A light switch for neurons
Ed Boyden shows how, by inserting genes for light-sensitive proteins into brain cells, he can selectively activate or de-activate specific neurons with fiber-optic implants. With this unprecedented level of control, he’s managed to cure mice of analogs of PTSD and certain forms of blindness. On the horizon: neural prosthetics.
Students synthesizing bacteria to create islands out of garbage
The ocean is full of crap, and it’s our fault. We’ve been dumping crap into it for centuries, so it’s not surprising that some areas boast 335,000 pieces of floating junk per square km. Cleaning it all up by hand isn’t feasible, so a group of students are trying to engineer synthetic bacteria to do the job instead.
The bacteria will be customized with three genetic ‘modules’: module one is detection, which uses a human oestrogen receptor that binds to different types of plastics. Once the bacteria finds itself some plastic, the aggregation module kicks in, inducing the bacteria to to extrude a sticky substance. Gradually, all of the little tiny bits of sticky plastic will glom on to each other, forming ‘islands’ that float up to the surface and can be easily collected and recycled, or stuck to each other to make a giant garbage island that is apparently suitable for habitation by monkeys.
Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute Develop DNA Nanorobot to Trigger Targeted Therapeutic Responses
Using the DNA origami method, in which complex three-dimensional shapes and objects are constructed by folding strands of DNA, Shawn Douglas, Ph.D., a Wyss Technology Development Fellow, and Ido Bachelet, Ph.D., a former Wyss Postdoctoral Fellow who is now an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Life Sciences and the Nano-Center at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, created a nanosized robot in the form of an open barrel whose two halves are connected by a hinge. The DNA barrel, which acts as a container, is held shut by special DNA latches that can recognize and seek out combinations of cell-surface proteins, including disease markers. When the latches find their targets, they reconfigure, causing the two halves of the barrel to swing open and expose its contents, or payload. The container can hold various types of payloads, including specific molecules with encoded instructions that can interact with specific cell surface signaling receptors.
Full Story: Harvard
USB stick sized DNA sequencing device announced.
Oxford Nanopore Technologies has said that it’s disposable gene sequencing device will be available by the end of 2012. Priced under US$900, the MinION device plugs into a computer and delivers results via the USB port.
A minaturized version of the company’s larger GridION device, the MinION uses pores made from bacterial proteins. An electric current flows through the pore. The DNA bases interrupt the current in different ways as they go through.
(via 8bitfuture)
James Wilson, M.D., Ph.D., on Gene Therapy as a Disruptive Technology
Dr. James Wilson is a professor in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine, and the director of the gene therapy program, at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the editor of Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. During this interview with GEN, Dr. Wilson discusses his concept of a disruptive technology and explains why he believes gene therapy falls into this category.
In addition to this SKYPE interview, Dr. Wilson further elaborated on his view of gene therapy as a disruptive technology in a column in the January 2012 issue of Human Gene Therapy which can be viewed here: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/hum.2011.2530
