Biologically Inspired Engineering, synbio, synthetic biology, crispr
Staff 
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a farm tool called … Read more
Genome editing, also called gene editing, is a cluster of technologies allowing scientists the ability to change an organism’s DNA. The technologies around gene editing allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome. Several approaches to genome editing have been developed. A recent one is known as CRISPR-Cas9, … Read more
Growth in the artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare market is expected to reach $6.6 billion by 2021—that’s a compound annual growth rate of 40% from just a few years ago. One expression for why this matters can be found in a startup that is innovating in AI with the promise to accelerate drug design, discovery, and … Read more
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has a keen interest in developments in the field of synthetic biology. Defense Applications & Opportunities The DoD started focusing on synthetic biology in 2013. Since then, its capabilities have grown substantially. The following represents the foundational plans DoD developed in 2013 when the field was just emerging, as … Read more
Gene therapy is the administration of genetic material to modify or manipulate the expression of a gene product or to alter the biological properties of living cells for therapeutic use. Gene therapies offer the potential to treat diseases or conditions for which no or few treatments exist. They are being studied to treat cancer as … Read more
The Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network develops, disseminates, and applies approaches to research that combine biorepositories with electronic medical record systems for genomic discovery and genomic medicine implementation research. eMERGE is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-organized and funded consortium of U.S. medical research institutions. The Network brings together researchers with a wide … Read more
Inhibrx, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing a broad pipeline of novel biologic therapeutic candidates. Inhibrx uses diverse methods of protein engineering to address the specific requirements of target and disease biology, including its proprietary sdAb platform. The Inhibrx pipeline is focused on oncology, orphan diseases and infectious diseases. The company has … Read more
Harmony Biosciences is a private pharmaceutical company based in Plymouth Meeting, PA. Established in October 2017, the company’s vision is to develop and provide new medications to help people who are living with rare, neurological diseases. In October 2017, the company acquired exclusive U.S. rights to develop, register and market the drug pitolisant (WAKIX) from … Read more
Panacea Acquisition is a special type of holding company designed to acquire operating companies in the biotechnology space. As a special purpose holding company (SPAC), the company has no operations other than a plan to go public with the intention of acquiring or merging with a company using the proceeds of its initial public offering … Read more
An image on the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s History Wall in its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters memorializes the agency’s first grants. NSF’s very first grant, for $10,300, was in the biological sciences and went to the Institute for Cancer Research. In writing his prescription in 1945 for a new agency devoted to the progress of science, … Read more