Biologically Inspired Engineering, synbio, synthetic biology, crispr
Living systems are not only complex, they are relentless in their demands to be kept alive, with all the attendant limitations and challenges for experimentation and measurement. So-called “cell-free systems” inhabit the space between chemistry and biology proper, obviating some of the requirements of living, cell-based systems and enabling biochemical processes and experimental interventions toxic, … Read more
Bionano Genomics is a life sciences instrumentation company in the genome analysis space. The company develops and markets the Saphyr system, a platform for ultra-sensitive and ultra-specific structural variation (SV) detection that enables researchers and clinicians to accelerate the search for new cancer diagnostics and therapeutic targets and to modernize the practice of cytogenetics. The … Read more
Human biology and new, more advanced computing is creating new territory for therapies that were not capable even five years ago. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies have the potential to transform health care by deriving new and important insights from the vast amount of health data. Medical device manufacturers are using these … Read more
The human genome is comprised of approximately 22,000 genes, each embodied as a region of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that contains codes for the synthesis of certain proteins. DNA, which consists of building blocks known as “nucleotides,” occurs in the familiar “double helix” shape, with two strands coiled around the same axis. One end of a … Read more
In 2010, J. Craig Venter and his team at the Venter Institute became the first to successfully construct synthetic life, putting humankind at the threshold of the most important and exciting phase of biological research, one that will enable us to actually write the genetic code for designing new species that can be used in … Read more
Scientists studying the effects of the potentially game-changing gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 have found it can cause unexpected genetic damage which could lead to dangerous changes in some cells. The findings, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology in 2018, have safety implications for gene therapies that are being developed using CRISPR/Cas9 – a type of molecular … Read more
Protein folding in the cell often relies on the help of chaperonins, naturally occurring cellular nanomachines that fold many critical cellular proteins in all human and animal cells. Knowledge of protein folding is important because proteins must assume the correct 3-D structure to function properly. Different classes of chaperones work together to form elaborate cooperative … Read more
Cell Squeeze® is a commercial technology designed to manipulate individual cells (ie. a patient’s own cells) through mild perturbation that leaves the cells viable after mechanoporation – or the insertion of a cargo directly into a cell’s cytosol. SQZ Biotech is the sole developer of this technology. One early application consists of a microchip that … Read more
Understanding the link between chromosomes and genes starts with indexing. When you type a query into an Internet search engine, a worldwide web search engine, you can get an answer back in less than a second because a company like Google has already indexed the entire readable Internet. Indexing is also at the core for … Read more
More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and many are prescribed opioid medications as treatment. But the benefits of long-term opioid treatment for chronic pain are unclear, and patients risk developing drug tolerance (needing higher doses) and hyperalgesia (increased pain sensitivity). Use of these medications may also lead to dependence or even addiction. … Read more