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Category: Biotech

Researchers identify rules for effectively regulating gene expression in bacteria

April 16, 2020

Jason Fontana, a molecular engineering Ph.D. student in the labs of chemical engineering professor James Carothers and chemistry professor Jesse Zalatan, has identified features of bacterial genes that impose strict requirements on CRISPR-Cas transcriptional activation tools. This work defines new strategies to effectively regulate gene expression in bacteria, bringing researchers closer to their goal of using bacteria to produce valuable biosynthetic products. Read this Q&A with Jesse Zalatan featured on the Science in Seattle blog. [...]

New system outcompetes traditional biofactories with on-demand, remote chemical production

February 27, 2020

A team was led by Dr. Alshakim Nelson, an assistant professor of chemistry at the UW, and Dr. Hal Alper, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Texas, developed a new method that combines the bioactivity of microbes and a 3D-printed, synthetic hydrogel "” a water-based gel structure "” to create desired chemical compounds. The products can vary from pharmaceuticals to nutraceuticals, alluding to the vast potential for this new finding. [...]

First-of-its-kind hydrogel platform enables on-demand production of medicines and chemicals

February 4, 2020

Researchers in the lab of MolES faculty member and professor of chemistry Al Nelson along with collaborators at the University of Texas unveiled a new way to produce medicines and chemicals and preserve them using portable "biofactories" that are embedded in water-based gels known as hydrogels. The approach could help people in remote villages or on military missions, where the absence of pharmacies, doctor's offices or even basic refrigeration makes it hard to access critical medicines and other small-molecule compounds. [...]

Research team receives NSF award to develop "˜smart' synthetic cell systems

September 24, 2019

An interdisciplinary research team led by MolES faculty member James Carothers, Dan Evans Career Development Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, received a new $1 million research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate whether cells can learn. [...]

Scientists use molecular tethers and chemical "˜light sabers' to construct platforms for tissue engineering

May 20, 2019

In a paper published May 20 in the journal Nature Materials, a research team led by MolES faculty member Cole DeForest unveiled a new strategy to keep proteins intact and functional in synthetic biomaterials for tissue engineering. Their approach modifies proteins at a specific point so that they can be chemically tethered to the scaffold using light. Since the tether can also be cut by laser light, this method can create evolving patterns of signal proteins throughout a biomaterial scaffold to grow tissues made up of different types of cells. [...]

Breakthroughs in 3D organ printing detailed in Science Magazine

May 3, 2019

Bioengineers have cleared a major hurdle on the path to 3D printing replacement organs with a breakthrough technique for bioprinting tissues. A research team led by MolES faculty member Kelly Stevens, assistant professor of bioengineering and investigator at the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, has created exquisitely entangled vascular networks that mimic the body's natural passageways for blood, air, lymph and other vital fluids. The team published its findings May 3 in the journal Science. Their research was also featured in Newsweek, Forbes, among other outlets. [...]

Synthetic peptide can inhibit toxicity, aggregation of protein in Alzheimer's disease, researchers show

April 19, 2019

A team led by MolES faculty member and bioengineering Professor Valerie Daggett has developed synthetic peptides that target and inhibit the small, toxic protein aggregates that are thought to trigger Alzheimer's disease. Dylan Shea, a molecular engineering PhD student in the Daggett lab, was the lead author on a new paper describing these findings, published April 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [...]

New method to assess platelet health could help ER doctors

March 14, 2019

A research team at the University of Washington, including MolES faculty member Nathan Sniadecki, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has created a novel system that can measure platelet function within two minutes and can help doctors determine which trauma patients might need a blood transfusion upon being admitted to a hospital. The team published its results March 13 in Nature Communications. [...]

Computer-designed vaccine elicits potent antibodies to RSV

March 8, 2019

A recent publication from the Institute for Protein Design, located in the MolES building, describes a nanoparticle platform developed for a respiratory syncytial virus study that will also be applied to vaccine research on flu, HIV, and more. Seattle startup Icosavax will advance related clinical trials. [...]

Scientists design protein filaments that snap themselves together like Lego blocks

November 8, 2018

Hao Shen, a molecular engineering PhD candidate in the lab of biochemistry Professor David Baker, was a lead author of a study published in Science describing the creation of self-assembling protein filaments from scratch. The filaments were built from identical protein subunits that snap together spontaneously to form long, helical, thread-like structures which could be used to create new materials for a range of applications, from diagnostics to nano-electronics. Learn more in a related Geekwire story! [...]

MolES research lab collaboration leads to cancer fighting therapy

June 23, 2014

Results of collaborative research from the Institute for Protein Design, Stayton Lab and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center published in CELL magazine. It's been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but recent research at the University of Washington Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute may prove that close proximity is the recipe for success. [...]

On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles | UW TNews

January 9, 2014

Michelle Ma Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they will be used. They are expensive to ship and keep refrigerated and they tend to have short shelf lives. University of Washington engineers [...]

Seelig/Klavins team develops programming language to build synthetic DNA

October 14, 2013

From UW Today: UW engineers invent programming language to build synthetic DNA Michelle Ma Similar to using Python or Java to write code for a computer, chemists soon could be able to use a structured set of instructions to "program" how DNA molecules interact in a test tube or cell. A team led [...]

Engineered biomaterial could improve success of medical implants

May 15, 2013

University of Washington engineers have created a synthetic substance that fully resists the body's natural attack response to foreign objects. Medical devices such as artificial heart valves, prostheses and breast implants could be coated with this polymer to prevent the body from rejecting an implanted object. [...]

High glucose levels could impair ferroelectricity in body's connective tissues

April 15, 2013

High sugar levels in the body come at a cost to health. New research suggests that more sugar in the body could damage the elastic proteins that help us breathe and pump blood. The findings could have health implications for diabetics, who have high blood-glucose levels. Researchers at the University of Washington and Boston University [...]

New device could cut costs on household products, pharmaceuticals

April 12, 2013

New device could cut costs on household products, pharmaceuticals By Michelle Ma Sometimes cost saving comes in nanoscale packages. A new procedure that thickens and thins fluid at the micron level could save consumers and manufacturers money, particularly for soap products that depend on certain molecules to effectively deal with grease and dirt. Researchers at [...]

Tenfold boost in ability to pinpoint proteins in cancer cells

March 19, 2013

By Michelle MaMarch 19, 2013 Better diagnosis and treatment of cancer could hinge on the ability to better understand a single cell at its molecular level. New research offers a more comprehensive way of analyzing one cell's unique behavior, using an array of colors to show patterns that could indicate why a cell will or [...]

Organic ferroelectric molecule shows promise for memory chips, sensors

January 25, 2013

A paper in Science describes an organic crystal that shows promise as a cheap, flexible, nontoxic material for the working parts of memory chips, sensors and energy-harvesting devices. [...]

Rules devised for building ideal protein molecules from scratch

November 30, 2012

By Leila Gray, UW Health Sciences/UW MedicineNovember 29, 2012 By following certain rules, scientists can prepare architectural plans for building ideal protein molecules not found in the real world. Based on these computer renditions, previously non-existent proteins can be produced from scratch in the lab. The principles to make this happen appear this month in [...]

Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV