All Bioengineering articles – Page 4
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NewsBacteria rewire digestive systems to turn plant waste into power
A new study shows that Pseudomonas putida, a common soil bacterium, completely reorganizes its metabolism to thrive on complex carbons from lignin. By slowing down some metabolic pathways while accelerating others, the bacterium manages to extract energy from lignin without exhausting itself.
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News‘Essentiality’ scan reveals microbe’s ‘must-have’ list
Researchers have spent years taking apart one of the world’s simplest microbes, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, piece by piece, and created a detailed list of what molecular parts the living cell can and cannot do without.
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News‘Controlled evolution’ dramatically boosts pDNA production for biomedical manufacturing
Researchers have controlled the evolution of E. coli bacteria in the lab in order to dramatically increase the amount of plasmid DNA (pDNA) these modified bacteria produce. pDNA is an essential – and expensive – ingredient in many gene therapies.
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NewsCommon food bacterium could help make vitamins cheaper and greener
A new study reveals how Lactococcus lactis, a common food bacterium, regulates the production of a key precursor in vitamin K₂ (menaquinone) biosynthesis. The bacteria produce enough of this precursor to support their growth while preventing toxic buildup.
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NewsReady for market: Yeast process boosts clean, cost-efficient chemical production of succinic acid
A re-engineered yeast strain that efficiently produces succinic acid has been developed, which allows this valuable chemical to be produced at a lower cost.
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News‘Major leap in bioelectronic sensing’: researchers turn bacteria into tiny pollution detectors
Researchers have engineered E. coli to act as living multiplexed sensors, allowing these genetically modified cells to detect and respond to multiple environmental toxins simultaneously by converting their biological responses into readable electrical signals.
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NewsMetabolic engineering boosts yeast antioxidant power for drug production
A recent study engineered the yeast Candida glabrata to boost its resistance to oxidative stress, a common challenge in industrial bioproduction. The team enhanced the yeast’s ability to produce malate, a key molecule linked to antioxidant activity.
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NewsControlled human gut colonization by an engineered microbial therapeutic
Engineered gut bacteria designed to treat kidney stones successfully colonized the gut microbiome and reduced oxalate levels in animal models and early clinical trials in humans, researchers report.
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NewsBacteria gene discovery enhances key antibiotic production for farming and medicine
Monensin is a vital antibiotic used in agriculture and medicine. By analyzing the genome of Streptomyces cinnamonensis, the team discovered that specific genes (fadD, fadE, fadB, fadA) in the fatty acid degradation pathway significantly boost monensin synthesis.
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NewsMichael Danquah named Fellow of Royal Society of Biology
Michael Danquah, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the associate dean for academic and student affairs at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
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NewsAlign announces new collaboration with ATCC to bring AI-ready microbial datasets to life
The Align Foundation has announced a collaboration with ATCC to create the world’s largest public, AI-ready microbial phenotyping dataset.
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NewsScientists uncover shortcut to miniaturized hydrogen production
Researchers have figured out a way to simplify the highly complex hydrogenase biocatalyst to facilitate its integration into industrial processes, offering a route to clean energy.
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NewsNanoparticle smart spray helps crops block infection before it starts
As climate change fuels the spread of plant diseases worldwide, a new nanoparticle smart spray could help crops defend themselves by blocking harmful bacteria from entering through tiny pores in their leaves.
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NewsResearchers engineer a herpes virus to turn on T cells for immunotherapy
Researchers have identified herpes virus saimiri, which infects the T cells of squirrel monkeys, as a source of proteins that activate pathways in T cells that are needed to promote T cell survival - a promising tool in the fight against cancer.
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NewsYeast produces human DNase1 for the first time
The protein DNase1 is used to treat cystic fibrosis but it takes considerable effort and cost to produce it in immortalized hamster cells. Researchers have now produced it in yeast cells for the first time.
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NewsHigh-density screening technique reveals key genes for biotechnology improvements
Scientists used a gene-silencing tool and molecular guides to probe how photosynthetic bacteria adapt to light and temperature changes, finding even partial suppression of certain genes yielded big benefits in modifying the stress response of wild microbes.
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NewsResearch advances on ‘displacing’ antibiotic resistance gene from bacteria
Scientists have identified essential genetic code for a method called plasmid curing, which aims to ‘displace’ antibiotic resistance genes from bacteria.
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NewsDesigner microbe shows promise for reducing mercury absorption from seafood
Scientists who inserted DNA-encoding methylmercury detoxification enzymes into the genome of an abundant human gut bacterium found it detoxified methylmercury in the gut of mice and dramatically reduced the amount that reached other tissues.
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NewsBacteria deployed as living test tubes to study human gene mutations
Bioengineers have developed a new simple approach to rapidly check on human gene changes and also screen chemicals as potential drugs by turning everyday bacteria into living test tubes.
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NewsEngineered bacteria emit signals that can be spotted from a distance
Engineers have found a way to read out bacterial signals from as far as 90 meters away. This work could lead to the development of bacterial sensors for agricultural and other applications, which could be monitored by drones or satellites.