Synthetic biology and molecular machines
The latest chemistry news and research on synthetic biology, including genetic engineering, biomedicine and molecular machines, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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BusinessCrispr Nobel laureates get another chance to claim ownership in long-running patent dispute
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanualle Charpentier could recoup patent rights to the gene-editing technology, thanks to ruling from US appeal court
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ResearchDesigner protein switches conformations like a natural one
Researchers design, produce and test a synthetic protein with a dynamic structure
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ResearchEngineered microbe could clean up persistent oil pollution hotspots
Bacterium can break down five hydrocarbon pollutants into harmless compounds
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ResearchCould ‘woolly’ mice put mammoths on the path to de-extinction?
Scepticism that mice with mammoth gene edits could ever produce a viable animal in elephants
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NewsRapid action needed to stop the UK falling behind in synthetic biology
House of Lords science committee urges government action to allow the field to flourish
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ResearchDesigner proteins to treat deadly snake bites could save thousands of lives
Small proteins can help to tackle some of the deadliest components of cobras and mambas
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ResearchComputer simulation of carbonless DNA prompt researchers to consider alternative biochemistries
Researchers swap nitrogen and boron into DNA to create analogues that are geometrically and electrostatically equivalent to conventional DNA
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NewsPause work on ‘mirror life’, recommends panel of international experts
Synthetic bacteria with chirality opposite to that of life on Earth might cause lethal infections
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OpinionThere are no life lessons to be learned in AI’s Chinese Room
There’s a lot more lab work to do before we understand the ‘language of life’
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NewsExplainer: Why have protein design and structure prediction won the 2024 Nobel prize in chemistry?
Research that has taken us from sequence to structure and back again
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NewsProtein design and structure prediction wins chemistry Nobel prize
David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper were rewarded for creating computational tools to design proteins and predict their structures that have ‘revolutionised biological chemistry’
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ResearchNanopore sequencing set to transform our understanding of proteins
Rapid sequencing technique can not only deal with proteins hundreds of amino acids long but can detect modifications
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ResearchYellow food dye could give doctors a new way to look beneath the skin
Tartrazine can safely and reversibly turn the skin of mice transparent
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ResearchHybrid metabolism allows bacterium to get most out of fermentation and respiration
Engineered E. coli can turn unusable carbon sources into chemical feedstocks
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ResearchGenetic engineering feat coaxes yeast to produce valuable vaccine compound
Yeast could head off supply fears for vaccines ingredient by replacing soapbark tree as source of adjuvant
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ResearchE. coli engineered to become methanol addict to make industry feedstocks
Bacterium could head off food versus fuel dilemma by producing chemicals from agricultural waste
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ResearchSelf-dyeing vegan leather made by genetically engineered bacteria
Material can be shaped into shoes and wallets, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional leather
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ResearchEngineered enzymes break down silicon–carbon bonds in siloxane, an emerging pollutant
Directed evolution offers a way to tackle waste silicone
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ResearchUnravelling enzyme pathway of Taxol precursor brings synthetic production of cancer medicine closer
Expression of nine genes in tobacco plants led to formation of complex precursor of drug
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ResearchE. coli rewired to shift carbon flow towards C4 chemicals
Bioengineering strategy creates evolutionary advantage linking cell growth with product formation