse with many extreme environments that have some relationship to those that might be found at possible bases on the Moon or Mars," Arkin says. "Microbes could be used to greatly augment the materials available at a landing site, enable the biomanufacturing of food and pharmaceuticals, and possibly even modify and enrich local soils for agriculture in controlled environments."<br/><br/>The authors acknowledge that much of their analysis is speculative and that their calculations show a number of significant challenges to making biomanufacturing a feasible augmentation and replacement for abiotic technologies. However, they argue that the investment to overcome these barriers offers dramatic potential payoff for future space programs.<br/><br/>"We've got a long way to go since experimental proof-of-concept work in synthetic biology for space applications is just beginning, but long-duration manned missions are also a ways off," says Menezes. "Abiotic technologies were developed for many, many decades before they were successfully utilized in space, so of course biological technologies have some catching-up to do. However, this catching-up may not be that much, and in some cases, the biological technologies may already be superior to their abiotic counterparts."<br/><p align="center">###</p><br/>This research was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the University of California, Santa Cruz.<br/><br/>Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit <a href="http://www.lbl.gov/" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr />lbl.<wbr />gov</a>.<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="Synthetic biology for space exploration" href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-11/dbnl-sbf110614.php" target="_blank">Synthetic biology for space exploration</a><br/><br/>Image Credit : NASAUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-66625557179122905832014-11-26T17:32:00.000-08:002018-02-01T11:15:30.050-08:00Synbiota Users Raise Over $3 Million Dollars<h2 class="title"><span style="color: #800000;">Synbiota Users Raise Over $3 Million Dollars After Graduating From Indie Bio Accelerator</span></h2><br/><h5 class="subtitle"><span style="color: #808080;">Just 18 months after launch, Synbiota Inc's global network of biohackers has produced successful Synthetic Biology startups.</span></h5><br/><p class="releaseDateline">Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) November 12, 2014</p><br/>Indie Bio and Synbiota have teamed up to offer an exciting 4 month opportunity for those who are willing to take a pioneering leap into Synthetic Biology. The inaugural Summer 2014 cohort was primarily composed of teams from the Synbiota Network and because of their strong applications, great ideas, and hard work, they raised more than $3,000,000 in follow-up funding - Congrats biohackers!<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_243" align="aligncenter" width="554"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/11/27/synbiota-users-raise-over-3-million-dollars/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-034/" rel="attachment wp-att-243"><img class="size-full wp-image-243" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-034.png" alt="Synbiota Users Raise Over $3 Million Dollars www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-034" width="554" height="335" /></a> <span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Synbiota Users Raise Over $3 Million Dollars</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/><a class="seoquake-nofollow" title="Indie Bio" href="http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id=aHR0cDovL2luZGllYi5pby8=" rel="nofollow">Indie Bio</a> is a wetware accelerator that focuses on entrepreneurs and researchers building technologies in or around the fields of synthetic biology and life science. Indie Bio offers 10 opportunities for $50,000 in seed funding, lab space, as well as mentorship to help take an idea to a product, in exchange for a 8% stake.<br/><br/><a class="seoquake-nofollow" title="Synbiota" href="http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id=aHR0cHM6Ly9zeW5iaW90YS5jb20=" rel="nofollow">Synbiota</a> is a web-based virtual lab that has been designed to support the development of synthetic biology solutions. With an electronic lab book, file storage, team management, IP tracking, metrics, GENtle3; the open-source DNA design tool, and an active community of researchers and enthusiasts spanning the entire globe, Synbiota is an effective R&D platform for individuals or teams of any size.<br/><br/>What Indie Bio graduates are saying about the opportunity:<br/><br/>“Making cow-free milk is not easy," says Ryan Pandya, co-founder of <a class="seoquake-nofollow" title="Muufri" href="http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id=aHR0cDovL211dWZyaS5jb20=" rel="nofollow">Muufri</a> "but the potential benefits for both humans and cows are undeniable. The Muufri team assembled because of a relationship between New Harvest, Synbiota, and Indie Bio. We were early adopters of Synbiota’s technology and it enabled us to rapidly develop and document our Synthetic Biology R&D, which recently led us to a $2,000,000 investment."<br/><br/>“Synbiota was the first to recognize our talents through BricoBio and invited us to join their online community of biohackers" says Sarah Choukah, co-founder of<a class="seoquake-nofollow" title="Hyasynth" href="http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id=aHR0cDovL2h5YXN5bnRoYmlvLmNvbS8=" rel="nofollow">Hyasynth</a>. "Soon after, with Synbiota we were able to begin development and connect with Indie Bio to get our first round of funding for Hyasynth. We’re now raising additional funds, and Hyasynth is on trajectory to create the world’s first THC producing yeast.”<br/><br/><a class="seoquake-nofollow" title="Apply via Synbiota" href="http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id=aHR0cHM6Ly9zeW5iaW90YS5jb20vaW5kaWViaW8=" rel="nofollow">Apply via Synbiota</a> and link an existing project to increase the chances of being accepted into the program. Showcasing real progress, project organization, and clarity of vision is the best way to secure a position at Indie Bio. Moreover, Synbiota is the primary tool that all members of Indie Bio will use to manage IP and projects throughout the program.<br/><br/>Indie Bio is currently accepting applications for the second cohort, which will run from January 2015 to May 2015 in Silicon Valley. Indie Bio isn’t going to wait until all applications are in to decide on the best applicants. If the Indie Bio team thinks an idea is fundable, they will fund it right away, so the early applicants have a better chance of getting into the program.<br/><br/>Contact indiebio(at)synbiota(dot)com or call 1-87-SYNBIOTA if there are any questions.<br/><br/>Application Deadline for Indie Bio Silicon Valley is December 7th, 2014.<br/><br/>About Synbiota:<br/>Synbiota Inc. was founded in April 2013 in Toronto with the mission to streamline life science R&D and to make it universally accessible. Synbiota was a Fellow of Mozilla Labs, winner of 2014 SXSW Interactive, winner Hacking Health, and winner 48hrs in the Hub. Synbiota is the creator of GENtle the open-source, web-based DNA design tool. Synbiota initiated <a class="seoquake-nofollow" title="#ScienceHack" href="http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id=aHR0cHM6Ly9zY2llbmNlaGFjay5zeW5iaW90YS5jb20=" rel="nofollow">#ScienceHack</a>, a distributed effort to use Synthetic Biology and Open Science to produce real anti-cancer medicine. <a class="seoquake-nofollow" title="Press package" href="http://www.prweb.net/Redirect.aspx?id=aHR0cDovL3ByZXNzLnN5bmJpb3RhLmNvbS9jb21wYW55" rel="nofollow">Press package</a>.<br/><br/>About Indie Bio:<br/>Indie Bio is the world’s first Synthetic Biology accelerator devoted to funding and building startups dedicated solving humanity’s most pressing problems through biology. Indie Bio funds 4 Synthetic Biology accelerator cohorts per year in both San Francisco, USA., and Cork, Ireland.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-38404650512963123872014-11-26T16:19:00.000-08:002018-02-01T11:15:29.730-08:00Synthetic Biology Market to Reach $5,630 Million by 2018<h2><span style="color: #800000;">Synthetic Biology Market Growth Analysis and 2018 Worldwide Forecasts</span></h2><br/><h5><em><strong><span style="color: #808080;">According to this synthetic biology market report, the industry is expected to reach <span class="xn-money">$5,630.4 Million</span> by 2018 from <span class="xn-money">$1,923.1 Million</span> in 2013, growing at a CAGR of 24% during the forecast period. </span></strong></em></h5><br/>DALLAS, <span class="xn-chron">November 25, 2014</span> /PRNewswire/ --<br/><br/>ReportsnReports.com adds Synthetic Biology Market by Tool (XNA, Chassis, Oligos, Enzymes, Cloning kits), Technology (Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology, Gene Synthesis, Cloning & Sequencing), Application (Biofuels, Pharmaceuticals, Biomaterials, Bioremediation) - Global Forecast to 2018 as well as Global Synthetic Biology Market 2014-2018 research reports to the biotechnology intelligence collection of its online library.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_239" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/11/27/synthetic-biology-market-to-reach-5630-million-by-2018/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-033/" rel="attachment wp-att-239"><img class="size-full wp-image-239" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-033.jpg" alt="Synthetic Biology Market to Reach $5,630 Million by 2018 www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-033" width="650" height="576" /></a> <span style="color: #800080;"><em><strong>Synthetic Biology Market to Reach $5,630 Million by 2018</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>The synthetic biology market is rapidly evolving, with various technological advancements that have resulted in a paradigm shift within the market. This has resulted in advanced production of synthetic genes and chassis to develop synthetic organisms from scratch. The <a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/318512-synthetic-biology-market-by-tool-xna-chassis-oligos-enzymes-cloning-kits-technology-bioinformatics-nanotechnology-gene-synthesis-cloning-sequencing-application-biofuels-pharmaceuticals-biomaterials-bioremediation-global-forecast-to-2018.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><b>Synthetic Biology Market by Tool, Technology, Application - Global Forecast to 2018</b></a> research report says in 2013, the oligo nucleotides segment accounted for the largest share of the global synthetic biology market, by tool, while enabling technologies accounted for the largest share of the synthetic biology market, by technology. The medical application segment accounted for a major share of the synthetic biology applications market in 2013. <span class="xn-location">North America</span> accounted for the largest share of the global synthetic biology market, followed by <span class="xn-location">Europe</span>, <span class="xn-location">Asia</span>, and the Rest of the World (RoW). In the coming years, <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> is expected to witness the highest growth rate, with emphasis on <span class="xn-location">Germany</span>, U.K., <span class="xn-location">France</span>, <span class="xn-location">Denmark</span>, <span class="xn-location">Switzerland</span>, and Rest of <span class="xn-location">Europe</span>. These countries are expected to serve as revenue pockets for synthetic biology manufacturers.<br/><br/>The global synthetic biology market witnesses high-competitive intensity as there are several big and many small firms with similar product offerings. These companies adopt various strategies (new product launches, acquisitions, and geographical expansions) to increase their market shares and to establish a strong foothold in the global market. This report will enrich both established firms as well as new entrants/smaller firms to gauge the pulse of the market, which in turn helps the firms to garner a greater market share. Firms purchasing the report could use any one or a combination of the below mentioned five strategies (market penetration, product development/innovation, market development, market diversification, and competitive assessment)for strengthening their market shares.<br/><br/>According to this synthetic biology market report, the industry is expected to reach <span class="xn-money">$5,630.4 Million</span> by 2018 from <span class="xn-money">$1,923.1 Million</span> in 2013, growing at a CAGR of 24% during the forecast period. Companies profiled in this research include Amyris Inc., DuPont, Genscript <span class="xn-location">USA</span> Inc., Intrexon Corporation, Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) Inc., New England Biolabs Inc., Novozymes, Royal DSM N.V., Synthetic Genomics Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Order a copy of this research at<a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://www.reportsnreports.com/Purchase.aspx?name=318512" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.reportsnreports.com/Purchase.aspx?name=318512</a> .<br/><br/>The <b>Global Synthetic Biology Market 2014-2018</b> research report categorizes the industry on the basis of technology into four segments: Genome Engineering, DNA Sequencing, Bioinformatics and Biological Components and Integrated Systems. The term synthetic biology covers the designing and engineering of completely new biological parts, devices, and organisms as well as the redesigning of natural biological systems that provide improved and desirable functions. It is considered to be a form of extreme genetic engineering because it not only alters existing metabolic pathways, but also creates new ones. The engineered biological systems can be used to manipulate chemicals, fabricate materials and structures, produce energy, provide GM food, improve the efficiency of drugs and vaccines, and maintain a sustainable environment. This research (<a class="seoquake-nofollow" href="http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/292225-global-synthetic-biology-market-2014-2018.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/292225-global-synthetic-biology-market-2014-2018.html</a> ) forecasts that the Global Synthetic Biology market will grow at a CAGR of 33.8% over the period 2013-2018.<br/><br/>The Global Synthetic Biology Market 2014-2018 report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the Americas and the EMEA and APAC regions; it also covers the Global Synthetic Biology market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. It helps answer questions like what will the market size be in 2018 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?<br/><br/>Companies active in the synthetic biology market and discussed in this research include Amyris Inc., E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Synthetic Genomics Inc., Algenol Biofuels Inc., ATG: biosynthetics GmbH, Bayer AG, Bioneer Corp., Biosearch Technologies Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., CBC Comprehensive Biomarker Center GmbH, Cobalt Technologies, Evolva Holdings SA, Exxon Mobil Corp., GeneWorks Pty Ltd., Genomatica Inc., Gevo Inc., Ginkgo Bioworks, Green Biologics Ltd., New England Biolabs Inc., OriGene Technologies Inc., REG Life Sciences LLC, Royal DSM and Synthorx Inc. 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An array of RNA–activated sensors uses visible color changing proteins to indicate presence of a targeted RNA, capable of identifying pathogens such as antibiotic–resistant bacteria and strain–specific Ebola virus. Credit: Harvard's Wyss Institute[/caption]<br/><br/>That once far–fetched idea seems within closer reach as a result of two new studies describing the advances, published today in <i>Cell</i>, accomplished through extensive cross–team collaboration between two teams at the Wyss Institute headed by Wyss Core Faculty Members James Collins, Ph.D., and Peng Yin, Ph.D..<br/><br/>Wyss Institute scientists discuss the collaborative environment and team effort that led to two breakthroughs in synthetic biology that can either stand alone as distinct advances – or combine forces to create truly tantalizing potentials in diagnostics and gene therapies. Credit: Harvard’s Wyss Institute<br/><br/>"In the last fifteen years, there have been exciting advances in synthetic biology," said Collins, who is also Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medicine at Boston University, and Co–Director and Co–Founder of the Center of Synthetic Biology. "But until now, researchers have been limited in their progress due to the complexity of biological systems and the challenges faced when trying to re–purpose them. Synthetic biology has been confined to the laboratory, operating within living cells or in liquid–solution test tubes."<br/><br/>The conventional process can be thought of through an analogy to computer programming. Synthetic gene networks are built to carry out functions, similar to software applications, within a living cell or in a liquid solution, which is considered the "operating system".<br/><br/>"What we have been able to do is to create an in vitro, sterile, abiotic operating system upon which we can rationally design synthetic, biological mechanisms to carry out specific functions," said Collins, senior author of the first study, "Paper–Based Synthetic Gene Networks".<br/><br/>Leveraging an innovation for chemistry–based paper diagnostics previously devised by Wyss Institute Core Faculty Member George Whitesides, Ph.D. , the new in vitro operating system is ordinary paper.<br/><br/>"We've harnessed the genetic machinery of cells and embedded them in the fiber matrix of paper, which can then be freeze dried for storage and transport — we can now take synthetic biology out of the lab and use it anywhere to better understand our health and the environment," said lead author and Wyss Staff Scientist Keith Pardee, Ph.D.<br/><br/><b>Biological Programs on Paper</b><br/><br/>Using standard equipment at his lab bench and commercially–available, cell–free systems, Pardee designed and built a wide range of paper–based diagnostics and biosensors. He also used commonly–used fluorescent and color–changing proteins to provide visible indication that the mechanisms were working. Once built, the paper–based tools can be freeze dried for safe room–temperature storage and shipping, maintaining their effectiveness for up to one year. To be activated, the freeze–dried paper need simply be rehydrated with water.<br/><br/>The paper–based platform can also be used in the lab to save a huge amount of time and cost as compared to conventional in vivo methods of validating tools for cell–based research. "Where it would normally take two or three days to validate a tool inside of a living cell, this can be done using a synthetic biology paper–based platform in as little as 90 minutes," Pardee said.<br/><br/>As proof of concept, Collins and Pardee demonstrated a variety of effective paper–based tools ranging from small molecule and RNA actuation of genetic switches, to rapid design and construction of complex gene circuits, to programmable paper–based diagnostics that can detect antibiotic resistant bacteria and even strain–specific Ebola virus.<br/><br/>The Ebola sensor was created by using the paper–based method and utilized a novel gene regulator called a "toehold switch", a new system for gene expression control with unparalleled programmability and flexibility reported in the second study in<i>Cell</i>. Although its inventors had designed the toehold switch to regulate genes inside living cells, its function was easily transferred to the convenience of ordinary freeze–dried paper, showcasing the true robustness of both the freeze–dried paper technique and the toehold switch.<br/><br/>The Ebola sensor was conceived by Wyss Institute Postdoctoral Fellow Alex Green, Ph.D., co–inventor of the toehold switch regulator and lead author of its report, after the ongoing West Africa crisis brought the deadly pathogen to global spotlight. Due to its easy assembly and fast prototyping ability, Green was eager to test the paper–based platform as an operating system for the toehold switch, which he had initially developed for programming gene expression in living cells. Green reached out to Pardee and together they assembled the prototype Ebola sensor in less than a day and then developed an assay that can differentiate between Sudan and Zaire virus strains within an hour of exposure.<br/><br/><b>Putting the 'Synthetic' in 'Synthetic Biology'</b><br/><br/>The toehold switch works as such an accurate biosensor because it can be programmed to only react with specific, intended targets, producing true "switch" behavior with an unprecedented ability to turn on targeted gene expression. It can be programmed to precisely detect an RNA signature of virtually any kind and then turn on production of a specific protein.<br/><br/>Reported in the paper "Toehold Switches: De–Novo–Designed Regulators of Gene Expression", Green developed the toehold switch gene regulator with senior author Yin, who is Associate Professor in the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School in addition to being a Wyss Core Faculty Member.<br/><br/>"While conventional synthetic biology complicates accuracy and functionality because it relies on re–purposing and re–wiring existing biological parts, the toehold switch is inspired by Nature but is an entirely novel, de–novo–designed gene expression regulator," said Yin.<br/><p style="text-align: right;">"We looked at our progress to rationally design dynamic DNA nanodevices in test tubes and applied that same fundamental principle to solve problems in synthetic biology," said Yin. The resulting toehold switch, an RNA–based organic nanodevice, is a truly "synthetic" synthetic gene regulator with 40–fold better ability to control gene expression than conventional regulators.</p><br/>The toehold switch functions so precisely that many different toehold switches can operate simultaneously in the same cell. This allows several toehold switches to be linked together, creating a complex circuit, which could be programmed to carry out multiple–step functions such as first detecting a pathogen and then delivering an appropriate therapy.<br/><br/>"Instead of re–purposing an existing part that was evolved by Nature, we wanted to change our way of thinking, leverage naturally–occurring principles, and build from scratch," Green said. His Ph.D. in materials science and strong computer programming skills allowed him to approach biology with a fresh perspective and start from the ground up to engineer the toehold switch, rather than merely rewiring existing natural parts.<br/><br/>Wyss Institute scientists discuss the collaborative environment and team effort that led to two breakthroughs in synthetic biology that can either stand alone as distinct advances – or combine forces to create truly tantalizing potentials in diagnostics and gene therapies. Credit: Harvard’s Wyss Institute<br/><br/>By combining forces, the two Wyss Institute teams showed that the toehold switch, so effective in living cells for its dynamic control of in vivo gene expression, is also fully capable of functioning in vitro on freeze–dried paper. With its impressive gene regulation functions able to be transported out of the lab for easy delivery of diagnostics and gene therapies, paper–based toehold switches promise a profound impact on human and environmental health.<br/><br/>"Whether used in vivo or in vitro, the ability to rationally design gene regulators opens many doors for increasingly complex synthetic biological circuits," Green said.<br/><br/><b>The Wyss Effect</b><br/><br/>Standing on their own, both paper–based synthetic gene networks and toehold switch gene regulators could each have revolutionary impacts on synthetic biology: the former brings synthetic biology out of the traditional confinement of a living cell, the latter provides a rational design framework to enable de–novo design of both the parts and the network of gene regulation. But combining the two technologies together could truly set the stage for powerful, multiplex biological circuits and sensors that can be quickly and inexpensively assembled for transport and use anywhere in the world.<br/><br/>"The level of idea sharing and collaboration that occurred to achieve these results is evidence of the teamwork that is the lifeblood of the Wyss," said Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, and Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science. "But we go beyond collaboration, to ensure that these great ideas are translated into useful technologies that can have transformative impact in the real world."<br/><p align="center">###</p><br/>Images and video are available.<br/><br/><a href="http://wyss.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University</a> uses Nature's design principles to develop bioinspired materials and devices that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world. Working as an alliance among all of Harvard's Schools, and in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston University, Tufts University, and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and the University of Zurich, the Institute crosses disciplinary and institutional barriers to engage in high-risk research that leads to transformative technological breakthroughs. By emulating Nature's principles for self-organizing and self-regulating, Wyss researchers are developing innovative new engineering solutions for healthcare, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing. These technologies are translated into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators, corporate alliances, and new start-ups.<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="Synthetic biology on ordinary paper, results off the page" href="http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpressrelease/174/synthetic-biology-on-ordinary-paper-results-off-the-page" target="_blank">Synthetic biology on ordinary paper, results off the page</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-18565900293012319522014-10-27T19:01:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:29.147-08:00194 Countries Urged to Regulate Synthetic Biology Now<h2 id="page-title" class="title"><span style="color: #800000;">Regulate Synthetic Biology Now: 194 Countries</span></h2><br/><em><strong><span style="color: #999999;">SynBio industry’s wild west days are numbered</span></strong></em><br/><br/>PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA<br/><br/>In a unanimous decision of 194 countries, the United Nation's Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) today formally urged nation states to regulate synthetic biology (SynBio), a new extreme form of genetic engineering. The landmark decision follows ten days of hard-fought negotiations between developing countries and a small group of wealthy biotech-friendly economies. Until now, synthetic organisms have been developed and commercialized without international regulations; increasing numbers of synthetically-derived products are making their way to market. The CBD’s decision is regarded as a "starting signal" for governments to begin establishing formal oversight for this exploding and controversial field.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_226" align="aligncenter" width="477"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/10/28/194-countries-asked-regulate-synthetic-biology-now/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-031/" rel="attachment wp-att-226"><img class="size-full wp-image-226" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-031.png" alt="194 Countries asked Regulate Synthetic Biology Now www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-031" width="477" height="475" /></a> <span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>194 Countries asked Regulate Synthetic Biology Now</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>"Synthetic Biology has been like the wild west: a risky technology frontier with little oversight or regulation,” Jim Thomas of ETC Group explained from CBD negotiations in Korea. “At last the UN is laying down the law."<br/><br/>"This international decision is very clear,” Thomas added. “Not only do countries now have to set up the means to regulate synthetic biology, but those regulations need to be based on precaution and not harming the environment. The good news is that precaution won the day."<br/><br/>This decision comes at a critical time. The SynBio industry is bringing some of its first products to market, including a vanilla flavour produced by synthetically modified yeast and specialized oils used in soaps and detergents derived from synthetically modified algae. In December, bay area SynBio firm Glowing Plants Inc. intends to release synthetically-engineered glow-in-the-dark plants to 6,000 recipients without government oversight. The United States is not a signatory to the CBD, making it one of only three countries that will not be formally bound by this decision (the other 2 are Andorra and the Holy See).<br/><br/>Compared to conventional genetic engineering, synthetic biology poses serious risks to the environment, biodiversity and health as well as to the cultures and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and local communities. Scientists warn that modified algae and yeast could have unpredictable effects if they escape. New applications could also disrupt the behaviour of plants, insects and potentially whole ecosystems. For example, dsRNA crop sprays[1] disrupt the action of genes, which may kill targeted pest, but will also affect other organisms in unpredictable ways by silencing genes.<br/><br/>"The multibillion-dollar SynBio industry has been slipping untested ingredients into food, cosmetics and soaps; they are even preparing to release synthetically modified organisms into the environment,” said Dana Perls of Friends of the Earth-U.S. “This decision is a clear signal that synthetic biology urgently needs to be assessed and regulated. “Governments need to step in to do that."<br/><br/>Many of the diplomats negotiating at the UN Convention had instructions to establish a complete moratorium on the release of synthetically modified organisms. However, they faced stiff opposition from a small group of wealthy countries with strong biotech industries, particularly Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.<br/><br/>After a week of negotiations, battle lines were drawn between the pro-SynBio states on one side and African, Asian, Caribbean and Latin American countries on the other side. Notable among the latter group were: Malaysia, Bolivia, Philippines, Saint Lucia Antigua, Ethiopia, Timor Leste and Egypt.<br/><br/>Global South representatives raised concerns that synthetic biology products intended to replace agricultural commodities could devastate their economies and degrade biodiversity. Many delegates were also concerned that synthetically modified organisms could create biosafety risks – e.g. the possibility of synthetic algae escaping into waterways, producing a solar-powered oil spill.<br/><br/>A network of international organizations including Friends of the Earth, ETC Group, Econexus and the Federation of German Scientists had been closely monitoring the negotiations and providing input for over 4 years. Civil society groups first raised the topic of synthetic biology at the CBD in 2010.<br/><br/>“It was good to see delegates of the South stand up for the interests of their farmers, peasants and biodiversity here in Pyeongchang," said Neth Dano, Asia Director of ETC Group. "This is not the moratorium many of us wanted, but it’s a good step in the right direction."<br/><br/>“Synthetic biology involves many novel, experimental, little understood techniques and outcomes, and this greatly increases the risks involved to the environment, human health, food security and livelihoods,” said Helena Paul of EcoNexus. “Our technical cleverness tends to blind us to our ignorance; the UK wishes to play a leading role in synthetic biology and does not seem to want precaution to stand in the way, so this COP decision is a helpful corrective to that dangerous policy.”<br/><br/><strong>What’s in the CBD decision?</strong><br/><br/>The CBD’s three-page decision outlines its recommendations for member countries’ approaches to synthetic biology. The CBD urges all member countries to:<br/><ul><br/> <li>Follow a precautionary approach to synthetic biology.</li><br/></ul><br/><ul><br/> <li>Set up systems to regulate the environmental release of any synthetic biology organisms or products. These regulations must ensure that activities in one country cannot harm the environment of another. (Article 3 of the CBD)</li><br/></ul><br/><ul><br/> <li>Ensure that no synthetic biology organisms are released for field trials without a process of formal prior risk assessment.</li><br/></ul><br/><ul><br/> <li>Submit synthetic biology organisms, components and products to scientific assessments that consider risks to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity as well as human health, food security and socio-economic considerations.</li><br/></ul><br/><ul><br/> <li>Encourage research funds to assess the safety of synthetic biology as well the socio-economic impacts of the technology.</li><br/></ul><br/><ul><br/> <li>Support developing countries to develop their capacity to assess synthetic biology.</li><br/></ul><br/>The decision also:<br/><ul><br/> <li>Establishes an ongoing process within the Convention on Biological Diversity, including an expert group which will establish a definition of synthetic biology and identify whether existing governance arrangements are adequate.</li><br/></ul><br/><ul><br/> <li>Invites other UN bodies to consider the issue of synthetic biology as it relates to their mandates.</li><br/></ul><br/><strong>Notes to Editors:</strong><br/><br/>The full text of the decision agreed by COP 12 of the CBD is <a class="ext" href="http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/cop/cop-12/insession/cop-12-L-24-en.pdf">available here</a>.<br/><br/>Synthetic biology covers a range of new genetic engineering techniques that either build from scratch or “edit” the genetic code of living organisms. It’s a rapidly expanding industry that re-engineers microbes and other organisms to produce industrially useful compounds. For more information about, visit <a class="ext" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ETCGroup/cf71a188a4/ea5a057fa0/29e87e40bf/utm_content=veronica%40etcgroup.org&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=www%2Esynbiowatch%2Eorg&utm_campaign=Regulate%20Synthetic%20Biology%20Now%3A%20194%20Countries">www.synbiowatch.org</a><br/><br/><strong>References</strong> 1. dsRNA stands for double stranded RNA. These molecules are a part of the finely tuned gene regulation of an organism. They will switch of specific genes, but their mode of action and interaction is not well understood.<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="Regulate Synthetic Biology Now: 194 Countries" href="http://www.etcgroup.org/content/regulate-synthetic-biology-now-194-countries-0" target="_blank">Regulate Synthetic Biology Now: 194 Countries</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-79442484540844597452014-10-27T18:02:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:28.816-08:00Prof. James Collins to Receive The 2015 HFSP Nakasone Award<h2><strong>James Collins to receive the 2015 HFSP Nakasone Award</strong></h2><br/><em><strong>The 2015 HFSP Nakasone Award</strong></em><br/><br/>The Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) has announced that the 2015 HFSP Nakasone Award has been conferred upon James Collins of Boston University and Harvard's Wyss Institute for his innovative work on synthetic gene networks and programmable cells which launched the exciting field of synthetic biology.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_222" align="aligncenter" width="640"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/10/28/prof-james-collins-receive-the-2015-hfsp-nakasone-award/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-030/" rel="attachment wp-att-222"><img class="size-full wp-image-222" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-030.jpg" alt="James Collins to receive the 2015 HFSP Nakasone Award www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-030" width="640" height="427" /></a> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>James Collins to receive the 2015 HFSP Nakasone Award</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>The HFSP Nakasone Award was established to honour scientists who have made key breakthroughs in fields at the forefront of the life sciences. It recognizes the vision of former Prime Minister Nakasone of Japan in the creation of the Human Frontier Science Program. James Collins will present the HFSP Nakasone Lecture at the 15th annual meeting of HFSP awardees to be held in La Jolla, California, in July 2015.<br/><br/>James Collins was one of the first to show that one can engineer biological circuits out of proteins, genes and other bits of DNA. He designed and constructed a genetic toggle switch - a bistable gene circuit with broad implications for biomedicine and biotechnology. This work represents a landmark in the beginnings of synthetic biology. He showed that synthetic gene networks can be used as regulatory modules and interfaced with the cell's genetic circuitry to create programmable cells for biomedical and biotech applications. Along these lines, Collins has developed whole-cell biosensors to detect various stimuli (chemicals, pathogens, heavy metals, explosives), as well as synthetic probiotics to detect and treat infections (e.g., cholera). Collins has also designed and constructed RNA switches, genetic counters, programmable microbial kill switches, synthetic bacteriophages to combat bacterial infections, genetic switchboards for metabolic engineering, synthetic mRNA for stem cell reprogramming, and tunable mammalian genetic switches.<br/><br/>Collins' innovative work in synthetic biology is impacting the biosciences and the biotech industry in providing one of the key enabling technologies of the 21st century. His engineered gene circuits and synthetic biology technology have been utilized by multiple companies in diverse fields ranging from agriculture to drug discovery. His work has inspired scientists around the world and enabled multiple biomedical applications, including in vivo bio-sensing, antibiotic potentiation, biofilm eradication, drug target identification and validation, microbiome reengineering, and efficient stem cell reprogramming and differentiation. Collins' mammalian switch technology is being used by research groups worldwide and his programmable microbial kill switch was highlighted by President Obama's Bioethics Commission as a much-needed safeguard for real-world applications of synthetic biology.<br/><br/>The work of James Collins is advancing, if not defining, the emerging discipline of synthetic biology, and his path-blazing research on synthetic gene networks and programmable cells is transforming the life sciences and expanding our ability to study and harness complex mechanisms of living organisms.<br/><div align="center">###</div><br/>The HFSP Nakasone Award was established in 2010. Previous recipients have been Karl Deisseroth (2010), Michael Elowitz (2011), Gina Turrigiano (2012), Stephen Quake (2013), and Uri Alon (2014).<br/><br/>The Human Frontier Science Program Organization was founded in 1989 to support international research and training at the frontier of the life sciences. It is supported by contributions from the G7 nations, together with Switzerland, Australia, India, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Republic of Korea and the European Union. With its collaborative research grants and postdoctoral fellowship programs, the program has approved over 4000 awards involving more than 6600 scientists from all over the world during the 25 years of its existence. The HFSPO supports research at the interface between life sciences and the natural sciences and engineering and places special emphasis on creating opportunities for young scientists.<br/><br/><strong>News Release Source</strong> : <a title="James Collins to receive the 2015 HFSP Nakasone Award" href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-09/hfsp-jct090814.php" target="_blank">James Collins to receive the 2015 HFSP Nakasone Award</a><br/><br/><strong>For more detail of the award</strong> : <a title="http://www.hfsp.org/awardees/hfsp-nakasone-award/2015-award" href="http://www.hfsp.org/awardees/hfsp-nakasone-award/2015-award" target="_blank">http://www.hfsp.org/awardees/hfsp-nakasone-award/2015-award</a><br/><div id="container"><br/><div id="content"><br/><br/><strong>More information on Prof. James Collins and his work is available </strong><br/><br/>at <a href="http://www.bu.edu/abl/index.html">http://www.bu.edu/abl/index.html </a>(Boston University) and<br/><br/>at <a href="http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpage/98/anticipatory-medical-and-cellular-devices">http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpage/98/anticipatory-medical-and-cellular-devices</a> (Wyss Institute).<br/><br/></div><br/></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-80600283406085361672014-08-28T19:01:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:28.493-08:00Fully Functional Organ from Scratch in a Living Animal by Transplanting
Cells<h2 style="color: #990066;"><span style="color: #000000;">Fully functional immune organ grown in mice from lab-created cells</span></h2><br/><p style="color: #494949;">Scientists have for the first time grown a complex, fully functional organ from scratch in a living animal by transplanting cells that were originally created in a laboratory. The advance could in future aid the development of ‘lab-grown’ replacement organs.</p><br/><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_211" align="aligncenter" width="550"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/08/29/fully-functional-organ-from-scratch-in-a-living-animal-by-transplanting-cells/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-029/" rel="attachment wp-att-211"><img class="size-full wp-image-211" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-029.jpg" alt="Fully Functional Organ from Scratch in a Living Animal by Transplanting Cells www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-029" width="550" height="228" /></a> <span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Fully Functional Organ from Scratch in a Living Animal by Transplanting Cells</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><p style="color: #494949;"><em><strong><span style="color: #000000;">Fibroblasts transformed into induced thymic epithelial cells (iTEC) in vitro (left, iTEC in green). iTEC transplanted onto the mouse kidney form an organised and functional mini-thymus (right, kidney cells in pink, thymus cells in dark blue)</span></strong></em></p><br/><p style="color: #494949;">Researchers from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, at the University of Edinburgh, took cells called fibroblasts from a mouse embryo and converted them directly into a completely unrelated type of cell - specialised thymus cells- using a technique called ‘reprogramming’. When mixed with other thymus cell types and transplanted into mice, these cells formed a replacement organ that had the same structure, complexity and function as a healthy native adult thymus. The reprogrammed cells were also capable of producing T cells - a type of white blood cell important for fighting infection - in the lab.</p><br/>The researchers hope that with further refinement their lab-made cells could form the basis of a readily available thymus transplant treatment for people with a weakened immune system. They may also enable the production of patient-matched T cells. The research is published today in the journal Nature Cell Biology.<br/><br/>The thymus, located near the heart, is a vital organ of the immune system. It produces T cells, which guard against disease by scanning the body for malfunctioning cells and infections. When they detect a problem, they mount a coordinated immune response that tries to eliminate harmful cells, such as cancer, or pathogens like bacteria and viruses.<br/><br/>People without a fully functioning thymus can’t make enough T cells and as a result are very vulnerable to infections. This can be a particular problem for some patients who need a bone marrow transplant (for example to treat leukaemia), as a functioning thymus is needed to rebuild the immune system once the transplant has been received. The problem can also affect children; around one in 4,000 babies born each year in the UK have a malfunctioning or completely absent thymus (due to conditions such as DiGeorge syndrome).<br/><br/>Thymus disorders can sometimes be treated with infusions of extra immune cells, or transplantation of a thymus organ soon after birth, but both are limited by a lack of donors and problems matching tissue to the recipient.<br/><br/>Being able to create a complete transplantable thymus from cells in a lab would be a huge step forward in treating such conditions. And while several studies have shown it is possible to produce collections of distinct cell types in a dish, such as heart or liver cells, scientists haven’t yet been able to grow a fully intact organ from cells created outside the body.<br/><br/>Professor Clare Blackburn from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, who led the research, said:<br/><br/>“The ability to grow replacement organs from cells in the lab is one of the ‘holy grails’ in regenerative medicine. But the size and complexity of lab-grown organs has so far been limited. By directly reprogramming cells we’ve managed to produce an artificial cell type that, when transplanted, can form a fully organised and functional organ. This is an important first step towards the goal of generating a clinically useful artificial thymus in the lab.”<br/><br/>The researchers carried out their study using cells (fibroblasts) taken from mouse embryos. By increasing levels of a protein called FOXN1, which guides development of the thymus during normal organ development in the embryo, they were able to directly reprogramme these cells to become a type of thymus cell called thymic epithelial cells. These are the cells that provide the specialist functions of the thymus, enabling it to make T cells.<br/><br/>The induced thymic epithelial cells (or iTEC) were then combined with other thymus cells (to support their development) and grafted onto the kidneys of genetically identical mice. After four weeks, the cells had produced well-formed organs with the same structure as a healthy thymus, with clearly defined regions (known as the cortex and medulla). The iTEC cells were also able to produce different types of T cells from immature blood cells in the lab.<br/><br/>Dr Rob Buckle, Head of Regenerative Medicine at the MRC, said:<br/><br/>“Growing ‘replacement parts’ for damaged tissue could remove the need to transplant whole organs from one person to another, which has many drawbacks – not least a critical lack of donors. This research is an exciting early step towards that goal, and a convincing demonstration of the potential power of direct reprogramming technology, by which once cell type is converted to another. However, much more work will be needed before this process can be reproduced in the lab environment, and in a safe and tightly controlled way suitable for use in humans.”<br/><br/>The study was funded by Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, Darwin Trust of Edinburgh, the MRC and the European Union Seventh Framework Programme.<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="Fully functional immune organ grown in mice from lab-created cells" href="http://www.crm.ed.ac.uk/news/press/fully-functional-immune-organ-grown-mice-lab-created-cells" target="_blank">Fully functional immune organ grown in mice from lab-created cells</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-34241683391103020762014-08-28T18:50:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:28.143-08:00Successfully Established a Three-Dimensional Culture Model of the
Developing Brain<h2 class="pagetitle" style="font-weight: bold; color: #57625a;">BRAINS ON DEMAND</h2><br/><p class="news-single-timedata" style="color: #2c3032;">August 28, 2013</p><br/><p style="color: #2c3032;"><span style="color: #666699;"><em><strong>Complex human brain tissue has been successfully developed in a three-dimensional culture system established in an Austrian laboratory. The method described in the current issue of NATURE allows pluripotent stem cells to develop into cerebral organoids – or "mini brains" – that consist of several discrete brain regions. Instead of using so-called patterning growth factors to achieve this, scientists at the renowned Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) fine-tuned growth conditions and provided a conducive environment. As a result, intrinsic cues from the stem cells guided the development towards different interdependent brain tissues. Using the "mini brains", the scientists were also able to model the development of a human neuronal disorder and identify its origin – opening up routes to long hoped-for model systems of the human brain.</strong></em></span></p><br/><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_206" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-028.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-206" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-028.jpg" alt="Successfully Established a Three-Dimensional Culture Model of the Developing Brain www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-028" width="500" height="323" /></a> <em><strong>Successfully Established a Three-Dimensional Culture Model of the Developing Brain</strong></em>[/caption]<br/><p class="align-justify">The development of the human brain remains one of the greatest mysteries in biology. Derived from a simple tissue, it develops into the most complex natural structure known to man. Studies of the human brain’s development and associated human disorders are extremely difficult, as no scientist has thus far successfully established a three-dimensional culture model of the developing brain as a whole. Now, a research group lead by Dr. Jürgen Knoblich at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) has changed just that.</p><br/><br/><h2>Brain Size Matters</h2><br/><p class="align-justify">Starting with established human embryonic stem cell lines and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, the group identified growth conditions that aided the differentiation of the stem cells into several brain tissues. While using media for neuronal induction and differentiation, the group was able to avoid the use of patterning growth factor conditions, which are usually applied in order to generate specific cell identities from stem cells. Dr. Knoblich explains the new method: "We modified an established approach to generate so-called neuroectoderm, a cell layer from which the nervous system derives. Fragments of this tissue were then maintained in a 3D-culture and embedded in droplets of a specific gel that provided a scaffold for complex tissue growth. In order to enhance nutrient absorption, we later transferred the gel droplets to a spinning bioreactor. Within three to four weeks defined brain regions were formed."</p><br/><p class="align-justify">Already after 15 – 20 days, so-called "cerebral organoids" formed which consisted of continuous tissue (neuroepithelia) surrounding a fluid-filled cavity that was reminiscent of a cerebral ventricle. After 20 – 30 days, defined brain regions, including a cerebral cortex, retina, meninges as well as choroid plexus, developed. After two months, the mini brains reached a maximum size, but they could survive indefinitely (currently up to 10 months) in the spinning bioreactor. Further growth, however, was not achieved, most likely due to the lack of a circulation system and hence a lack of nutrients and oxygen at the core of the mini brains.</p><br/><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Microcephaly in Mini Brains</strong><br/><p class="align-justify">The new method also offers great potential for establishing model systems for human brain disorders. Such models are urgently needed, as the commonly used animal models are of considerably lower complexity, and often do not adequately recapitulate the human disease. Knoblich’s group has now demonstrated that the mini brains offer great potential as a human model system by analysing the onset of microcephaly, a human genetic disorder in which brain size is significantly reduced. By generating iPS cells from skin tissue of a microcephaly patient, the scientists were able to grow mini brains affected by this disorder. As expected, the patient derived organoids grew to a lesser size. Further analysis led to a surprising finding: while the neuroepithilial tissue was smaller than in mini brains unaffected by the disorder, increased neuronal outgrowth could be observed. This lead to the hypothesis that, during brain development of patients with microcephaly, the neural differentiation happens prematurely at the expense of stem and progenitor cells which would otherwise contribute to a more pronounced growth in brain size. Further experiments also revealed that a change in the direction in which the stem cells divide might be causal for the disorder.</p><br/><p class="align-justify">"In addition to the potential for new insights into the development of human brain disorders, mini brains will also be of great interest to the pharmaceutical and chemical industry," explains Dr. Madeline A. Lancaster, team member and first author of the publication. "They allow for the testing of therapies against brain defects and other neuronal disorders. Furthermore, they will enable the analysis of the effects that specific chemicals have on brain development."</p><br/> Original publication Nature: M. A. Lancaster, M. Renner, C.-A. Martin, D. Wenzel, L. S. Bicknell, M. E. Hurles, T. Homfray, J. S. Penninger, A. P. Jackson & J. A. Knoblich. Cerebral organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells model human brain development and microcephaly. doi: 10.1038/nature12517<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="BRAINS ON DEMAND" href="http://www.imba.oeaw.ac.at/news-media/press-releases/press-release/brains-on-demand/" target="_blank">BRAINS ON DEMAND</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-58471101224120984302014-06-09T23:16:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:27.855-08:00Ecological Risk Research Agenda for Synthetic Biology<h2 id="h1Headline" style="font-weight: 100;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"><em><strong><span id="dvHeadline">An Ecological Risk Research Agenda for Synthetic Biology</span></strong></em></span></h2><br/><h5 class="seo-h2-subheadline" style="font-weight: 100; color: #666666;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153);">Report Developed by the Ecological Community Highlights Priority Research Areas</span></h5><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><span class="xn-location">WASHINGTON</span>, <span class="xn-chron">May 29, 2014</span> /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ <b>--</b> Environmental scientists and synthetic biologists have for the first time developed a set of key research areas to study the potential ecological impacts of synthetic biology, a field that could push beyond incremental changes to create organisms that transcend common evolutionary pathways.</p><br/><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_200" align="alignleft" width="600"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-027.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-200" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-027.jpg" alt="Ecological Risk Research Agenda for Synthetic Biology www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-027" width="600" height="373" /></a> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Ecological Risk Research Agenda for Synthetic Biology</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><p style="color: #464646;">The Synthetic Biology Project at the Wilson Center and the Program on Emerging Technologies at the <span class="xn-org">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</span> convened the interdisciplinary group of scientists and are releasing the report, <i><a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.synbioproject.org/library/publications/archive/6685/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Creating a Research Agenda for the Ecological Implications of Synthetic Biology</a></i>. The work was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">"We hope this report raises awareness about the lack of research into these ecological issues," says Dr. <span class="xn-person">James Collins</span>, Ullman Professor of Natural History and the Environment at <span class="xn-org">Arizona State University</span> and former Director of the Population Biology and Physiological Ecology Program and Assistant Director of Biological Sciences at NSF. "We involved experts in the ecological research and synthetic biology communities to help identify priority research areas – and we believe the report can be a roadmap to guide the necessary work. The rapid pace of research and commercialization in the field of synthetic biology makes it important to begin this work now."</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">The report prioritizes key research areas for government agencies, academia and industry to fund. Research areas include species for comparative research; phenotypic characterization; fitness, genome stability and lateral gene transfer; control of organismal traits; monitoring and surveillance; modeling and standardization of methods and data.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">In developing the report, various applications were used to stimulate discussion among synthetic biologists, ecologists, environmental scientists and social scientists, as well as representatives from government, the private sector, academia, environmental organizations and think tanks. Applications considered in the process included bio-mining; nitrogen fixation by engineered crops; gene drive propagation in populations of invasive species; and engineered seeds and plants destined for distribution to the public.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">The report says it is necessary to establish and sustain interdisciplinary research groups in order to conduct the research. Long-term support is also needed to address complex questions about how synthetic biology could impact the environment and overcome communication barriers across disciplines, the report says.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">The report can be downloaded from the Synthetic Biology Project website:<a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.synbioproject.org/library/publications/archive/6685/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.synbioproject.org/library/publications/archive/6685/</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>About the Synthetic Biology Project<br/></b>The Synthetic Biology Project is an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The Project aims to foster informed public and policy discourse concerning the advancement of synthetic biology. For more information, visit: <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.synbioproject.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.synbioproject.org</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>About the MIT Program on Emerging Technologies<br/></b>The Center for International Studies (CIS) aims to support and promote international research and education at <span class="xn-org">MIT</span>. The CIS Program on Emerging Technologies (PoET) seeks to improve responses to implications of emerging technologies. PoET was created with support of an NSF IGERT. Research has included retrospective studies on past emerging technologies led by<span class="xn-person">Merritt Roe Smith</span>, <span class="xn-person">Larry McCray</span> and <span class="xn-person">Daniel Hastings</span>, as well as prospective studies on next-generation internet (led by <span class="xn-person">David D. Clark</span>) and synthetic biology (led by <span class="xn-person">Kenneth A. Oye</span>). For more information, visit: <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://web.mit.edu/cis/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://web.mit.edu/cis/</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>About The Wilson Center</b><br/>The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting <span class="xn-location">the United States</span> and the world. For more information, visit: <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.wilsoncenter.org</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"> SOURCE Synthetic Biology Project</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">News Release Source : <a title="An Ecological Risk Research Agenda for Synthetic Biology" href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/an-ecological-risk-research-agenda-for-synthetic-biology-261088021.html" target="_blank"><span id="dvHeadline">An Ecological Risk Research Agenda for Synthetic Biology</span></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-70388800302459665452014-06-09T23:08:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:27.582-08:00Challenges and Options for Oversight of Organisms Engineered Using
Synthetic Biology<h2 id="h1Headline" style="font-weight: 100;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"><em><strong><span id="dvHeadline">Venter Institute-Led Policy Group Publishes Report on Challenges and Options for Oversight of Organisms Engineered Using Synthetic Biology Technologies</span></strong></em></span></h2><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><span class="xn-location">ROCKVILLE, Md.</span> and <span class="xn-location">SAN DIEGO</span>, <span class="xn-chron">May 28, 2014</span> /PRNewswire/ -- Policy researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), the <span class="xn-org">University of Virginia</span>, and EMBO today released a report detailing the challenges faced by regulators with the increased use of more sophisticated synthetic biology technologies to engineer plants and microbes and some options for dealing with these challenges.</p><br/><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_196" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/06/10/challenges-and-options-for-oversight-of-organisms-engineered-using-synthetic-biology/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-026/" rel="attachment wp-att-196"><img class="size-full wp-image-196" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-026.jpg" alt="Challenges and Options for Oversight of Organisms Engineered Using Synthetic Biology www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-026" width="300" height="423" /></a> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Challenges and Options for Oversight of Organisms Engineered Using Synthetic Biology</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><p style="color: #464646;">The authors conclude that while <span class="xn-location">the United States</span> governmental agencies tasked with oversight of products derived through synthetic biology have adequate legal jurisdiction to address most, but not all, environmental, health and safety concerns, several key issues could challenge these agencies including: the advent of newer plant engineering technologies that are outside the authority of some agencies, and increased use of more complex engineered microbes that could overwhelm regulators both from a science and safety review and increasing cost perspective.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Genetic engineering to make relatively minor manipulations of small numbers of genes in plants, microbes, and animals has been utilized in science and biotechnology to develop products since the 1980s. Three agencies are tasked with oversight of genetically engineered organisms—the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Through the years these agencies have successfully reviewed products for potential environmental, health and safety concerns, and have also issued regulations and industry guidelines.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Over the last five years breakthroughs and advances in the new field of synthetic biology—the newest generation of genetic engineering—are enabling construction and synthesis of whole genes and genomes opening even more new avenues for product development in many industries including new food and nutritional products, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, and biofuels.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">With these advances in mind, the JCVI led team examined how well APHIS, EPA, and FDA will be able to review the potential rapid increase of new plants and microbes developed using synthetic biology. They found areas of concern and offered the following options for oversight.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Genetically Engineered Plants<br/></span></b>APHIS has reviewed engineered plants for the past 25 years. This authority is based on genetic engineering technology that uses plant pests or some component of plant pests. Synthetic biology is accelerating development and use of new genetically engineered plants that fall outside APHIS' purview and thus without regulatory review before potential use in the environment. The authors outline the following options:</p><br/><br/><ol style="color: #464646;" type="1"><br/> <li>Maintain existing regulatory system and rely on a voluntary approach for those genetically engineered plants not subject to review.</li><br/> <li>Identify the most likely risks from newer plant biotechnology and apply existing laws that would best mitigate them.</li><br/> <li>Give APHIS additional authority to review and regulate genetically engineered plants.</li><br/> <li>Distribute rules under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) or the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for EPA to regulate engineered plants.</li><br/></ol><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Genetically Engineered Microbes<br/></span></b>Synthetic biology is enabling a larger number of increasingly more complex engineered microbes for commercial use, particularly those intended for use in the open environment. This influx may overwhelm the EPA's Biotechnology Program both from an expertise and funding perspective. The policy team outlined the following options for consideration to help alleviate any regulatory delays or deficiencies for microbial products:</p><br/><br/><ol style="color: #464646;" type="1"><br/> <li>If and when needed, provide additional funding for EPA's Biotechnology Program under TSCA and pursue efficiency measures to expedite reviews.</li><br/> <li>Amend TSCA to strengthen EPA's ability to regulate engineered microbes.</li><br/></ol><br/><p style="color: #464646;">"Synthetic biology offers great promise for a new and improved generation of genetically engineered microbes, plants, and animals," said <span class="xn-person">Robert Friedman</span>, Ph.D., JCVI's Vice President for Policy. "To achieve this promise, the public must be assured that the U.S. regulatory agencies are able to review these products as effectively as they have over the past two decades. Our report identifies several issues and options for policymakers to update the current U.S, regulatory system for biotechnology."</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">The report is funded by the United States Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research with additional support from the Sloan Foundation. Authors of the report are: <span class="xn-person">Sarah R. Carter</span>, Ph.D., JCVI; <span class="xn-person">Michael Rodemeyer</span>, J.D.,<span class="xn-org">University of Virginia</span>, <span class="xn-person">Michele S. Garfinkel</span>, Ph.D., EMBO, <span class="xn-location">Germany</span>, <span class="xn-person">Robert M. Friedman</span>, Ph.D., JCVI. The full report can be downloaded here: <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/synthetic-biology-and-the-us-biotechnology-regulatory-system/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/synthetic-biology-and-the-us-biotechnology-regulatory-system/</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>About the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI)<br/></b>The JCVI is a not-for-profit research institute in <span class="xn-location">Rockville, MD</span> and <span class="xn-location">San Diego, CA</span> dedicated to the advancement of the science of genomics; the understanding of its implications for society; and communication of those results to the scientific community, the public, and policymakers. Founded by <span class="xn-person">J. Craig Venter</span>, Ph.D., the JCVI is home to approximately 250 scientists and staff with expertise in human and evolutionary biology, genetics, bioinformatics/informatics, information technology, high-throughput DNA sequencing, genomic and environmental policy research, and public education in science and science policy. The legacy organizations of the JCVI are: The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG), the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives (IBEA), the Joint Technology Center (JTC), and the J. Craig Venter Science Foundation. The JCVI is a 501 (c)(3) organization. For additional information, please visit <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.jcvi.org/cms/home/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.JCVI.org</a>.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"> SOURCE J. Craig Venter Institute</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">News Release Source : <a title="Venter Institute-Led Policy Group Publishes Report on Challenges and Options for Oversight of Organisms Engineered Using Synthetic Biology Technologies" href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/venter-institute-led-policy-group-publishes-report-on-challenges-and-options-for-oversight-of-organisms-engineered-using-synthetic-biology-technologies-260917371.html" target="_blank"><span id="dvHeadline">Venter Institute-Led Policy Group Publishes Report on Challenges and Options for Oversight of Organisms Engineered Using Synthetic Biology Technologies</span></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-6949732896563684452014-06-08T18:54:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:27.269-08:00Synthetic Biology Market is Expected to Reach $38.7 Billion, Globally,
by 2020<h2 id="h1Headline" style="font-weight: 100;"><span style="color: #000080;"><strong><span id="dvHeadline">Synthetic Biology Market is Expected to Reach $38.7 Billion, Globally, by 2020 - Allied Market Research</span></strong></span></h2><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><span class="xn-location">PORTLAND, Oregon</span>, <span class="xn-chron">May 27, 2014</span> /PRNewswire/ --</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">According to a new report by Allied Market Research, titled "<b>Global Synthetic Biology Market (Products, Technologies, Applications and Geography)</b> <b>-</b> <b>Global</b> <b>Opportunity</b> <b>Analysis and Forecast</b> <b>-</b> <b>2013</b> <b>-</b> <b>2020</b>", the global synthetic biology market is forecast to reach <span class="xn-money">$38.7 billion</span> by 2020, at a CAGR of 44.2% during the forecast period (2014 - 2020). <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> occupies largest share in the global market and would hold-on to its position throughout 2020. However, <span class="xn-location">Asia Pacific</span> is the fastest growing market with a CAGR of 46.4% from 2014 - 2020.</p><br/><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_191" align="aligncenter" width="665"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/06/09/synthetic-biology-market-is-expected-to-reach-38-7-billion-globally-by-2020/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-025/" rel="attachment wp-att-191"><img class="size-full wp-image-191" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-025.jpg" alt="Synthetic Biology Market is Expected to Reach $38.7 Billion, Globally, by 2020 www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-025" width="665" height="320" /></a> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Synthetic Biology Market is Expected to Reach $38.7 Billion, Globally, by 2020</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><p style="color: #464646;">Synthetic biology is at a nascent stage and has recently entered the commercial market. Many technologies that utilize synthetic biology are yet to be commercialized, and are waiting for approvals from the respective regional regulatory bodies. However, this market is expected to witness adoption in varied domains, with chemicals, pharmaceuticals, energy and agriculture, as some major application markets. Key factors fueling the growth of this market include assistance from government and private organizations, rising number of entities conducting research and declining cost of DNA sequencing and synthesizing. Bio-safety & bio-security and ethical issues are key restraining factors of the market. The fact that synthetic biology can be misused has raised concerns all around the world. However, as far as the market dynamics are considered, the bottom line is that the overall impact of these factors would be highly positive.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">To view the complete report, visit the website at <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/synthetic-biology-market" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/synthetic-biology-market</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Global synthetic biology market is segmented based on product, technology, application, and geography. Synthetic biology product market is further segmented into enabling products, enabled products and core products. Enabling product is the fastest growing segment in the product market due to ongoing researches that may bring-innovative ideas for application of synthetic biology in new fields. Thus, the need for enabling products, during R&D activities and in the development of enabled products, would rise.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">DNA synthesis is the largest segment within enabling products segment, whereas oligonucleotide synthesis is expected to be fastest growing market at 57.8% CAGR during 2014 and 2020. Chassis organism would be the fastest growing core product during the forecast period with synthetic DNA occupying largest market share. Other core products included in the study are synthetic genes, synthetic sells, and XNA. Biofuels, within enabled product segment, is expected to exhibit tremendous growth; registering a CAGR of 110.1% during forecast period. However, synthetic biology-based pharmaceuticals and diagnostics products will generate largest amount of revenue within enabled product segment followed by agriculture and chemicals sub-segments.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Similar market research reports by Allied Market Research -</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Global Stem Cell Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) Market - <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/stem-cell-umbilical-cord-blood-UCB-market" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/stem-cell-umbilical-cord-blood-UCB-market</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Global Endocrine Testing Market - <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/endocrine-testing-market" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/endocrine-testing-market</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Global C- Reactive Protein Testing Market - <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/c-reactive-protein-testing-market" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/c-reactive-protein-testing-market</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Global Forensic Technologies Market - <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/forensic-technologies-market" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/forensic-technologies-market</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Synthetic biology technology market is segmented into enabling technology and enabled technology. Enabling technologies segment is growing speedily, with a CAGR of 48.6% during the forecast period. The market by application includes research & development, chemicals, agriculture, pharmaceuticals & diagnostics, biofuels and others. Biofuels is the fastest growing segment during the forecast period. In terms of geography, <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> is the largest revenue-generating segment, whereas <span class="xn-location">Asia Pacific</span> would experience the highest growth rate during the forecast period.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Browse all diagnostics and Biotech market report at <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/diagnostic-and-biotech-market-report" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/diagnostic-and-biotech-market-report</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Competitive analysis of the companies reveals that most of the companies are concentrating on agreements followed by product launch for the expansion of their business. Synthetic biology is a novel technology and the value chain of a product manufacturing includes steps that require collaborative efforts by two or more companies. This is the key reason for agreements among the companies. Most of the agreements were related to the development of products for chemical industries, followed by biofuels and synthetic genes industries. Product launch holds second highest share in strategies adopted by key players accounting for about 32% of the strategic moves by key companies. Companies profiled in the report include BASF, GEN9 Inc., Algenol Biofuels, Codexis Inc., Gensript Corporation, Dupont, Butamax Advanced Biofuels, BioAmber, BioSearch Technologies, Inc., Origene Technologies, Inc. and Synthetic Genomics, Inc.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>Market Segments Covered</b></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>Synthetic Biology Market by Products</b></p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Enabling Products</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">DNA Synthesis</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Oligonucleotide Synthesis</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Enabled Products</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Pharmaceuticals</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Chemicals</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Biofuels</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Agriculture</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Core Products</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Synthetic DNA</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Synthetic Genes</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Synthetic Cells</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">XNA</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Chassis Organisms</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>Synthetic Biology Market by Technology</b></p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Enabling Technology</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Genome Engineering</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Microfluidics technologies</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">DNA synthesis & sequencing technologies</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Bioinformatics technologies</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Biological components and integrated systems technologies</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Enabled Technology</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Pathway engineering</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Synthetic microbial consortia</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Biofuels technologies</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>Synthetic Biology Market by Application</b></p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Research & Development</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Chemicals</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Agriculture</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Pharmaceuticals & Diagnostics</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Biofuels</p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">Others (Environment, Biotechnology & Biomaterials, etc.)</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>Synthetic Biology Market</b> <b>by Geography</b></p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;"><span class="xn-location">North America</span></p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;"><span class="xn-location">Europe</span></p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;"><span class="xn-location">Asia Pacific</span></p><br/><p style="font-weight: bold; color: #464646;">RoW</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>About Us:</b></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in<span class="xn-location">Portland, Oregon</span>. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions". AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in capturing most accurate market data and confirms utmost accuracy of our market forecasts. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is also extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;"><b>Contact:</b><br/><span class="xn-person">Sona Padman</span><br/>5320 SW Macadam Avenue,<br/>Suite 100, <span class="xn-location">Portland, OR</span> 97239<br/><span class="xn-location">United States</span><br/>Direct: +1-(617)-674-4143<br/>Toll Free: +1-(855)-711-1555 (U.S. & Canada)<br/>Fax: +1-(855)-550-5975<br/>E-mail: <a style="color: #993399;" href="mailto:sales@alliedmarketresearch.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">sales@alliedmarketresearch.com</a><br/>Web: <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.alliedmarketresearch.com</a><br/>Blog: <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com/</a><br/>Linkedin: <a style="color: #993399;" href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research</a><br/>Google Plus: <a style="color: #993399;" href="https://plus.google.com/+Alliedmarketresearch" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://plus.google.com/+Alliedmarketresearch</a></p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">SOURCE Allied Market Research</p><br/><p style="color: #464646;">News Release Source : <a title="Synthetic Biology Market is Expected to Reach $38.7 Billion, Globally, by 2020 - Allied Market Research" href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/synthetic-biology-market-is-expected-to-reach-387-billion-globally-by-2010---allied-market-research-260754851.html" target="_blank"><span id="dvHeadline">Synthetic Biology Market is Expected to Reach $38.7 Billion, Globally, by 2020 - Allied Market Research</span></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-72012152822862722222014-06-08T18:02:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:26.987-08:00Synthetic Biology Still in Uncharted Waters of Public Opinion<h2 class="title" style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Synthetic biology still in uncharted waters of public opinion</span></h2><br/><h5 class="subtitle" style="font-style: italic; color: #000000;"><span style="color: #666699;">Focus group concerns centered on specific applications of the technology</span></h5><br/><p style="color: #000000;">The Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is releasing the <a style="color: #666666;" href="http://www.synbioproject.org/news/project/6683/" target="_blank">results of a new set of focus groups</a>, which find continued low awareness of synthetic biology among the general public.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">The focus groups also sought opinions on the emerging field of neural engineering.</p><br/><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yprS9aurGAk" width="640" height="390" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br/><p style="color: #000000;">The focus group results support the findings of a quantitative national poll conducted by Hart Research Associates in January 2013, which found just 23 percent of respondents reported they had heard a lot (6 percent) or some (17 percent) about synthetic biology.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">The focus group discussions also reinforce earlier findings that specific applications impact people's hopes and anxieties around synthetic biology. For example, medical applications including disease cures gained the most support in the focus groups, while the biological production of chemicals and food additives received little to no support.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">Participants focused their concern on unforeseen, unintended consequences that might occur from synthetic biology. There was a clear and strong desire to study and monitor the potential risks of synthetic biology, which may require a variety of organizations.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">For the first time, the focus groups also sought opinions on neural engineering – an area of science that uses engineering and brain science to build devices to support brain control of prosthetic or robotic devices in humans. In contrast to synthetic biology, participants in these sessions found few downsides to neural engineering applications that could help people with motor disabilities or who have lost a limb.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">To the extent unease surfaced about neural engineering, participants were concerned about inequitable access to the technologies. There was little concern about the adverse consequences of neural engineering beyond the individual patient, unlike applications of synthetic biology, which participants feared could have much broader implications for society and the environment.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">Because this is qualitative research among only a small number of individuals, the findings from these two focus groups cannot be generalized to represent the entire population of adults in the United States. Rather, these qualitative findings provide context for evaluating the 2013 survey findings and depth of understanding about how these audiences respond to these areas of science and their potential applications.</p><br/><br/><div style="color: #000000;" align="center">###</div><br/><p style="color: #000000;">The focus groups were conducted in Maryland in April 2014. The full report and video clips from the focus groups, as well as the 2013 survey report, can be found here: <a style="color: #666666;" href="http://www.synbioproject.org/news/project/6683/" target="_blank">http://www.synbioproject.org/news/project/6683/</a></p><br/><p style="color: #000000;"><b>About the Synthetic Biology Project</b></p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">The Synthetic Biology Project is an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The Project aims to foster informed public and policy discourse concerning the advancement of synthetic biology. For more information, visit: <a style="color: #666666;" href="http://www.synbioproject.org/" target="_blank">http://www.synbioproject.org</a></p><br/><p style="color: #000000;"><b>About The Wilson Center</b></p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. For more information, visit: <a style="color: #666666;" href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/" target="_blank">http://www.wilsoncenter.org</a></p><br/><p class="title" style="color: #000000;">News Release Source : <a title="Synthetic biology still in uncharted waters of public opinion" href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-05/wwic-sbs051514.php" target="_blank">Synthetic biology still in uncharted waters of public opinion</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-45149299065826161682014-06-05T18:12:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:26.712-08:00Scientists Use DNA Origami to Create 2-D Structures<h2 class="title" style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Nano-Platform Ready: Scientists Use DNA Origami to Create 2-D Structures</span></h2><br/><p style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #000000;">June 2, 2014</span></p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">Scientists at New York University and the University of Melbourne have developed a method using DNA origami to turn one-dimensional nano materials into two dimensions. Their breakthrough, published in the latest issue of the journal <i>Nature Nanotechnology</i>, offers the potential to enhance fiber optics and electronic devices by reducing their size and increasing their speed.</p><br/><br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_183" align="alignleft" width="500"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/06/06/scientists-use-dna-origami-to-create-2-d-structures/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-023/" rel="attachment wp-att-183"><img class="size-full wp-image-183" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-023.png" alt="Scientists Use DNA Origami to Create 2-D Structures www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-023" width="500" height="375" /></a> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Scientists Use DNA Origami to Create 2-D Structures</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><p style="color: #000000;">"We can now take linear nano-materials and direct how they are organized in two dimensions, using a DNA origami platform to create any number of shapes," explains NYU Chemistry Professor Nadrian Seeman, the paper's senior author, who founded and developed the field of DNA nanotechnology, now pursued by laboratories around the globe, three decades ago.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">Seeman's collaborator, Sally Gras, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne, says, "We brought together two of life's building blocks, DNA and protein, in an exciting new way. We are growing protein fibers within a DNA origami structure."</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">DNA origami employs approximately two hundred short DNA strands to direct longer strands in forming specific shapes. In their work, the scientists sought to create, and then manipulate the shape of, amyloid fibrils—rods of aggregated proteins, or peptides, that match the strength of spider's silk.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">To do so, they engineered a collection of 20 DNA double helices to form a nanotube big enough (15 to 20 nanometers—just over one-billionth of a meter—in diameter) to house the fibrils.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">The platform builds the fibrils by combining the properties of the nanotube with a synthetic peptide fragment that is placed inside the cylinder. The resulting fibril-filled nanotubes can then be organized into two-dimensional structures through a series of DNA-DNA hybridization interactions.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">"Fibrils are remarkably strong and, as such, are a good barometer for this method's ability to form two-dimensional structures," observes Seeman. "If we can manipulate the orientations of fibrils, we can do the same with other linear materials in the future."</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">Seeman points to the promise of creating two-dimensional shapes on the nanoscale.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000;">"If we can make smaller and stronger materials in electronics and photonics, we have the potential to improve consumer products," Seeman says. "For instance, when components are smaller, it means the signals they transmit don't need to go as far, which increases their operating speed. That's why small is so exciting—you can make better structures on the tiniest chemical scales."</p><br/><br/><div style="color: #000000;" align="center"><br/><p style="color: #000000; text-align: left;">Other NYU researchers included Anuttara Udomprasert, Ruojie Sha, Tong Wang, Paramjit Arora, and James W. Canary.</p><br/><p style="color: #000000; text-align: left;">The research was supported by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health (GM-29554), the National Science Foundation (CMMI-1120890, CCF-1117210), the Army Research Office (MURI W911NF-11-1-0024), the Office of Naval Research (N000141110729, N000140911118), an Australian Nanotechnology Network Overseas Travel Fellowship, a Melbourne Abroad Travelling Scholarship, the Bio21 Institute and Particulate Fluids Processing Centre. The work was carried out, in part, at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences.</p><br/><br/></div><br/><p style="color: #000000;">News Release Source : <a title="Nano-Platform Ready: Scientists Use DNA Origami to Create 2-D Structures" href="http://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2014/06/02/nano-platform-ready-scientists-use-dna-origami-to-create-2d-structures.html" target="_blank">Nano-Platform Ready: Scientists Use DNA Origami to Create 2-D Structures</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-20940475872491086492014-04-02T23:24:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:26.441-08:00OpenPlant Get £12 Million Funding for Synthetic Biology<h2><span style="color: #993300;">Cambridge and Norwich win major boost for synthetic biology</span></h2><br/>Plant scientists at Cambridge and Norwich have been awarded £12 million funding for a new UK synthetic biology centre – OpenPlant.<br/><br/>Inspired by the way open source data has stimulated innovation in computing, OpenPlant will create a climate of openness in synthetic biology, helping young researchers and entrepreneurs develop and share new tools and libraries of plant DNA.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_178" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/04/03/openplant-get-12-million-funding-for-synthetic-biology/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-021/" rel="attachment wp-att-178"><img class="size-full wp-image-178" alt="OpenPlant Get £12 Million Funding for Synthetic Biology ww.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-021" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-021.png" width="500" height="666" /></a> <span style="color: #993300;"><em><strong>OpenPlant Get £12 Million Funding for Synthetic Biology</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>OpenPlant is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and the John Innes Centre on Norwich Research Park. The funding will be shared equally between the two institutions. It is one of three new UK centres for synthetic biology announced today by science minister David Willetts. Over the next five years the three centres will receive more than £40 million in funding from the BBSRC and EPSRC.<br/><br/>Sitting at the boundary between sciences, synthetic biology uses engineering principles – including standardisation and modularisation – to make new biological parts and systems. Using knowledge about the biological properties of plants and microbes, synthetic biology can improve their use as factories, food and fuel. As well as helping improve crops across the world, synthetic biology could be used to develop new medicines, chemicals and green energy sources.<br/><br/>Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts, said: "Synthetic biology is one of the most promising areas of modern science, which is why we have identified it as one of the eight great British technologies of the future. Synthetic biology has the potential to drive economic growth but still remains relatively untapped and these new centres will ensure that the UK is at the forefront when it comes to commercialising these new technologies."<br/><br/>While US researchers are at the cutting edge of synthetic biology in microbes, the UK has the edge in plants. To fulfil its potential, however, researchers and small companies need greater freedom to operate, freedom that in key areas of computing has driven innovation, and created new jobs, software and products.<br/><br/>According to Dr Jim Haseloff of the University of Cambridge: "The field needs a new two-tier system for intellectual property so that new tools including DNA components are freely shared, while investment in applications can be protected."<br/><br/>"This will enable greater participation in innovation for sustainable agriculture and innovation."<br/><br/>Dr Nicola Patron, Head of Synthetic Biology at The Sainsbury Laboratory, another key partner organisation in Norwich, said: "Current intellectual property practices threaten to stifle innovation in plant technology. By creating DNA resources and tools that are free to use, OpenPlant will foster the kind of innovation seen at the emergence of other new technologies such as microelectronics and computer software."<br/><br/>OpenPlant unites two leaders in the field. The University of Cambridge has played an important role in many key scientific discoveries in biology, from the structure of the double helix to next generation DNA sequencing. The John Innes Centre is a world-leader in plant and microbial research that benefits farmers, the environment, humans and economies worldwide. Scientific discoveries about synthetic DNA systems will feed future innovation by researchers at both institutions.<br/><br/>JIC scientists have also pioneered innovative engagement between scientists and the public such as through the Science, Art and Writing (SAW) initiative. Social scientists on the OpenPlant project will help map feasible technical approaches to challenges, such finding a less energy-intensive alternative to nitrogen fertilisers, considering the economic and social implications for different scenarios.<br/><div align="center">###</div><br/><strong>Case studies</strong><br/><br/><strong>Medicinal plants</strong><br/><br/>Scientists at the John Innes Centre will discover how Chinese medicinal plants such as the coneflower create natural colours and compounds with beneficial effects. The discoveries can be applied to refine their properties and scale up production. Photo of coneflower available.<br/><br/><strong>Plants as factories</strong><br/><br/>A new system for producing useful compounds in plants, such as proteins to make vaccines, is currently used by over 200 academic institutions around the world. The technology developed at the John Innes Centre is licensed to commercial organisations, including Canadian company Medicago, who have used it develop a vaccine against swine flu. Photo available of plant being inoculated with a protein.<br/><br/><strong>Advanced photosynthesis</strong><br/><br/>Crops use photosynthesis to convert sunlight and water into carbohydrates and the way they do this divides them into either C3 or C4 plants. C4 plants are around 50% more efficient than C3 plants but major crops such as rice are C3. By discovering how C4 photosynthesis works and how it evolved, it might be possible one day to engineer a major change to crop productivity. Microscope images available.<br/><br/><strong>A simple test bed for engineering</strong><br/><br/>The liverwort, <em>Marchantia polymorpha</em>, is a descendant of the earliest terrestrial plants. Its small size, rapid growth, simple architecture and genome make the plant a powerful new model for Synthetic Biology. OpenPlant scientists will use the system to develop new DNA circuits and tools to visualise and engineer new forms of plant growth. (See <a href="http://www.marchantia.org/" target="_blank">http://www.marchantia.org</a>). Pic available of liverwort.<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="Cambridge and Norwich Win Major Boost for Synthetic Biology" href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-01/uoc-can012914.php" target="_blank">Cambridge and Norwich Win Major Boost for Synthetic Biology</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-908075078120587662014-04-02T19:22:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:26.172-08:00Bioscientists develop 'grammar' to design useful synthetic living
systems<h2>Bioscientists develop 'grammar' to design useful synthetic living systems</h2><br/><h5><span style="color: #666699;">Researchers use software developed at Virginia Tech to design synthetic living systems</span></h5><br/>Researchers at Virginia Tech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used a computer-aided design tool to create genetic languages to guide the design of biological systems.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_174" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/04/03/bioscientists-develop-grammar-to-design-useful-synthetic-living-systems/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-020/" rel="attachment wp-att-174"><img class="size-full wp-image-174" alt="Bioscientists develop 'grammar' to design useful synthetic living systems www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-020" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-020.jpg" width="500" height="356" /></a> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Bioscientists develop 'grammar' to design useful synthetic living systems</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>Known as <a href="http://www.genocad.org/" target="_blank">GenoCAD</a>, the open-source software was developed by researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech to help synthetic biologists capture biological rules to engineer organisms that produce useful products or health-care solutions from inexpensive, renewable materials.<br/><br/>GenoCAD helps researchers in the design of protein expression vectors, artificial gene networks, and other genetic constructs, essentially combining engineering approaches with biology.<br/><br/>Synthetic biologists have an increasingly large library of naturally derived and synthetic parts at their disposal to design and build living systems. These parts are the words of a DNA language and the "grammar" a set of design rules governing the language.<br/><br/>It has to be expressive enough to allow scientists to generate a broad range of constructs, but it has to be focused enough to limit the possibilities of designing faulty constructs.<br/><br/>MIT's Oliver Purcell, a postdoctoral associate, and Timothy Lu, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, have developed a language detailed in <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/sb400134k" target="_blank"><i>ACS Synthetic Biology</i></a> describing how to design a broad range of synthetic transcription factors for animals, plants, and other organisms with cells that contain a nucleus.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, Sakiko Okumoto, an assistant professor of plant pathology, physiology, and weed science at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Amanda Wilson, a software engineer with the Synthetic Biology Group at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, developed a language describing design rules for expressing genes in the chloroplast of microalgae Their work was published in the Jan. 15 issue of <a href="http://bioinformatics.oxfordjournals.org/content/30/2/251.abstract" target="_blank"><i>Bioinformatics</i></a>.<br/><br/>"Just like software engineers need different languages like HTML, SQL, or Java to develop different kinds of software applications, synthetic biologists need languages for different biological applications," said Jean Peccoud, an associate professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, and principal investigator of the GenoCAD project. "From its inception, we envisioned GenoCAD as a framework allowing users to capture their expertise of a particular domain in languages that they could use themselves or share with others."<br/><br/>The researchers said encapsulating current knowledge by defining standards will become increasingly important as the number and complexity of components engineered by synthetic biologists increases.<br/><br/>They propose that grammars are a first step toward the standardization of a broad range of synthetic genetic parts that could be combined to develop innovative products.<br/><br/>"Developing a grammar in GenoCAD is a little like writing a review paper," Purcell said. "You start with the headings and you progressively dig deeper in the details. At the end of the process, you have a much better appreciation for what you know and what you don't know about a particular domain."<br/><br/>Lu added, "Our group has a recognized expertise in synthetic transcription factors. We hope that this work will help a broad range of scientists use our results in their own projects."<br/><br/>"GenoCAD exemplifies the kind of cyberinfrastructure the institute is known for," said Dennis Dean, the director of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. "This type of portal can enable collaborations across disciplines and institutions to foster a team approach to today's most pressing scientific challenges."<br/><br/>Peccoud is chief scientific officer of GenoFAB LLC, a company providing products and services derived from GenoCAD.<br/><div align="center">###</div><br/>More resources are available on the VT News <a href="http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2014/03/031314-vbi-peccoudgenocad.html" target="_blank">website</a>.<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="Bioscientists develop 'grammar' to design useful synthetic living systems" href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-03/vt-bd031314.php" target="_blank">Bioscientists develop 'grammar' to design useful synthetic living systems</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-34865051406626365632014-04-02T19:07:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:25.887-08:00Synthetic Biologists Shine Light on Genetic Circuit Analysis<h2><span style="color: #993300;">Rice synthetic biologists shine light on genetic circuit analysis</span></h2><br/><h5><span style="color: #808080;">Bioengineers invent 'light tube array,' 'bioscilloscope' to test, debug genetic circuits</span></h5><br/>In a significant advance for the growing field of synthetic biology, Rice University bioengineers have created a toolkit of genes and hardware that uses colored lights and engineered bacteria to bring both mathematical predictability and cut-and-paste simplicity to the world of genetic circuit design.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_169" align="aligncenter" width="590"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/04/03/synthetic-biologists-shine-light-on-genetic-circuit-analysis/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-019/" rel="attachment wp-att-169"><img class="size-full wp-image-169" alt="synthetic biologists shine light on genetic circuit analysis www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-019" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-019.jpg" width="590" height="319" /></a> <em><strong><span style="color: #800080;">synthetic biologists shine light on genetic circuit analysis</span></strong></em>[/caption]<br/><br/>"Life is controlled by DNA-based circuits, and these are similar to the circuits found in electronic devices like smartphones and computers," said Rice bioengineer Jeffrey Tabor, the lead researcher on the project. "A major difference is that electrical engineers measure the signals flowing into and out of electronic circuits as voltage, whereas bioengineers measure genetic circuit signals as genes turning on and off."<br/><br/>In a new paper appearing online today in the journal <i>Nature Methods</i>, Tabor and colleagues, including graduate student and lead author Evan Olson, describe a new, ultra high-precision method for creating and measuring gene expression signals in bacteria by combining light-sensing proteins from photosynthetic algae with a simple array of red and green LED lights and standard fluorescent reporter genes. By varying the timing and intensity of the lights, the researchers were able to control exactly when and how much different genes were expressed.<br/><br/>"Light provides us a powerful new method for reliably measuring genetic circuit activity," said Tabor, an assistant professor of bioengineering who also teaches in Rice's Ph.D. program in systems, synthetic and physical biology. "Our work was inspired by the methods that are used to study electronic circuits. Electrical engineers have tools like oscilloscopes and function generators that allow them to measure how voltage signals flow through electrical circuits. Those measurements are essential for making multiple circuits work together properly, so that more complex devices can be built. We have used our light-based tools as a biological function generator and oscilloscope in order to similarly analyze genetic circuits."<br/><br/>Electronic circuits -- like those in computers, smartphones and other devices -- are made up of components like transistors, capacitors and diodes that are connected with wires. As information -- in the form of voltage -- flows through the circuit, the components act upon it. By putting the correct components in the correct order, engineers can build circuits that perform computations and carry out complex information processing.<br/><br/>Genetic circuits also process information. Their components are segments of DNA that control whether or not a gene is expressed. Gene expression is the process in which DNA is read and converted to produce a product -- such as a protein -- that serves a particular purpose in the cell. If a gene is not "expressed," it is turned off, and its product is not produced. The bacteria used in Tabor's study have about 4,000 genes, while humans have about 20,000. The processes of life are coordinated by different combinations and timings of genes turning on and off.<br/><br/>Each component of a genetic circuit acts on the input it receives -- which may be one or more gene-expression products from other components -- and produces its own gene-expression product as an output. By linking the right genetic components together, synthetic biologists like Tabor and his students construct genetic circuits that program cells to carry out complex functions, such as counting, having memory, growing into tissues, or diagnosing the signatures of disease in the body.<br/><br/>For example, in previous research, Tabor and colleagues designed genetic circuits that allowed bacteria to change their color based on incoming light. The technique allowed the team to create bacterial colonies in Petri dishes that could behave like photo paper and reproduce black and white images.<br/><br/>In the new study, Tabor and Olson realized that light could be used to create time-varying gene-expression signals that rise and fall, similar to those used in electronic engineering.<br/><br/>"In electronics, two of the key tools are function generators and oscilloscopes," said Olson, a graduate student in applied physics. "The function generator sends a known signal into the circuit being characterized. The oscilloscope is a device with a screen that the engineer uses to see the circuit output. By twisting the knobs on the function generator and viewing the corresponding output on the oscilloscope, the engineer can infer what various parts of the circuit are doing.<br/><br/>"The system of fluorescent reporter genes is our version of the oscilloscope," he said. "It lets us view both the circuit's input and output, and because it uses light to report on what's happening, it provides a very clean signal."<br/><br/>With their "bioscilloscope" in hand, the team needed a corresponding function generator. Olson, the lead author of the <i>Nature Methods</i> paper, put his electronics skills to work in late 2011 and invented the "light tube array," a programmable, eight-by-eight set of LED lights that will fit under a standard 64-well tray of test tubes. With the addition of some light-blocking foam around each test tube, the team had a way to send individually programmed light signals into each test tube in the array. By varying the signals and measuring the corresponding outputs with their bioscilliscope, the team was able to determine exactly how its test circuit performed.<br/><br/>"The precision of light allows us to create exceptionally clean gene expression signals, which we can use to extract far more information about gene circuits than was possible before," Tabor said.<br/><br/>"We found there was a seven-minute delay between the gene expression going into and coming out of the genetic circuit," Olson said. "We also found we could program the circuit to follow specific patterns. For example, to rise by a specific amount over a set amount of time, stop and stay at another level for a predetermined length of time and then drop down to a third level for another interval of time."<br/><br/>Olson said the light tube array and bioscilliscope will be useful tools for biologists to probe how nature's cells work, as well as for synthetic biologists who want to build and analyze their own circuits and networks.<br/><br/>"It's really about having a clean input signal, a clean output signal and the tools required to measure them," Olson said.<br/><br/>Tabor added, "You just never see data this clean in biology. It's remarkable."<br/><div align="center">###</div><br/>The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research and NASA. Study co-authors include bioengineering graduate students Lucas Hartsough and Brian Landry and former undergraduate Raghav Shroff.<br/><br/><b>VIDEO is available at:</b> <a href="http://youtu.be/74m-wJfaFHA" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/74m-wJfaFHA</a><br/><br/><b>High-resolution IMAGES are available for download at:</b><br/><br/><a href="http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/0310-TABOR-LTA002-lg.jpg" target="_blank">http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/0310-TABOR-LTA002-lg.jpg</a><br/><br/>CAPTION: Jeffrey Tabor (left) and Evan Olson with their 64-well "light tube array," a programmable platform for controlling and measuring gene expression in living cells via a combination of light and light-sensing proteins.<br/><br/>CREDIT: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University<br/><br/><a href="http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/einstein.jpg" target="_blank">http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/einstein.jpg</a><br/><br/>CAPTION: In previous research, Rice synthetic biologist Jeff Tabor and colleagues created colonies of light-sensitive bacteria that exhibited complex patterns when exposed to images, like this portrait of Albert Einstein. In a new study, Tabor and colleagues realized that light could be used to create time-varying gene-expression signals that rise and fall, similar to those used in electronic engineering.<br/><br/>CREDIT: Matt Good and Jeff Tabor<br/><br/><b>A copy of the <i>Nature Methods</i> paper is available at:</b><br/><br/><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2884" target="_blank">http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2884</a><br/><br/>Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews<br/><br/>Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by <i>U.S. News & World Report</i>. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,920 undergraduates and 2,567 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 6.3-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice has been ranked No. 1 for best quality of life multiple times by the <i>Princeton Review</i> and No. 2 for "best value" among private universities by <i>Kiplinger's Personal Finance</i>.<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="Rice synthetic biologists shine light on genetic circuit analysis" href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-03/ru-rsb031014.php" target="_blank">Rice synthetic biologists shine light on genetic circuit analysis</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-69108335351567073132014-04-02T18:44:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:25.617-08:00UK Establishes Three New Synthetic Biology Research Centers<h2><span style="color: #993300;">UK establishes 3 new synthetic biology research centers</span></h2><br/>Three new multidisciplinary research centres in synthetic biology will be established in Bristol, Nottingham and through a Cambridge/Norwich partnership, thanks to funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_163" align="aligncenter" width="571"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/04/03/uk-establishes-3-new-synthetic-biology-research-centers/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-018/" rel="attachment wp-att-163"><img class="size-full wp-image-163" alt="UK establishes 3 new synthetic biology research centers www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-018" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-018.jpg" width="571" height="363" /></a> <span style="color: #993300;"><em><strong>UK establishes 3 new synthetic biology research centers</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>The £40M+ investment will be formally announced by Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts tonight at a BBSRC event in London to mark the achievements and impact of UK bioscience over the last 20 years.<br/><br/>The BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centres will receive funding over five years to boost national synthetic biology research capacity and ensure that there is diverse expertise to stimulate innovation in this area. The centres will: offer a strong collaborative culture; provide essential state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, trained researchers and technical staff; drive advancement in modern synthetic biology research; and develop new technologies.<br/><br/>Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts, said: "Synthetic biology is one of the most promising areas of modern science, which is why we have identified it as one of the eight great British technologies of the future. Synthetic biology has the potential to drive economic growth but still remains relatively untapped and these new centres will ensure that the UK is at the forefront when it comes to commercialising these new technologies."<br/><br/>£10M was allocated to the synthetic biology research centres following the announcement of £600M capital investment for Research Councils in the autumn 2012 statement. BBSRC will fund just over 70% of the remaining costs and EPSRC is providing nearly 30%.<br/><br/>Synthetic biology is a revolutionary new way of doing bioscience which applies engineering principles to biology to make new biological parts, devices and systems. Synthetic biology builds on our knowledge of DNA sequencing and could be used to develop new medicines, chemicals and green energy sources as well as improving food crops across the world. Specific applications are already emerging, but its long-term potential for a range of industrial sectors remains largely untapped.<br/><br/>At this evening's BBSRC event, David Willetts will highlight how the development of the biosciences over the last two decades has given the UK a world-leading position in this area, a strong basis for advancing future scientific knowledge, and an engine for economic growth.<br/><br/>Professor Jackie Hunter, BBSRC Chief Executive, said: "Our continued substantial investment in synthetic biology highlights the potential of this important area of science. We must find new solutions to the major global challenges that we face today and these research centres will seek more sustainable ways of producing important industrial materials, food and fuels, while advancing diagnostics and medicines."<br/><br/>Professor David Delpy, EPSRC Chief Executive, said: "Synthetic biology is a very rapidly moving field, bringing together the basic physical sciences with engineering innovation and applying these in the life sciences. It has enormous potential to help us tackle many of the big issues facing the world as well as resulting in new industries. These new centres are building on a solid foundation of investment from both Research Councils that has drawn together skills and knowledge from across all scientific and engineering disciples."<br/><div align="center">###</div><br/><b>The new BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centres are:</b><br/><br/>Bristol Centre for Synthetic Biology (BrisSynBio): Led by Professor Dek Woolfson at the University of Bristol, this £14M centre will bring together scientists from a range of different research backgrounds to develop new techniques, technologies and reagents that will allow biologically-based products to be made easily, quickly and cheaply, and in sufficient quantities to make them useful. Researchers hope to develop new antibiotics; assemble virus-like particles to present new routes to vaccines; build simple cells from scratch; use red blood cells to deliver complex molecules like anti-cancer drugs directly to tumours; and reprogram bacteria to perform useful tasks like sensing environmental pollutants.<br/><br/><b>Synthetic Biology Research Centre Nottingham (SBRC Nottingham): </b>Professor Nigel Minton at the University of Nottingham will develop a £14.3M centre to provide sustainable routes to important chemicals. They will use synthetic biology to engineer microorganisms that can be used to manufacture the molecules and fuels that modern society needs in a cleaner and greener way. They aim to use bacteria to convert gasses that are all around us (such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)) into more desirable and useful molecules, reducing our reliance on petrochemicals.<br/><br/><b>OpenPlant Synthetic Biology Research Centre: </b>Scientists lead by Prof. David Baulcombe and Dr Jim Haseloff at the University of Cambridge and Prof. Dale Sanders and Prof. Anne Osbourn at the John Innes Centre will collaborate in a £12M effort to develop open technologies for plant synthetic <a href="http://www.openplant.org/" target="_blank">biology</a>. The OpenPlant initiative will establish internationally-linked DNA registries for sharing information about plant specific parts and simple testbeds. The development and exchange of new foundational tools and parts will directly contribute to the engineering of new traits in plants. OpenPlant will also provide a forum for technical exchange and wider discussion of the potential impact of plant synthetic biology on conservation and sustainability.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-62897888057984212152014-03-27T13:09:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:15:25.342-08:00Scientists have created the first synthetic chromosome for yeast<h2>Scientists Synthesize First Functional “Designer” Chromosome in Yeast</h2><br/><div id="node-1682"><br/><div><br/><h5><span style="color: #666699;">Study reports major advance in synthetic biology</span></h5><br/><div>March 27, 2014 (All day)</div><br/>An international team of scientists led by <a href="http://research.med.nyu.edu/boeke-lab">Jef Boeke</a>, PhD, director of NYU Langone Medical Center’s <a href="http://research.med.nyu.edu/systemsgenetics">Institute for Systems Genetics</a>, has synthesized the first functional chromosome in yeast, an important step in the emerging field of synthetic biology, designing microorganisms to produce novel medicines, raw materials for food, and biofuels.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_158" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/03/27/scientists-have-created-the-first-synthetic-chromosome-for-yeast/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-017-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-158"><img class="size-full wp-image-158" alt="Scientists have created the first synthetic chromosome for yeast www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-017" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-017.jpg" width="500" height="333" /></a> <span style="color: #808000;"><em><strong>Scientists have created the first synthetic chromosome for yeast</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>Over the last five years, scientists have built bacterial chromosomes and viral DNA, but this is the first report of an entire eukaryotic chromosome, the threadlike structure that carries genes in the nucleus of all plant and animal cells, built from scratch. Researchers say their team’s global effort also marks one of the most significant advances in yeast genetics since 1996, when scientists initially mapped out yeast’s entire DNA code, or genetic blueprint.<br/><br/>“Our research moves the needle in synthetic biology from theory to reality,” says Dr. Boeke, a pioneer in synthetic biology who recently joined NYU Langone from Johns Hopkins University.<br/><br/>“This work represents the biggest step yet in an international effort to construct the full genome of synthetic yeast,” says Dr. Boeke. “It is the most extensively altered chromosome ever built. But the milestone that really counts is integrating it into a living yeast cell. We have shown that yeast cells carrying this synthetic chromosome are remarkably normal. They behave almost identically to wild yeast cells, only they now possess new capabilities and can do things that wild yeast cannot.”<br/><br/>In this week’s issue of <em>Science</em> online March 27, the team reports how, using computer-aided design, they built a fully functioning chromosome, which they call synIII, and successfully incorporated it into brewer’s yeast, known scientifically as Saccharomyces cerevisiae.<br/><br/>The seven-year effort to construct synIII tied together some 273, 871 base pairs of DNA, shorter than its native yeast counterpart, which has 316,667 base pairs. Dr. Boeke and his team made more than 500 alterations to its genetic base, removing repeating sections of some 47,841 DNA base pairs, deemed unnecessary to chromosome reproduction and growth. Also removed was what is popularly termed junk DNA, including base pairs known not to encode for any particular proteins, and “jumping gene” segments known to randomly move around and introduce mutations. Other sets of base pairs were added or altered to enable researchers to tag DNA as synthetic or native, and to delete or move genes on synIII.<br/><br/>“When you change the genome you're gambling. One wrong change can kill the cell,” says Dr. Boeke. “We have made over 50,000 changes to the DNA code in the chromosome and our yeast still live. That is remarkable. It shows that our synthetic chromosome is hardy, and it endows the yeast with new properties.”<br/><br/>The Herculean effort was aided by some 60 undergraduate students enrolled in the “Build a Genome” project, founded by Dr. Boeke at Johns Hopkins. The students pieced together short snippets of the synthetic DNA into stretches of 750 to 1,000 base pairs or more. These pieces were then assembled into larger ones, which were swapped for native yeast DNA, an effort led by Srinivasan Chandrasegaran, PhD, a professor at Johns Hopkins. Chandrasegaran is also the senior investigator of the team’s studies on synIII.<br/><br/>Student participation kicked off what has become an international effort, called Sc2.0 for short, in which several academic researchers have partnered to reconstruct the entire yeast genome, including collaborators at universities in China, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in the U.S.<br/><br/>Yeast chromosome III was selected for synthesis because it is among the smallest of the 16 yeast chromosomes and controls how yeast cells mate and undergo genetic change. DNA comprises four letter-designated base macromolecules strung together in matching sets, or base pairs, in a pattern of repeating letters. “A” stands for adenine, paired with “T” for thymine; and “C” represents cysteine, paired with “G” for guanine. When stacked, these base pairs form a helical structure of DNA resembling a twisted ladder.<br/><br/>Yeast shares roughly a third of its 6,000 genes—functional units of chromosomal DNA for encoding proteins — with humans. The team was able to manipulate large sections of yeast DNA without compromising chromosomal viability and function using a so-called scrambling technique that allowed the scientists to shuffle genes like a deck of cards, where each gene is a card. “We can pull together any group of cards, shuffle the order and make millions and millions of different decks, all in one small tube of yeast,” Dr. Boeke says. “Now that we can shuffle the genomic deck, it will allow us to ask, can we make a deck of cards with a better hand for making yeast survive under any of a multitude of conditions, such as tolerating higher alcohol levels.”<br/><br/>Using the scrambling technique, researchers say they will be able to more quickly develop synthetic strains of yeast that could be used in the manufacture of rare medicines, such as artemisinin for malaria, or in the production of certain vaccines, including the vaccine for hepatitis B, which is derived from yeast. Synthetic yeast, they say, could also be used to bolster development of more efficient biofuels, such as alcohol, butanol, and biodiesel.<br/><br/>The study will also likely spur laboratory investigations into specific gene function and interactions between genes, adds Dr. Boeke, in an effort to understand how whole networks of genes specify individual biological behaviors.<br/><br/>Their initial success rebuilding a functioning chromosome will likely lead to the construction of other yeast chromosomes (yeast has a total of 16 chromosomes, compared to humans’ 23 pairs), and move genetic research one step closer to constructing the organism’s entire functioning genome, says Dr. Boeke.<br/><br/>Dr. Boeke says the international team’s next steps involve synthesizing larger yeast chromosomes, faster and cheaper. His team, with further support from Build a Genome students, is already working on assembling base pairs in chunks of more than 10,000 base pairs. They also plan studies of synIII where they scramble the chromosome, removing, duplicating, or changing gene order.<br/><br/>Detailing the Landmark Research Process<br/><br/>Before testing the scrambling technique, researchers first assessed synIII’s reproductive fitness, comparing its growth and viability in its unscrambled from — from a single cell to a colony of many cells — with that of native yeast III. Yeast proliferation was gauged under 19 different environmental conditions, including changes in temperature, acidity, and hydrogen peroxide, a DNA-damaging chemical. Growth rates remained the same for all but one condition.<br/><br/>Further tests of unscrambled synIII, involving some 30 different colonies after 125 cell divisions, showed that its genetic structure remained intact as it reproduced. According to Dr. Boeke, individual chromosome loss of one in a million cell divisions is normal as cells divide. Chromosome loss rates for synIII were only marginally higher than for native yeast III.<br/><br/>To test the scrambling technique, researchers successfully converted a non-mating cell with synIII to a cell that could mate by eliminating the gene that prevented it from mating.<br/><br/>Funding support for these experiments was provided by National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and Microsoft. Corresponding federal grant numbers are MCB-0718846 and GM-077291. Additional funding support was provided by fellowships from La Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Pasteur-Roux, National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, U.S. Department of Energy, and grants from the Exploratory Research Grant from the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.<br/><br/>Besides the teams at NYU Langone and Johns Hopkins, other scientific teams involved in the global Sc2.0 research effort are based at Loyola University in Baltimore, Md; BGI in Shenzhen, China; Tianjin University in China; Tsinghua University in China; MacQuarie University in Sydney, Australia; the Australian Wine Institute in Adelaide, Australia; the National University of Singapore; Imperial College, London, England; and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.<br/><br/>For more information, go to:<br/><br/><a title="http://www.med.nyu.edu/biosketch/boekej01" href="http://www.med.nyu.edu/biosketch/boekej01">http://www.med.nyu.edu/biosketch/boekej01</a><br/><br/><a title="http://syntheticyeast.org/" href="http://syntheticyeast.org/">http://syntheticyeast.org/</a><br/><br/>News Release Source : <a title="Scientists Synthesize First Functional “Designer” Chromosome in Yeast" href="http://communications.med.nyu.edu/media-relations/news/scientists-synthesize-first-functional-%E2%80%9Cdesigner%E2%80%9D-chromosome-yeast" target="_blank">Scientists Synthesize First Functional “Designer” Chromosome in Yeast</a><br/><br/></div><br/></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-26082292536276538162014-01-08T14:20:00.000-08:002018-02-01T11:15:25.062-08:00Synthetic genetic clock checks the thermometer<h2><span style="color: #ff6600;">Synthetic genetic clock checks the thermometer</span></h2><br/><h5><span style="color: #808080;">Rice University leads study to counter effects of temperature on synthetic gene circuits</span></h5><br/>HOUSTON – (Jan. 7, 2014) – Genetic systems run like clockwork, attuned to temperature, time of day and many other factors as they regulate living organisms. Scientists at Rice University and the University of Houston have opened a window onto one aspect of the process that has confounded researchers for decades: the mechanism by which genetic regulators adjust to changing temperature.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_150" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2014/01/08/synthetic-genetic-clock-checks-the-thermometer/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-017/" rel="attachment wp-att-150"><img class="size-full wp-image-150" alt="Synthetic genetic clock checks the thermometer www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-017" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-017.jpg" width="500" height="84" /></a> <span style="color: #ff6600;"><em><strong>Synthetic genetic clock checks the thermometer</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>Until now, synthetic biologists have not been able to duplicate this marvel, but Rice biochemist Matthew Bennett and his team developed a robust synthetic genetic clock that allows <i>Escherichia coli</i>bacteria to accurately keep time in a wide temperature range. The clock, which regulates the production of proteins, does not speed up or slow down with changing temperatures, and offers one possible solution to a problem that has hindered the advance of synthetic biology.<br/><br/>The results were published this week in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i>.<br/><br/>The revelation will be of interest to biologists who study regulatory systems, particularly circadian rhythms, but it may be most valuable to synthetic biologists who wish to reprogram cellular regulatory mechanisms for biotechnology, Bennett said.<br/><br/>"One of the problems we've had is that the genetic circuits we build are fragile," he said. "We can build systems that do what we want, but they often do not work well in other people's hands, or if we change the media or temperature. We wanted to create a system that should work independently of the parameters that might be hard for a synthetic biologist to control. We want to show we can build robust circuits, not just by making the architecture of the system more complicated, but by using the right proteins."<br/><br/>The ability to regulate for temperature comes naturally in mammals, but not all life is warm-blooded, and temperature generally affects biochemistry.<br/><br/>"The warmer things are, the more biochemistry speeds up," Bennett said. "This manifests in a lot of ways: Enzymes work faster and biochemical rates are faster."<br/><br/>He said that <i>E. coli</i>, for instance, shows dramatic changes in behavior even within its comfort zone of about 30 to 41 degrees Celsius (86 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit).<br/><br/>"For every 10 degrees Celsius increase in temperature, there's about a doubling in the cell cycle speed," Bennett said.<br/><br/>Among biological processes, there's a notable exception: circadian clocks that keep a steady beat despite the temperature. "We have genetically controlled clocks that help us determine the time of day and coordinate our response to the day-night cycle, changing hormone levels and our alertness. And we're not the only organisms that have them," he said.<br/><br/>"Plants and fungi and even some bacteria that do not have internal temperature regulation also have circadian clocks. For those organisms, it's very important that the period of their circadian clocks remains the same regardless of temperature changes. Your crops, no matter whether it's hot or cold, always keep to the same day-night cycle."<br/><br/>But circadian clocks are also biochemical. "As it gets colder, circadian clocks should slow down, and as it gets warmer, speed up, but they do not," he said. "It's been a mystery as to why that doesn't happen."<br/><br/>Bennett suspected the clocks take their cues from a combination of cellular feedback loops and temperature-sensitive proteins. "Instead of looking at circadian clocks in humans or plants, however, we decided to build a system from the ground up," he said.<br/><br/>His research group started with a synthetic gene oscillator that was built to run in <i>E. coli</i>. Then, by altering a single amino acid of a key protein – LacI, the lactose repressor – the researchers made that protein temperature-sensitive and provided the synthetic clock a guide to compensate for changing conditions.<br/><br/>Bennett noted in the paper that engineers have struggled with temperature compensation for a long time, perhaps most famously in the search for a device to give sailors at sea their longitude.<br/><br/>"Temperature compensation is a problem with timekeeping in general," said the researcher, whose first paper as an undergraduate also touched upon the longitude problem. "Metals expand and contract in response to temperature changes, thus altering the period of mechanical clocks.<br/><br/>"This was a major obstacle for early naval chronometers. The man who invented those chronometers, John Harrison, had to compensate for temperature effects. It was a big problem in engineering back then, and we're still finding it to be a problem when we build gene circuits in bacteria today."<br/><div align="center">###</div><br/>Faiza Hussain, a postdoctoral fellow at Rice, is the paper's lead author. Other Rice co-authors are Andrew Hirning, graduate student, and Kathleen Matthews, the Stewart Memorial Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. University of Houston co-authors are Chinmaya Gupta, postdoctoral fellow, Krešimir Josić, associate professor of mathematics, and William Ott, assistant professor of mathematics.<br/><br/>The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health through the joint National Science Foundation/National Institute of General Medical Sciences Mathematical Biology Program, the Robert A. Welch Foundation and the John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award Program administered by the Gulf Coast Consortia.<br/><br/>In this video, <i>E. coli</i> cells containing the dual-feedback oscillator are outlined in blue and red tracked as they grow in a microfluidic device at 32 degrees Celsius, left, and 41 degrees Celsius, right. The periods of the cells' fluorescent-tagged "clock" proteins, tracked in the graph at bottom, match despite the change in temperature. (Credit: Bennett Lab/Rice University)<br/><br/>Read the abstract at <a href="http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1316298111" target="_blank">http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1316298111</a><br/><br/>This news release can be found online at <a href="http://news.rice.edu/2014/01/07/synthetic-genetic-clock-checks-the-thermometer-2/" target="_blank">http://news.rice.edu/2014/01/07/synthetic-genetic-clock-checks-the-thermometer-2/</a><br/><br/>Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.<br/><br/><b>Related Materials:</b><br/><br/>The Bennett Lab: <a href="http://biodesign.rice.edu/" target="_blank">http://biodesign.rice.edu</a><br/><br/>"Huygens's clocks": <a href="http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/458/2019/563.abstract" target="_blank">http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/458/2019/563.abstract</a><br/><br/>University of Houston Department of Mathematics: <a href="http://www.mathematics.uh.edu/" target="_blank">http://www.mathematics.uh.edu</a><br/><br/><b>Images/video:</b><br/><br/><a href="http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Composite-horizontal-web.jpg" target="_blank">http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Composite-horizontal-web.jpg</a><br/><br/>A vertical version of this image is available here:<br/><br/><a href="http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Composite-vertical-web.jpg" target="_blank">http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Composite-vertical-web.jpg</a><br/><br/>Rice University scientists engineered a synthetic genetic clock inside a mutant <i>Escherichia coli</i> bacteria that keeps time despite rising or falling temperature. In an experiment, the researchers isolated a small number of engineered bacteria under a fluorescent microscope and captured images over three hours as a single cell (yellow arrow) oscillated at a regular clip between states despite changing conditions. They found altering one amino acid to make a regulator protein sensitive to temperature provided the right feedback to the bacteria's circadian clock. (Credit: Bennett Lab/Rice University)<br/><br/><a href="http://youtu.be/KZDZNANGL3c" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/KZDZNANGL3c</a><br/><br/>In this video, <i>E. coli</i> cells containing the dual-feedback oscillator are outlined in blue and red and tracked as they grow in a microfluidic device at 32 degrees Celsius, left, and 41 degrees Celsius, right. The periods of the cells' fluorescent-tagged "clock" proteins, tracked in the graph at bottom, match despite the change in temperature. (Credit: Bennett Lab/Rice University)<br/><br/>Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,708 undergraduates and 2,374 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice has been ranked No. 1 for best quality of life multiple times by the Princeton Review and No. 2 for "best value" among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to <a href="http://tinyurl.com/AboutRiceU" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/AboutRiceU</a>.<br/><br/>Jeff Falk<br/><br/>713-348-6775<br/><a href="mailto:jfalk@rice.edu">jfalk@rice.edu</a><br/><br/>Mike Williams<br/>713-348-6728<br/><a href="mailto:mikewilliams@rice.edu">mikewilliams@rice.edu</a><br/><br/>News Release Source : <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-01/ru-sgc010714.php">http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-01/ru-sgc010714.php</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446182862554314162.post-13647475204856046052013-11-30T16:46:00.000-08:002018-02-01T11:15:24.777-08:00High-Speed DNA Synthesis to Drive Growth in Synthetic Biology Market<h2><span style="color: #0000ff;">Advancements in High-Speed DNA Synthesis to Drive Growth in the Global Synthetic Biology Market</span></h2><br/><h3><span style="color: #666699;">Advancements in High-Speed DNA Synthesis to Drive Growth in the Global Synthetic Biology Market, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. </span></h3><br/><h4><span style="color: #808080;">GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global report on Synthetic Biology markets. Global market for Synthetic Biology is projected to reach US$12.9 billion by 2018, driven by advances in high-speed DNA synthesis and DNA sequencing.</span></h4><br/>[caption id="attachment_144" align="aligncenter" width="500"]<a href="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/2013/12/01/high-speed-dna-synthesis-to-drive-growth-in-synthetic-biology-market/www-syntheticbiologytechnology-com-015/" rel="attachment wp-att-144"><img class="size-full wp-image-144" alt="High-Speed DNA Synthesis to Drive Growth in Synthetic Biology Market www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-015" src="http://www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/www.syntheticbiologytechnology.com-015.jpg" width="500" height="225" /></a> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>High-Speed DNA Synthesis to Drive Growth in Synthetic Biology Market</strong></em></span>[/caption]<br/><br/>San Jose, California (PRWEB) November 26, 2013<br/><br/><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/734271?trk=tyah" rel="nofollow">Follow us on LinkedIn</a> - Synthetic biology as an extension of biotechnology and genetic engineering, is expected to present a new world of opportunities right from designing new biological systems to entirely transforming the way food crops or medicines are developed. Unlike genetic engineering, in synthetic biology, scientists entirely reengineer biological systems by writing a new genetic code on a computer, which is later impregnated into organisms for creating an artificial life form. Though synthetic biology is still in its infancy, the potential for future impact remains significant. The revolutionary idea brings together multiple disciplines such as computer modeling, engineering and biological sciences for creating next-generation biological systems, parts and devices as well as for redesigning existing<a href="http://www.strategyr.com/Synthetic_Biology_Market_Report.asp" rel="nofollow">biological systems</a> for useful applications. Molecular biologists, computer scientists, engineers and chemists are working in collaboration to develop building blocks for creating a new synthetic world, while researchers are exploring the process of gene manipulation as well as reconfiguration of metabolic pathways of cells to perform new functions. Ever since its inception, synthetic biology has played a pioneering role in transforming applications across diverse end-use segments including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, energy and healthcare. Several of the leading chemical, energy, pharmaceutical, food, forestry and agribusiness companies are investing in synthetic biology research and are increasingly relying on artificial DNA fragments to invent new products.<br/><br/>As stated by the new market research report on, <a href="http://www.strategyr.com/Synthetic_Biology_Market_Report.asp" rel="nofollow">Synthetic Biology,</a> Europe represents the largest market worldwide, supported by high R&D interest in developing synthetic biology based products. Within Europe, Germany, the UK and Scotland remain prominent markets. Japan, India and China are expected to drive future growth in the market.<br/><br/>Synthetic biology has potential applications in a number of areas, including health, environment, energy, food and agriculture and new materials development. Energy & Chemicals represent the largest as well as the fastest growing end-use sector. Within the pharmaceuticals sector, the technology has pioneered the development of an affordable and highly-effective malaria drug, which offers therapeutic benefits similar to Artemisia, a Chinese herb. The new drug is produced inside the cellular membranes of a synthetic yeast strain. In the agriculture sector, the technology finds utility in the production of <a href="http://www.strategyr.com/Synthetic_Biology_Market_Report.asp" rel="nofollow">genetically-engineered crops.</a> Currently, genetically-engineered crops contribute about 94% of cotton, 93% of soy, and 88% of corn of the overall acreage in the United States. The technology is being used to develop high-performance biofuels. Other areas with commercial potential include the use of synthetic biology for creating crop-enhancing fertilizers and new food additives, such as artificial sweeteners. The technology can also be used to modify the genetic code of naturally-found bacteria in the soil so that it releases growth hormones in soil for the plant to absorb the hormone and develop stronger roots. Synthetic biology can also be used to create gene network for endangered species, facilitate artificial photosynthesis, and perform biological computing.<br/><br/>Major players covered in the report include Agilent Technologies Inc., Amyris Biotechnologies Inc., BP PLC, Chromatin Inc., DuPont, Gevo Inc., 454 Life Sciences, Epoch Life Science Inc., Evolva SA, Solazyme Inc., Synthetic Genomics Inc., Synthetic Biologics Inc., DNA2.0, Intrexon Corp, and Life Technologies, among others.<br/><br/>The research report titled "Synthetic Biology: A Global Strategic Business Report" announced by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a comprehensive review of trends, drivers, issues, and strategic industry activities of major companies worldwide. The report provides market estimates and projections for geographic markets such as the US, Canada, Japan, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific and Rest of World. The report analyzes the global market for synthetic biology by end-use sector - Energy & Chemicals, Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals and Research & Development.<br/><br/>For more details about this comprehensive market research report, please visit -<a href="http://www.strategyr.com/Synthetic_Biology_Market_Report.asp" rel="nofollow">http://www.strategyr.com/Synthetic_Biology_Market_Report.asp</a><br/><br/>About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.<br/><a href="http://www.strategyr.com/" rel="nofollow">Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA)</a> is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/734271?trk=tyah" rel="nofollow">Follow us on LinkedIn</a><br/><br/>Global Industry Analysts, Inc.<br/>Telephone: 408-528-9966<br/>Fax: 408-528-9977<br/>Email: press(at)StrategyR(dot)com<br/>Web Site: <a href="http://www.strategyr.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.StrategyR.com/</a><br/><br/>###<br/><br/>News Release Source : <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/synthetic_biology_market/bioengineering_industry/prweb11371207.htm">http://www.prweb.com/releases/synthetic_biology_market/bioengineering_industry/prweb11371207.htm</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0