Posts Tagged ‘research’
TotalVI: A transformative algorithm
Researchers co-led by Professor Aaron Streets have invented a computer algorithm that uses deep learning to integrate gene and protein data about single cells that were gathered from different tissues and donors and were processed in different labs. Part of a global effort to build a Human Cell Atlas (HCA), the new algorithm will allow integration of data from different types of experiments to compile detailed protein information.
Read MoreDavid Schaffer Harnesses Directed Evolution for Gene Therapy
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.
Read MoreLareau 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.
Read MoreUsing microfluidics to peer deeper into the structure of our genome
Professor Aaron Streets’ lab has developed a novel technique for unraveling and imaging lengthy strands of DNA.
Read MoreVideo – Dan Fletcher on new rapid COVID-19 test that uses smartphone camera
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.
Read MoreHow water helps the substrate into the enzyme
An international research team including Professor Teresa Head-Gordon have investigated why cages can increase the catalytic activity of enclosed molecules. Using terahertz spectroscopy and complex computer simulations, they showed that water encapsulated in a tiny cage has special properties that are structurally and dynamically distinct from any known phase of water.
Read MoreUpcycling: Turning plastic bags into adhesives
Professor Phil Messersmith’s lab has collaborated on a new chemical process that converts polyethylene plastic into a strong and valuable adhesive, and could make plastic bag recycling economically worthwhile.
Read MoreCataloging Nature’s Hidden Arsenal: Viruses that Infect Bacteria
Adam Arkin is one of the leaders of a new approach for studying which bacterial receptors phages exploit to infect cells, and what cellular mechanisms the bacteria use to respond to a phage infection. These microscopic battles have implications for medicine development, agricultural research, and climate science.
Read MoreNew CRISPR-based COVID-19 test uses smartphone cameras to spot virus RNA
Fletcher Lab, in collaboration with the Gladstone Institutes and Doudna Lab, have developed a new CRISPR-based COVID-19 diagnostic test that, with the help of a smartphone camera, can provide a positive or negative result in 15 to 30 minutes. This test also gives an estimate of viral load, or the number of virus particles in a sample, which can help doctors monitor the progression of a COVID-19 infection and estimate how contagious a patient might be.
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