Biosciences Area

  • About Biosciences
    • Leadership
    • Area Operations Centers
    • Strategic Plan and Reports
    • Strategic Programs Development Group
    • Contact Information
  • Our Science
    • Area Programs
    • Strategic Initiatives
    • Biological Systems and Engineering
    • Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology
    • Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging
    • DOE Joint Genome Institute
  • Media and Events
    • News
    • Announcements
    • Behind the Breakthroughs
    • Events Calendar
    • Seminar Series
  • Staff Resources
    • Commonly Used Acronyms
    • Communications
    • Hiring and Recruitment
    • Hybrid & Telework Resources
    • IDEA
    • Intellectual Property, Industry Engagement, and Entrepreneurship
    • LDRD Information
    • Logos and Templates
    • Mentoring Program
  • Search

Researchers Aid in Quest to Identify Genetically Engineered Organisms

August 15, 2023

The scientific and national security communities have long shared an unmet need for a tool capable of quickly and reliably distinguishing genetically modified organisms from naturally occurring ones. Over the course of a six-year program funded by the United States Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), several techniques were developed and refined. Biosciences Area researchers led testing and evaluation of these technologies, designing and producing biological samples of increasing complexity to assess how well the tools performed.

Microbes to the Rescue

April 4, 2022

Three fruit flies.

A team of researchers from the Biosciences Area at Berkeley Lab and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom found one particular organism in the fly’s microbiome that helps protect it from atrazine, an herbicide toxic to flies that is commonly used in agriculture. This method of rescuing fruit flies from atrazine poisoning with probiotics may be useful for protecting pollinators in agriculture.

A Laser-powered Upgrade to Cancer Treatment

March 23, 2022

Kei Nakamura, Antoine Snijders and Lieselotte Obst-Huebl (from left) at the BELLA laser facility aligning cartridges containing human cells in the proton beam path. This setup enabled measurements of the biological effects of laser-driven protons.

Researchers in the Biological Systems and Engineering (BSE) Division are collaborating with colleagues at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA) Center to adapt the nascent technology of laser-driven ion accelerators to make a more effective type of radiation more readily available to patients. The mutually beneficial partnership gives BELLA scientists a real-world application around which to refine their experimental laser platform, and gives the biologists a chance to test how living tissue responds to laser-driven proton beams at FLASH dose rates.

Trio of Recent Studies Underscore Harms of Exposure to Thirdhand Smoke

August 13, 2021

The thirdhand smoke (THS) research group in Biosciences’ Biological Systems and Engineering (BSE) Division contributed to three recently-published studies that further underscore the harms of exposure to the lingering toxic residues from tobacco smoke.

Scientists Explore Links Between Genetics, Gut Microbiome, and Memory

April 29, 2020

A new study traces the molecular connections between genetics, the gut microbiome, and memory in a mouse model bred to resemble the diversity of the human population. (Credit: Nathan Johnson/PNNL

A team of researchers from two U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories has found new evidence of tangible connections between the gut and the brain. The team, led by Antoine Snijders at Berkeley Lab and Janet Jansson at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), identified lactate—a molecule produced by all species of one gut microbe—as a key memory-boosting molecular messenger. The work was published in the journal BMC Microbiome.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Was this page useful?

Send
like not like

About Biosciences

  • Leadership
  • Area Operations Centers
  • Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability (IDEA)
  • Contact

Divisions & User Facility

  • Biological Systems and Engineering
  • Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology
  • Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging
  • DOE Joint Genome Institute

Resources

  • A-Z Index
  • Phonebook
  • Logos
  • Acronyms
  • Integrated Safety Management
Questions & Comments
Follow us: Mastodon LinkedIn YouTube