Focus Area: Synthetic Biology
143 Results for 'Synthetic Biology'
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Technologies 14
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Synthetic AAV virus capsids for advanced gene therapy
The protein shell (capsid) of Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are presently the most promising delivery vehicles for various in vivo gene therapies. AAVs are non-pathogenic and, through past engineering efforts, have become safe due to their inability to integrate into and damage the genome of target cells. Rather, the delivered DNA containing a therapeutic gene of... -
DROP – A direct-to-consumer molecular diagnostic
Molecular diagnostics is the fastest growing segment of the global in vitro diagnostics market. There remains a gap, however, in providing this technology directly to consumers in a format that is as cost effective and as simple to use as a lateral flow immunoassay, like glucose and pregnancy tests. Scientists at the Wyss Institute are... -
Toehold Probes
The accurate detection of specific DNA or RNA sequences is important for many research and diagnostic applications, and unspecific detection of similar sequences that can differ by only a single nucleotide can give false positive results. In addition, researchers and clinicians would like to accurately test for presence or absence of multiple single base changes... -
Toehold switches as versatile tools for synthetic biology applications
The burgeoning field of synthetic biology is designing artificial gene circuits that recognize molecules in their environment and respond by regulating genes with desired activities. In the future, such capabilities could allow the engineering of cells as diagnostic or therapeutic devices, factories for the production of clinically or industrially coveted molecules, and as specialized devices... -
Engineering organoids to recapitulate brain tissue
The ability to derive and manipulate pluripotent stem cells has opened up new avenues for modeling biological systems in both healthy and diseased conditions. In order to more fully recapitulate the tissue microenvironment with its cell-cell, cell-extracellular matrix, and cell-niche interactions, it is essential to transition stem-cell culturing from monolayers to 3D structures. Self-organization of... -
Gene Drives
Since the 1940s, researchers have thought of using gene drives to eradicate populations of pests and disease vectors, and to reduce or eliminate invasive species that wreak havoc on natural ecosystems. The idea of a gene drive stems from nature itself, where in sexually reproducing organisms a certain version of a gene is preferentially passed...
News 103
Multimedia 26
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Audio/PodcastFrom the Old Chemistry Set to the New ‘BioBits,’ Cutting-Edge Kit to Teach BiologyFrom the Old Chemistry Set to the New ‘BioBits,’ Cutting-Edge Kit to Teach Biology was originally broadcast on WBUR on November 23, 2018. This story features Wyss Core Faculty member James Collins. The original broadcast story can be found here. -
Video/AnimationBioBitsResearchers at the Wyss Institute, MIT, and Northwestern University have collaborated to create “BioBits,” a low-cost, shelf-stable educational kit to teach synthetic and molecular biology in K-12 classrooms. The kit utilizes freeze-dried cell-free reactions that eliminate the need for growing living cells in order to perform biological experiments. Different modules in the kit teach students... -
Video/AnimationTEDx Beacon Street Salon: Reversing Human AgingWyss Institute Core Faculty member George Church, Ph.D., was the opening speaker at the TEDx Beacon Street saloon event hosted at the Franklin Park Zoo. He presented from inside the tapir cage! Talk summary: Animals can be an extremely useful resource in prolonging human lives and promoting general health. For example, there are organs in... -
Audio/PodcastFormer DI Hoopster Searches For Athletic Boost In The MicrobiomeFormer DI Hoopster Searches For Athletic Boost In The Microbiome was originally broadcast on WBUR’s Only a Game on August 4, 2017. The story features Wyss Core Faculty member George Church and Postdoctoral Fellow Jonathan Scheiman. The original broadcast story can be found here. -
Video/AnimationCRISPR-Cas: Molecular RecordingIn this video, Wyss Institute and Harvard Medical School researchers George Church and Seth Shipman explain how they engineered a new CRISPR system-based technology that enables the chronological recording of digital information, like that representing still and moving images, in living bacteria. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Audio/PodcastBiofilms: Reprogramming Bacteria to Improve LivesWyss Core Faculty member Neel Joshi and Postdoctoral Fellow Anna Duraj-Thatte discuss the intersection between synthetic biology and materials science as an underexplored area with great potential to positively affect our daily lives—applications ranging from manufacturing to medicine. Dr. Joshi outlines ways that his lab at the Wyss Institute is looking at reprogramming bacteria in...