Biologically Inspired Engineering, synbio, synthetic biology, crispr
Staff 
Reverse genetics has been a valuable tool for producing insights into viral pathogenesis and vaccine development. Large RNA virus genomes, such as from Coronaviruses, are cumbersome to clone and to manipulate in E. coli hosts due to size and occasional instability. Therefore, an alternative rapid and robust reverse genetics platform for RNA viruses would benefit … Read more
The emergence and spread of the COVID-19, which was declared a Public Health Emergency in the United States on January 31, 2020, has catalyzed significant activity by Federal, state, and local governments; the healthcare community; residents across the United States; and people around the world. The National Biodefense Strategy is the nation’s plan for ensuring … Read more
Biotech Without Borders is a Brooklyn-based non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to democratizing the practice of biotechnology for useful and peaceful purposes in order to benefit humankind and the planet. According to the organization, “We believe that engaging the end users- all of us– in biotech through actual participation is the best way to ensure … Read more
In 2015, Sean Parker announced a $600 million personal contribution to launch the Parker Foundation. The organization focuses on three areas: Life Sciences, Global Public Health and Civic Engagement. Soon thereafter, Parker donated $250 million by way of a grant from the Parker Foundation to create the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy in 2016. People … Read more
The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Divisions of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS), Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF), Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB), and Materials Research (DMR) announces a follow-up solicitation on the Semiconductor Synthetic Biology for Information Storage and Retrieval Program (SemiSynBio-II). Future ultra-low energy storage-based computing systems can be built on … Read more
A team of scientists at University of Vermont has repurposed living cells—scraped from frog embryos—and assembled them into entirely new life-forms. These millimeter-wide “xenobots” can move toward a target, perhaps pick up a payload (like a medicine that needs to be carried to a specific place inside a patient)—and heal themselves after being cut. “These … Read more
Assessed in January of each year, the Doomsday Clock is a symbol representation of the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe. Maintained since 1947 by the members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Clock is considered a measure for threats to humanity from unchecked scientific and technical advances. The Clock represents the hypothetical … Read more
Synthetic biology is an emerging field of science, biology and engineering that defies a simple definition. It is a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities. Synthetic biology researchers and companies around the world are harnessing the power of nature to solve problems in medicine, … Read more
The genes in your body’s cells play an important role in your health — indeed, a defective gene or genes can make you sick. Recognizing this, scientists have been working for decades on ways to modify genes or replace faulty genes with healthy ones to treat, cure or prevent a disease or medical condition. Now … Read more
In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved olaparib (Lynparza) for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with germline BRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma whose disease has not progressed on at least 16 weeks of a first-line platinum-based chemotherapy regimen, according to AstraZeneca and Merck. The agent is now the only PARP inhibitor approved for … Read more