Markita Landry, MBIB faculty scientist and UC Berkeley assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is a recipient of the second annual New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award for plant efficiency. Landry is interested in discovering routes for nanoparticle transport across plant cell walls and chloroplast membranes for use in GMO-free gene editing.
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In the presence of abundant water and sunlight, most plants conduct photosynthesis using what is known as the C3 pathway. Some plants can conduct C4 photosynthesis in water-limited conditions; a different enzyme collects carbon dioxide from the air to form a 4-carbon chain that lends itself to the pathway name. In water-poor conditions, some plants collect and process carbon at night rather than during the day through crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis, named for its discovery in succulents. In the December 1, 2017 issue of Nature Communications, a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers and including scientists at the Joint Genome Institute sequenced and analyzed the genome of Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi to better understand how this plant transitioned from C3 to CAM photosynthesis. Read more on the JGI website.
The Director’s Distinguished Women in Science Speaker Series at Berkeley Lab kicked off on Monday, November 20, with Jennifer Doudna, a faculty scientist in the Molecular Biophysics & Integrated Bioimaging (MBIB) Division, interviewed by NPR science correspondent Joe Palca. Doudna and Palca began the conversation by highlighting a common connection: They are both graduates of Pomona College in Southern California. From there, they covered a lot of ground, providing a vivid backdrop for the answer to the most pressing question of the day: How did Doudna discover the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tool?
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Biosciences’ Abby Dernburg and Eva Nogales–both of whom are also UC Berkeley professors and HHMI Investigators–have been selected as 2017 Fellows of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon ASCB members by their peers. The award is a lifetime recognition of meritorious efforts to advance cell biology and/or its applications, work in service to the Society, and ongoing loyalty to ASCB.
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Biosciences’ Thomas Budinger has been elected by the IEEE Board of Directors to receive the 2018 IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology for “pioneering contributions to tomographic radiotracer imaging.” An affiliate scientist in the Molecular Biology & Integrated Bioimaging (MBIB) Division and recalled professor in the Department of Bioengineering at UC Berkeley, Budinger noted that the cited work was made possible by support from the DOE and the contributions of his principal colleagues Stephen Derenzo (MBIB), Grant Gullberg (MBIB), Ronald Huesman (emeritus, Life Sciences), and William Jagust (MBIB/UC Berkeley). The award, sponsored by the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, was established in 2009 and is given annually for exceptional contributions to technologies and applications benefitting healthcare, medicine, and the health sciences. A gold medal, bronze replica, certificate, and honorarium will be presented to Budinger at the IEEE Honors Ceremony to be held in conjunction with the Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit in the spring.
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