Berkeley scientists — including Biosciences’s Jillian Banfield (secondary affiliation with the Environmental Genomics & System Biology Division) and Jennifer Doudna (Molecular Biophysics & Integrated Bioimaging Division) — have discovered simple CRISPR systems similar to CRISPR-Cas9 — a gene-editing tool that has revolutionized biology — in previously unexplored bacteria that have eluded efforts to grow them in the laboratory. Read more at Berkeley News.
New Cas9-based Toolkit Eases Obstacles in Genetic Engineering
JBEI develops new synthetic biology tools for engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Pioneering work has been led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) to engineer microbes to transform plant derived starting materials into energy-rich biofuels. But despite the progress in genomics and synthetic biology for the optimization of biofuel production in engineered microbes, microbial engineering methods remain slow and laborious. Such is the case of the fungal host, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast S. cerevisiae has proven to be an excellent organism for commercial-scale production of biological molecules, though its strain development remains painstakingly slow due to difficulties related to the combined effect of different expression parts and host conditions. Now, researchers at JBEI have developed the largest, most comprehensive Cas9-based toolkit to quickly institute genetic changes in S. cerevisiae to optimize heterologous gene expression.
Biosciences Affiliate Ignacio Tinoco Passes Away
Ignacio Tinoco, Jr., former affiliate in Molecular Biophysics & Integrated Bioimaging and professor emeritus of chemistry at UC Berkeley, died on Nov. 15 at the age of 85. A pioneer in many fields, Tinoco is most well-known for his study of RNA folding over his 60-year career. “The echoes of his discoveries are everywhere in modern biochemistry and biology. He trained generations of RNA scientists, imbuing us with his humility, rigor, and wry sense of humor,” said his former student Jody Puglisi, professor and chair of the Department of Structural Biology at Stanford University. Read more at C&EN.
ABPDU Featured on The Digest
On December 14, The Digest, a bioeconomy daily, featured the ABPDU (Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit) with an article on how the pilot has become a leader in the advanced bioeconomy. The feature article talks about the ABPDU’s capabilities and the many companies it has worked with since 2012 when it was first established. Read more on The Digest.
Berkeley Innovator Named Fellow of National Academy of Inventors
Amy Herr, faculty scientist in Biological Systems and Engineering, was among 175 inductees announced by the Academy on December 13. Election is a “distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.” Herr is renowned for innovative engineering analysis of complex biological systems, with an emphasis on analytical tools and diagnostics. Read more at BerkeleyNews.
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