Synthetic Biology News and Research

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EU-U.S. trans-disciplinary research agenda for synthetic biology

The Wilson Center's Synthetic Biology project recently received two grants from the National Science Foundation. One will support a Transatlantic Exploratory Workshop on the Implications of Cutting-Edge Biotechnologies for Sustainability Science and Policy, and the other will support research on the use of on-line prediction markets to explore emerging issues in synthetic biology.

23 Sep 2009

U.S. Navy and Solazyme to develop algae-derived advanced biofuel

Solazyme, Inc., the renewable oil production company and leader in algal synthetic biology, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to research, develop, and demonstrate commercial scale production of algae-derived advanced biofuel that meets the United States Navy’s rigorous specifications for military tactical platforms.

9 Sep 2009

GenoCAD project receives financial support from NSF

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a three-year $1,421,725 grant to Jean Peccoud, associate professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, to develop GenoCAD - a web-based Computer Assisted Design environment for synthetic biology.

1 Sep 2009

Two key circuits for controlling the cell's ability identified by UCSF researchers

UCSF researchers have identified the two key circuits that control a cell's ability to adapt to changes in its environment, a finding that could have applications ranging from diabetes and autoimmune research to targeted drug development for complex diseases.

24 Aug 2009

Opportunities and risks posed by synthetic biology

The new research field of synthetic biology will, in the medium term, open up a great deal of potential for combining novel genetic methods with engineering principles. This will facilitate the development, not only of new vaccines and medicines, but also of fuels and new materials.

3 Aug 2009

Junk DNA may not be so ‘junky’ after all

Scientists have called it "junk DNA." They have long been perplexed by these extensive strands of genetic material that dominate the genome but seem to lack specific functions. Why would nature force the genome to carry so much excess baggage?

20 May 2009

Using combinatorial libraries to engineer genetic circuits advances synthetic biology

Streamlining the construction of synthetic gene networks has led a team of Boston University researchers to develop a technique that couples libraries of diversified components with computer modeling to guide predictable gene network construction without the back and forth tweaking.

22 Apr 2009

Researchers create gene circuit that permits precise tuning of a gene's expression in a cell

Researchers have crafted a gene circuit that permits precise tuning of a gene's expression in a cell, an advance that should allow for more accurate analysis of the gene's role in normal and abnormal cellular function.

11 Mar 2009

Synthetic biology extends anti-malaria drug artemisinin's effectiveness

In addition to providing a simple and much less expensive means of making artemisinin, the most powerful anti-malaria drug in use today, synthetic biology can also help to extend the effectiveness of this drug.

8 Mar 2009

Researchers discover mechanism that plays a role in the natural production of vitamin C

Researchers from Wageningen University, along with colleagues from the University of Groningen and the University of Pavia (Italy), have unravelled the mechanism that plays a role in the natural production of vitamin C.

17 Feb 2009

Researchers hunt for a hi-tech vaccine against Helicobacter pylori

Almost half of the world population is infected with bacteria Helicobacter pylori which colonizes stomach, causing gastritis and ulcers and is recognized by WHO as a type I carcinogen.

10 Dec 2008

Researchers generate synthetic SARS-like bat coronavirus

SARS - severe acute respiratory syndrome - alarmed the world five years ago as the first global pandemic of the 21st century.

25 Nov 2008

Systems biology brings hope of speeding up drug development

Almost every day brings news of an apparent breakthrough against cancer, infectious diseases, or metabolic conditions like diabetes, but these rarely translate into effective therapies or drugs, and even if they do clinical development usually takes well over a decade.

19 Nov 2008

New technologies improve supplies of drugs to combat malaria

Three emerging technologies have the potential to significantly improve supplies of drugs to combat malaria, according to a report published today.

18 Nov 2008

New drugs the next casualty of the credit crunch

Scientists at an international conference have been warned that the next casualty of the credit crunch could be new drugs.

27 Oct 2008

Synthetic Biology: funders move to address social and ethical challenges

The report of an independent review of social and ethical challenges associated with research into, and the application of, synthetic biology, is published (9 June).

10 Jun 2008

New projects to raise UK profile in synthetic biology

Four UK Research Councils have come together to announce funding for new projects designed to rapidly build the UK's expertise and capacity in the emerging field of synthetic biology.

30 May 2008

Interaction networks: the new path to drug discovery

Although the pharmaceutical industry has dedicated enormous research efforts over the last 50 years to identify new targets and develop new active ingredients, these efforts have met with limited success.

17 Apr 2008

Scientists synthesize DNA-based memory loop in yeast cells

Harvard Medical School researchers have successfully synthesized a DNA-based memory loop in yeast cells, findings that mark a significant step forward in the emerging field of synthetic biology.

17 Sep 2007

Scientits devise dimmer swith to regulate gene expression in mammal cells

Three Boston University biomedical engineers have created a genetic dimmer switch that can be used to turn on, shut off, or partially activate a gene's function. Professor James Collins, Professor Charles Cantor and doctoral candidate Tara Deans invented the switch, which can be tuned to produce large or small quantities of protein, or none at all.

27 Jul 2007