BBC News reporter Roland Pease explores the burgeoning field of synthetic biology. “I think what makes synthetic biology interesting is that it's bringing together engineers and physicists with molecular biologists to model, design, and build molecular components that can then be used to rewire and reprogram living cells for a variety of applications,” explains Prof. James Collins.
Prof. Eric Lander, founding director of the Broad Institute, writes for The Washington Post about the importance of federal funding for scientific research, noting that scientific advances help drive the American economy. “When scientific breakthroughs spawn new industries and jobs, those benefits occur right here in the United States,” Lander explains.
TIME reporter Alice Park writes that MIT researchers have modified the CRISPR gene-editing system so that it could be used to diagnose disease. Park explains that the researchers, “used CRISPR to recognize specific substances that bacteria and viruses make. Picking up even the slightest whisper of these products can alert doctors that an infection is active.”
MIT researchers have developed a new technique that uses the CRISPR gene-editing system to diagnose diseases, reports Joel Achenbach for The Washington Post. Achenbach explains that the tool could potentially be used to “detect not only viral and bacterial diseases but also potentially for finding cancer-causing mutations.”
Louis Columbus of Forbes writes about MIT Technology Review’s 2017 list of technological breakthroughs, which features several innovations from MIT researchers. Featured MIT research includes a new solar cell design that could double the efficiency of conventional solar cells, and the Cell Atlas, an initiative to catalog every cell type in the human body.
Broad Institute research affiliate Theresa Oei, who is also a cheerleader for the Patriots, speaks with Boston Globe reporter Steve Annear about her passion for science and for dance. Oei, who currently works in Prof. Feng Zhang’s lab developing genome editing techniques, explains that while she has enjoyed cheerleading, “in the end, I see science as my vocation.”
Mike LaCrosse of WBZ-TV News spotlights Broad Institute research affiliate Theresa Oei and her work both in the lab and on the field as a cheerleader for the Patriots. Oei says she enjoys sharing her love of science with children, adding that “leaving the path to science open is really important, and showing that it can be a lot of fun.”
Boston Globe reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey writes that researchers from the Broad Institute and IBM are joining forces to examine why many cancer patients become resistant to drugs. The researchers hope this new effort could “help doctors prescribe more effective combinations of drugs for cancer patients.”
Ian Sample of The Guardian writes that the Human Cell Atlas project, which will be co-led by the Broad Institute, aims to map the cells in the human body . “This will have a substantial impact on our scientific understanding and as a result, on our ability to diagnose, monitor and treat disease,” says Prof. Aviv Regev.
Researchers from the Broad Institute will co-lead an initiative aimed at mapping and describing every cell in the human body, writes Kate Kelland of Reuters. "We now have the tools to understand what we are composed of, which allows us to learn how our bodies work, and uncover how all these elements malfunction in disease," explains Prof. Aviv Regev.
A new study co-authored by researchers at the Broad Institute examines how exposure to microbes during childhood can impact the development of immune systems, reports Elissa Strauss for Slate. The researchers found that “while our individual habits are a factor in autoimmune disorders, they’re hardly the only cause.”
MIT researchers have discovered that a bacterium found in the human mouth can be used to form a new CRISPR gene-editing system that can target RNA, reports Carl Zimmer for The New York Times. The development “may open up a new front in gene engineering, gaining the ability to precisely adjust the proteins in cells, for instance, or to target cancer cells."
New Scientist reporter Colin Barras writes that MIT researchers have found they can program C2c2, an enzyme found in bacteria, to serve as an RNA-editing tool. Barras writes that the tool “promises to transform our understanding of RNA’s role in our growth and development, and provide a new avenue for treating infectious diseases and cancer.”
Melinda Moyer of Scientific American reports that researchers have found that people who used acid blockers to treat heart burn are at increased risk for developing intestinal infections. Moyer explains that the blockers “may limit the gut's diversity by reducing its acidity and thus creating an environment that is more or less amenable to certain microbes.”
Prof. Feng Zhang has been named a recipient of the 2016 Canada Gairdner International Award for his work on the development of the CRISPR gene-editing system, reports CBC News. CRISPR "may prove to be a ‘powerful therapeutic’ for treating human diseases by editing out harmful genetic mutations.”