Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants. Exploring sugarcane’s genetic code could help researchers develop more resilient and productive crops, with implications for both sugar production and biofuels
Biomanufacturing Increases Available Supply of Anti-cancer Drug
The supply of a plant-derived anti-cancer drug can finally meet global demand after a team of scientists from Denmark and the U.S. engineered yeast to produce the precursor molecules, which could previously only be obtained in trace concentrations in the native plant. A study describing the breakthrough was recently published in Nature. The international team included four researchers from the Biological Systems and Engineering Division: Leanne Jade G. Chan, Edward Baidoo, Christopher J. Petzold, and Jay D. Keasling.
Q&A: The Story Behind Our Infinitely Recyclable Plastic
A multidisciplinary Berkeley Lab team led by the Joint Bioenergy Institute’s Corinne Scown and the Molecular Foundry’s Brett Helms, has been working for several years to develop a game-changing plastic that, unlike traditional plastics, can be recycled indefinitely and is not made from petroleum. Scown and Helms spoke with Berkeley Lab on the inspiration for this plastic, shortfalls in our current recycling systems, and how this ambitious project is enabled by a diverse combination of scientific expertise.
Maxon Leads Advanced Biosciences for Manufacturing Panel
On July 28, Biosciences Principal Deputy Mary Maxon moderated a panel of National Lab and industry speakers who discussed “Advanced Biosciences for Manufacturing: Driving Solutions in Energy, Health and the Environment.” The Capitol Hill event was sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in conjunction with the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and the House of Representatives Manufacturing Caucus. Over 100 congressional staffers attended the briefing and asked a broad variety of questions, including those focused on what Congress could do to drive biomanufacturing in the U.S. The program and panel presentations (part 1 and part 2) are posted on the House Manufacturing Caucus website, along with information about other caucus events.
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