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The best therapy today for malaria is a drug combination that includes a derivative of artemisinin, now solely available from plants. On April 11, Sanofi began production of the first semi-synthetic version of artemisinin, derived from yeast developed by biotech company Amyris based on discoveries in the laboratory of Jay Keasling at UC Berkeley.
Tag: synthetic biology
Malaria milestone ‘took a village’
April 25, 2013:
On April 25, World Malaria Day, the non-profit Zagaya released a video Illustrating why, in the words of UC Berkeley synthetic biologist Jay Keasling, “it took a village” to create an accessible treatment for malaria that will be essential to eradicating the disease.
Making living matter programmable
March 26, 2013:
A dozen of the pioneers of synthetic biology gathered on campus March 25 to discuss the revolutionary potential of “programming life,” which some compared to the digital revolution. The event was co-hosted by SynBERC and Discover magazine.
Synthetic biologists standardize genetic parts to engineer cells
March 12, 2013:
A team of scientists has produced high-quality standardized biological parts that can be mixed and matched by biotech researchers creating new drugs, fuels or chemicals. The DNA sequences that encode all the parts are free and available online. The project, detailed in three research papers, is the work of researchers at the International Open Facility Advancing Biotechnology (BIOFAB), a collaboration led by UC Berkeley and Stanford University and funded by the National Science Foundation.
Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy
January 7, 2013:
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.
Synthetic biology pioneer Jay Keasling receives Heinz Award
September 12, 2012:
Jay Keasling, a leading authority and pioneer on synthetic biology who has engineered microbial “factories” to manufacture an affordable version of a frontline antimalarial drug and biofuel substitutes for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, has won a 2012 Heinz Award, which carries a cash prize of $250,000. Three of the four other winners are UC Berkeley grads.
Synthetic biologists look to computer-aided design
January 3, 2012:
Computer-assisted design tools that have been used to fabricate integrated circuits may soon be coming to the biological sciences, says Professor Jay Keasling, director of the Joint BioEngineering Institute and a world authority on synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.
Researchers turn viruses into molecular Legos
October 19, 2011:
UC Berkeley researchers have turned a benign virus into building blocks for assembling structures that mimic collagen, one of the most important structural proteins in nature. The “self-templating assembly” process they developed could eventually be used to manufacture materials with tunable optical, biomedical and mechanical properties.
