Biosciences News

The development of omics technologies, such as metabolomics and proteomics, and systems biology have dramatically enhanced our ability to understand biological phenomena. Nevertheless the interpretation of large omics data into meaningful ‘knowledge’ as well as the understanding of complex metabolic interactions in engineered microbes remains challenging. Biological Systems & Engineering Division researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in collaboration with researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and led by principal investigator Taek Soon Lee, have developed a workflow that integrates various omics data and genome-scale models to study the effects of biofuel production in a microbial host. Read more on the JBEI website.

Karen Davies, staff scientist in the Molecular Biophysics & Integrated Bioimaging Division, and Jenny Mortimer, Director of Plant Systems Biology at the Joint BioEnergy Institute, are two of 50 extraordinary scientists under the age of 40 who have been selected to participate alongside business and political leaders in the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, which is taking place from June 26-28 in Tianjin, China.

Two years ago, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researchers developed OpenMSI—the most advanced computational tool for analyzing and visualizing mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) data. Last year, this web-available tool was selected as one of the 100 most technologically significant new products of the year by R&D Magazine. Now, OpenMSI has been licensed to bolster ImaBiotech’s Multimaging™ technology in the field of pharmaceutical and cosmetic research and development. With support from the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), Ben Bowen of the Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division and Oliver Rübel of the Computational Research Division conceptualized and developed OpenMSI.

What if checking the state of your arterial health were as simple as monitoring your blood pressure? New technology developed by Jonathan Maltz, a scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging division, could make this a reality. Maltz came up with the idea of using sensors to detect the changes in the pulse pressure as blood flows through the brachial artery, a major vessel in the upper arm. Previous studies have shown a strong correlation between the health of brachial and coronary arteries. With initial funding from a Berkeley Lab Innovation Grant, Maltz developed an advanced prototype called the Engevity Cuff, which looks and feels much like a blood pressure monitor. He worked with UC San Francisco (UCSF) chief cardiologist Jeffrey Olgin and his team, who are conducting a major heart health study, to test the device on real patients. Last fall, startup company Lexington Biosciences licensed the technology to help further refine the device and bring it to the medical market.

Microbiomes are communities of microorganisms that live on and in people, plants, soil, oceans, and the atmosphere, playing important roles in each ecosystem. Today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy launched the National Microbiome Initiative, designed to advance the understanding of microbiome behavior and enable the protection of healthy microbiomes. With its Microbes to Biomes program, Berkeley Lab is well positioned to contribute. Both Mary Maxon, Principal Deputy for Biosciences, and Trent Northen, Interim Director of Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology, worked with Eoin Brodie of the Earth & Environmental Sciences Division and other leading scientists to co-author an mBio editorial that calls for a predictive understanding of Earth’s microbiomes to address 21st century challenges in the areas of energy, health, and environment. Read more at the Berkeley Lab News Center.