Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering David Schaffer explains how he “plays Darwin” in his Berkeley lab, using high throughput genetic sequencing technology to test over a billion genetic samples for the desired biological activity.
Bolt Threads: one of the 10 most innovative fashion and style companies of 2021
Bolt Threads, founded by PhD alumnus David Breslauer to produce textiles through synthetic biology, has been named one of the 10 most innovative fashion and style companies of 2021 by Fast Company. They are recognized for their new Mylo product, a leather substitute made from fungal mycelium.
Project Profile: Personalizing Neurological Patient’s Gait Therapy Using Machine-Learning-Based Electrical Stimulation
This project by a team of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering MEng students uses machine learning techniques to allow the EvoWalk to analyze patients’ gait patterns and provide a personalized stimulation algorithm that most efficiently improves their walking outcome.
Tim Guertin receives Campanile Excellence in Achievement Award
Tim Guertin, CEO Emeritus of Varian Medical Systems and BioE supporter, will receive a 2021 Campanile Excellence in Achievement Award. Guertin (EECS ’72) is extraordinarily committed to improving healthcare locally and globally. He has endowed the Timothy and Karen Guertin Chair in Bioengineering and graduate fellowship, and his philanthropy and active involvement helped the department to establish our first Medical Advisory Board.
Project Profile: Wearable Motion Tracking for Clinical Gait Analysis
Master of Engineering students in BioE and Mechanical Engineering have developed GaitTrac, providing wireless, real-time gait analysis for clinical gait diagnosis through seven custom motion sensors.
Lygos working to replace polyacrylic acid with biodegradable, synthetic polymers
Non-biodegradeable, petroleum-derived, polyacrylic acid is used in everything from detergents to industrial fluids. Lygos, an alumni spinoff company that creates environmentally friendly chemicals through synthetic biology, has formed a partnership with NanoChem Solutions to produce an alternative: polyaspartate polymers. Together they will develop a process to make aspartic acid, the raw material for the polymers, from sugar via fermentation.
Silk and Leather from Fermentation, Not Animals
Check out an interview with PhD alumnus and Bolt Threads Co-Founder David Breslauer on the Business For Good podcast!
Lareau helps detect more infectious COVID variant at Berkeley
Professor Liana Lareau has been co-leading the Innovative Genomics Institute effort to monitor mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the local community. The team’s rapid sequencing turnaround is crucial for tracking the spread of new variants, including the more infectious B.1.1.7 recently detected in two cases at Berkeley.
Project Profile: Information Extraction from Unstructured Clinical Notes Using Natural Language Processing
Bioengineering Master of Engineering students discovering inaccurate extracted information from unstructured Clinical notes using Natural Language Processing.