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UC Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna discovered that an enzyme used by bacteria to defend against viruses makes a simple, precise and cheap method of cutting DNA in order to insert new genes. The technique, now proved to work in human cells, could revolutionize genome engineering and transform gene therapy.
Tag: bacteria
Endowing cells with a magnetic personality
January 31, 2013:
Research News Brief: Taking a hint from magnetotactic bacteria, which make their own tiny bar magnets, UC Berkeley scientists are trying to endow other cells with internal magnets so that they can be tracked with MRI.
Research News Briefs
January 30, 2013:
Research News Briefs: The star-nosed mole is helping researchers discover touch and pain receptors in humans. / The Keck Foundation is funding a project to insert tiny magnets into cells to make them easy to track with magnetic resonance imaging. / Feelings of awe make people more generous.
Did bacteria spark evolution of multicellular life?
October 24, 2012:
A new study suggests that bacteria may have helped kick off one of the key events in evolution: the leap from one-celled organisms to many-celled organisms, a development that eventually led to animals, including humans.
Discovery opens door to attacking biofilms that cause chronic infections
July 12, 2012:
Using super-resolution microscopy and continuous fluorescent imaging, UC Berkeley physicists have for the first time revealed the structure of bacterial biofilms, which are responsible for the tenacious nature of bacterial diseases such as cholera and chronic sinusitus. The picture provides new targets for the development of drugs that can tear down these structures.
Humans a major source of indoor germs
April 2, 2012:
Just by walking into a room, the average human adds 37 million bacteria to the air for every hour he or she remains there, according to research by scientists at UC Berkeley and Yale. Humans are responsible for nearly one-fifth of all bacteria and fungi measured in a room.
New bacterial signaling molecule could lead to improved vaccines
May 27, 2010:
In a 20-year quest to determine why Listeria bacteria produce a uniquely strong immune response in humans, UC Berkeley scientists have found part of the answer: an unsuspected signaling molecule that the bacteria pump out and which ramps up production of interferon by the host. Interferon mobilizes the immune system to fight off bacteria and viruses.
