Biosciences News

The Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has claimed over 110 lives and more than 170 suspected or confirmed cases have been reported. While there is no known cure, basic research is providing insight into the action of the virus. Zachary Bornholdt and Erica Ollman Saphire from The Scripps Research Institute spearheaded a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Tokyo, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, studying an Ebola virus protein.

Presented by R&D Magazine, the R&D 100 Awards recognize the year’s top 100 technology products from industry, academia, and government-sponsored research, ranging from chemistry to materials to biomedical breakthroughs.

The Bacteriophage Power Generator generates power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity, providing a sustainable, cost-effective, nontoxic energy source capable of powering electronics and microdevices. It is unique in addressing the energy challenge of predominantly battery-driven devices.

Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), led by Trent Northen (pictured on the left) , a staff scientist at JBEI and Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division, have developed a high-throughput screening tool to support the development of lignocellulosic biofuels.

Peter Zwart’s group at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), Beamline 5.0.2, a protein crystallography beamline that is part of the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology (BCSB), became the second ALS beamline to reach the 1,000 published structures mark.