Posts Tagged ‘research’
Bioengineers making a difference in COVID-19 research and relief
Showcasing their bottomless energy, compassion, and drive to help, Berkeley Bioengineers have launched themselves into efforts to study the COVID-19 virus and outbreak, mitigate its effects, and support victims and caregivers. The list below is just a short summary of the many, many efforts of our students, faculty and alumni.
Read MoreBioengineers play key role in PPE decontamination efforts
Berkeley Bioengineers have been working around the clock for the past two weeks in a multi-institution team of 60 scientists, engineers, students and clinicians to launch N95decon.org, a website that synthesizes the scientific literature about mask decontamination to create a set of best practices to decontaminate and reuse this protective face covering during the current emergency. Profs Amy Herr and David Rempel, graduate faculty affiliate Hana El-Samad, Phd students Anjali Gopal and Alison Su, bioengineering postdoc Samantha Grist, and BioE alumnus Tyler Chen are all key members of the team.
Read MoreNew technique ‘prints’ cells to create diverse biological environments
With the help of photolithography and programmable DNA, researchers have created a new technique that can rapidly print two-dimensional arrays of cells and proteins that mimic a wide variety of cellular environments in the body. The work was led by recent BioE PhD Olivia Scheideler with ME professor Lydia Sohn, BioE & CBE professor David Schaffer, BioE PhD Andrew Bremer and current BioE student Roberto Falcón-Banchs, among others.
Read MoreTo survive on Earth, figure out Mars
Prof Adam Arkin is Director of the Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space, a multi-institution center partnering with NASA to build the technology for a self-sustaining, zero-waste human settlement on Mars. Their revolutionary synthetic biology-based food production and closed-loop biomanufacturing could transform human space travel and address the growing food crisis on Earth.
Read MoreKassianidou’s cell images featured in CellPress
Striking images showing the intricate beauty of actin network formation taken by Dr. Elena Kassianidou when she was a graduate student in Sanjay Kumar’s lab are featured in the micropatterning edition of the Cell Picture Show at CellPress.
Read MoreConboy and Murthy lead new frontiers in gene editing
Professors Murthy and Conboy are featured for their work changing CRISPR to correct, rather than cut, DNA to repair genetic diseases.
Read MoreUnlocking the biochemical treasure chest within microbes
PhD alumna Yasuo Yoshikuni, a scientist at the Joint Genome Institute, and colleagues have invented a genetic engineering tool, called CRAGE, that could not only make studying secondary metabolites much easier, but also fill significant gaps in our understanding of how microbes interact with their surroundings and evolve.
Read MoreConboy featured in Economist article
Anti-aging research by Professor Irina Conboy is featured in The Economist’s “Uncovering how the body ages is leading to drugs to reverse it” article. Conboy specializes in aging and rejuvenation research, with recent breakthroughs in a combinatorial approach for multi-tissue rejuvenation without blood transfusion. (Full story behind paywall)
Read MoreFletcher Lab’s LoaScope Receives Gates Foundation Support
Professor Dan Fletcher’s lab has received a $1.9 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the scaled-up production of the LoaScope. The video adaptation of the CellScope cellphone-based microscope will enable mapping of Loa loa prevalence and intensity in Central and West Africa.
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