Synthetic Biology News and Research

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Novel face mask can diagnose Covid-19 in 90 minutes

Engineers at MIT and Harvard University have designed a novel face mask that can diagnose the wearer with Covid-19 within about 90 minutes. The masks are embedded with tiny, disposable sensors that can be fitted into other face masks and could also be adapted to detect other viruses.

28 Jun 2021

Researchers develop engineered yeast probiotic for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

The world of microbes living in the human gut can have far-reaching effects on human health. Multiple diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are tied to the balance of these microbes, suggesting that restoring the right balance could help treat disease.

28 Jun 2021

COVID-19 PCR tests can withstand freeze-drying process

In fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, it's not just the vaccines that require complicated cold supply chains and refrigerated storage. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests -- often considered the "gold standard" of testing -- also have enzymes and reagents that need to be frozen.

14 Jun 2021

Study shows how different microbiomes could be harnessed to boost human health

There's a lot of interest right now in how different microbiomes--like the one made up of all the bacteria in our guts--could be harnessed to boost human health and cure disease.

7 Jun 2021

New COVID-19 test can deliver highly accurate results in less than 15 minutes

A new rapid coronavirus test developed by KAUST scientists can deliver highly accurate results in less than 15 minutes.

26 May 2021

Sphere Fluidics announces enhanced Cyto-Mine capability and performance

Sphere Fluidics, a company developing single-cell analysis systems, today announced it has enhanced the performance of its Cyto-Mine® System.

From Sphere Fluidics 17 May 2021

Collaborative research could expedite or eliminate the need to manually adjust bioproduction process

Much of common pharmaceutical development today is the product of laborious cycles of tweaking and optimization.

21 Apr 2021

Scientists identify a new way to increase enzymes’ life span

Like the parts of a car that make it go, enzymes in living cells can eventually wear out or break over time, and researchers at The University of Western Australia have now discovered what determines an enzyme’s working life and what needs to be done to keep it working longer.

24 Mar 2021

How could AI be used to predict infection outcomes?

Professor Frankel speaks to News-Medical about his latest research that investigated whether AI could be used to predict infection outcomes.

23 Mar 2021

New cellular device with computing capacity could be used outside the laboratory

The Research Group on Synthetic Biology for Biomedical Applications at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, has designed a cellular device capable of computing by printing cells on paper. For the first time, they have developed a living device that could be used outside the laboratory without a specialist, and it could be produced on an industrial scale at low cost.

20 Mar 2021

Researchers unravel how a novel microbial small molecule is connected to dental caries development

An inter-disciplinary team of researchers led by Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Chair Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Department of Ocean Science and Division of Life Science has unraveled how a novel microbial small molecule released by Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) - a bacterium commonly found in the human oral cavity - is connected to dental caries development using a synthetic biology approach, offering new insights to the health impact of the human oral microbiota and facilitating future research on the prevention of tooth decay.

16 Mar 2021

Novel computer-guided design tool helps increase the efficiency of cell conversions

There is a great need to generate various types of cells for use in new therapies to replace tissues that are lost due to disease or injuries, or for studies outside the human body to improve our understanding of how organs and tissues function in health and disease.

13 Mar 2021

NIAID awards $2.5 million in grants to support research on bacteriophage therapy

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded $2.5 million in grants to 12 institutes around the world to support research on bacteriophage therapy.

11 Mar 2021

Synthetic biology can help create complex embryo

Richard Feynman, one of the most respected physicists of the twentieth century, said "What I cannot create, I do not understand". Not surprisingly, many physicists and mathematicians have observed fundamental biological processes with the aim of precisely identifying the minimum ingredients that could generate them. One such example are the patterns of nature observed by Alan Turing.

2 Feb 2021

Genetically engineered cartilage delivers anti-inflammatory drug in response to knee activity

Working to develop new treatments for osteoarthritis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have genetically engineered cartilage to deliver an anti-inflammatory drug in response to activity similar to the bending of a knee or other motions that put stress on joints.

27 Jan 2021

Antibiotic resistance may be more widespread than previously expected

Pathogenic bacteria in humans are developing resistance to antibiotics much faster than expected. Now, computational research at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shows that one reason could be significant genetic transfer between bacteria in our ecosystems and to humans.

21 Jan 2021

Scientists design experimental gut-brain system in a lab dish

Research into what is known as the gut-brain axis continues to reveal how the brain and gut influence each other's health and well-being. Now researchers are endeavoring to learn more about gut-brain discourse using a model system built in a lab dish.

4 Jan 2021