Synthetic Biology News and Research

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Thermo Fisher, Cellectis sign agreements on TALEN gene editing technology

Cellectis, a leader of engineered CART cell therapies, and Thermo Fisher Scientific announced today that they have entered into a series of agreements covering the uses of TAL nucleases under the brand name TALEN™.

5 Jun 2014

Navy asks Rice synthetic biologist to tweak gut bacteria for mood, weight control

The motto "no guts, no glory" may need rewriting if Rice University synthetic biologist Jeff Tabor succeeds in his quest to help the Navy create an edible probiotic bacterium that can help protect sailors and marines from obesity and depression.

13 May 2014

Scientists develop bone marrow-on-a-chip to test effects of new drugs, toxic agents on bone marrow

The latest organ-on-a-chip from Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering reproduces the structure, functions and cellular make-up of bone marrow, a complex tissue that until now could only be studied intact in living animals, Institute researchers report in the May 4, 2014, online issue of Nature Methods.

6 May 2014

Engineering cell-based, biological devices may selectively kill cancer cells without disrupting healthy cells

A Northwestern University synthetic biology team has created a new technology for modifying human cells to create programmable therapeutics that could travel the body and selectively target cancer and other sites of disease.

18 Apr 2014

UH Math collaborates with Rice on synthetic gene circuit

A long-standing challenge in synthetic biology has been to create gene circuits that behave in predictable and robust ways. Mathematical modeling experts from the University of Houston (UH) collaborated with experimental biologists at Rice University to create a synthetic genetic clock that keeps accurate time across a range of temperatures.

7 Apr 2014

Chemical engineers design way to manufacture peptides in mere hours

Small protein fragments, also called peptides, are promising as drugs because they can be designed for very specific functions inside living cells. Insulin and the HIV drug Fuzeon are some of the earliest successful examples, and peptide drugs are expected to become a $25 billion market by 2018.

19 Mar 2014

Researchers use computer-aided design tool to create genetic languages of biological systems

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.

14 Mar 2014

Scientists develop new genetic platform that yields novel antibiotic from ocean bacteria

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a new genetic platform that allows efficient production of naturally occurring molecules, and have used it to produce a novel antibiotic compound.

23 Jan 2014

Allee effect in bacteria may cause tradeoff between population spread and survival

In 1859 an Australian farmer named Thomas Austin released 24 grey rabbits from Europe into the wild because it "could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting."

21 Jan 2014

Innovative therapy offers new hope to breast cancer patients

A novel breast-cancer therapy that partially reverses the cancerous state in cultured breast tumor cells and prevents cancer development in mice, could one day provide a new way to treat early stages of the disease without resorting to surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, a multi-institutional team led by researchers from the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University reported January 1 in Science Translational Medicine.

2 Jan 2014

Intrexon enters into definitive agreement to acquire Medistem

Intrexon Corporation, a leader in synthetic biology, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire, for approximately $26 million, San Diego-based Medistem, Inc. a pioneer in the development of Endometrial Regenerative Cells, universal donor adult stem cells that stimulate new blood vessel formation and are capable of generating different tissues including heart, brain, pancreas, liver, bone, cartilage and lung.

21 Dec 2013

Bioethics Commission releases ethical recommendations to manage incidental and secondary findings

Researchers conduct a memory study, scan a participant's brain, and find more than they bargain for: a tumor. What do the researchers owe the participant? What does the participant want to know?

13 Dec 2013

INVISTA joins CPI for development of new technologies to enable gas-fermentation-based processes

INVISTA and The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) announce a collaboration for the development of new technologies to enable gas-fermentation-based processes for the production of industrial chemicals.

10 Dec 2013

GoInformatics, TeselaGen form strategic partnership to offer cutting-edge biodesign automation tools

GoInformatics and TeselaGen have announced a strategic partnership to offer a state-of-the-art Biological Design Automation and Scientific Data Management platform. With a secure repository to collect, organize, and store research information, the integrated cloud-based platform will enable scientists advance their research at a much faster pace.

16 Nov 2013

Life Technologies revenue for third quarter increases 3% to $936

Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2013. Revenue for the third quarter was $936 million, an increase of 3 percent over the $911 million reported for the third quarter of 2012.

5 Nov 2013

Wiley expands partnership with EMBO

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., today announced that it will provide editorial production, global marketing and distribution services for The EMBO Journal, EMBO reports and Molecular Systems Biology. This expanded partnership with EMBO adds three leading scientific journals alongside EMBO Molecular Medicine, which Wiley has published since 2009.

30 Oct 2013

Research Institute receives Fast Track status for its gene therapy product for treatment of SMA

AveXis and BioLife, synthetic biology platform companies, today announced that The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its scAAV9.CB.SMN gene therapy product for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

19 Oct 2013