Infectious Disease

Recent news:

graphic of how the test device works

How Covid has changed the future of health tests

April 8, 2021

The San Francisco Business Times examines crucial work by Dan Fletcher, Melanie Ott and Jennifer Doudna to create an efficient, smartphone-based CRISPR-cellscope hybrid COVID-19 test.

artist image of a tailocin

Arkin lab harnesses incredible bacterial ‘Homing Missiles’

April 7, 2021

Adam Arkin’s lab is leading research to harness tailocins – protein machines made by bacteria that are able to target and attack very specific strains of bacteria. They hope to understand and use these natural spring-powered microneedles to study the microbiome, and eventually to attack and treat harmful infections.

CRISPR SNP Chip device

CRISPR-Chip advance streamlines genetic testing for medical diagnostics and research

April 6, 2021

Former BioE postdoc Kiana Aran, now a professor at KGI, along with Professor Irina Conboy and other collaborators, have demonstrated new disease-detection capabilities of a hand-held device based on CRISPR gene editing technology, a development that could lead to faster, portable genetic testing for diagnostics and research.

COVID evolutionary tree

Lareau helps detect more infectious COVID variant at Berkeley

February 8, 2021

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.

still of video interview with Dan Fletcher

Video – Dan Fletcher on new rapid COVID-19 test that uses smartphone camera

January 14, 2021

Check out this video interview with Professor Dan Fletcher on his collaboration with CRISPR researchers to produce a rapid COVID-19 test using a smartphone camera.