Wyss InstituteSynthetic Biology – Wyss Institute

The Dish Live with special guest George Church

Jessica Leff — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 15:24:53 +0000

In this very special live taping of “The Dish,” host Johannes Fruehauf sits down with renowned geneticist and Wyss Core Faculty member, George Church, Ph.D. Widely known for discovering the first direct genomic sequencing method, Church has reshaped the world of genetics. A professor at Harvard and MIT and a founding professor at the Wyss Institute, Church has co-founded over 50 startups—15+ of…

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Researchers call for global discussion about possible risks from “mirror bacteria”

Jessica Leff — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 14:27:15 +0000

A group of researchers including Wyss Core Faculty member George Church, Ph.D. has published new findings in Science on potential risks from the development of mirror bacteria — synthetic organisms in which all molecules have reversed chirality (i.e. are ‘mirrored’). Scientists had begun early work toward creating mirror bacteria, and while the capability is at least a decade away…

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SeqVerify: A New Easily Accessible Tool for Comprehensive Cell Line Quality Assessment – The Stem Cell Report

Jessica Leff — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 16:54:17 +0000

During the last decade, advances in genome editing and pluripotent stem cell (PSC) culture have let researchers generate edited PSC lines to study a wide variety of biological questions. However, abnormalities in cell lines such as aneuploidy, mutations, on-target and off-target editing errors, and microbial contamination can arise during PSC culture or due to undesired editing outcomes.

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Newly discovered cyanobacteria could help sequester carbon from oceans and factories

Jessica Leff — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:58:56 +0000

By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) — An international coalition of researchers from the United States and Italy has discovered a novel strain of cyanobacteria, or algae, isolated from volcanic ocean vents that is especially adept at growing rapidly in the presence of CO2 and readily sinks in water, making it a prime candidate for biologically-based carbon sequestration projects and bioproduction of…

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CRISPR’s Impact, Today

Mariel Schoen — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 12:00:08 +0000

By Seth Kroll (BOSTON) — In the not-so-distant past, CRISPR, the revolutionary gene-editing technology, was discovered as a defense system protecting bacteria against viruses. Today, with the persistence and ingenuity of many scientists, it is no longer just the subject of fascinating academic research papers and speculative discussions on its future usefulness for medicine.

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Preventing pollution with bioinspired solutions

Jessica Leff — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 21:14:47 +0000

By Lindsay Brownell In honor of Pollution Prevention Week, we’re highlighting three Wyss projects that are taking on the formidable problems of PFAS and plastic – persistent and toxic pollutants that threaten the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” are toxic substances that increase the risk of many health…

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A better way to make RNA drugs

Jessica Leff — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 09:00:40 +0000

By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) — While the COVID-19 vaccines introduced many people to RNA-based medicines, oligonucleotides have already been on the market for years to treat diseases like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and amyloidosis. RNA therapies offer many advantages over traditional small molecule drugs, including their ability to address almost any genetic component within cells and to guide…

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AminoX: Making Better Protein Drugs, Quicker and Cheaper

Jessica Leff — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:56:00 +0000

A synthetic biology and advanced chemistry platform that efficiently incorporates non-standard amino acids by hacking the ubiquitous protein synthesis process. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University…

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Reimagining treatment for neurological diseases: Ayush Noori

Jessica Leff — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:09:44 +0000

By Jessica Leff Listen to Ayush tell his story | Wyss Institute · Ayush Noori Reimagine The World Ayush Noori grew up amidst a large extended family divided by geography – spread across California, Washington, and India – but united by shared core values of integrity, dedication, and resilience. At the center of this family was his grandmother, Munira Brooks, or as Ayush lovingly called…

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Alex Plesa on Reversing Aging

Jessica Leff — Thu, 30 May 2024 13:00:18 +0000

The Humans of the Wyss (HOW) series features members of the Wyss community discussing their work, the influences that shape them as professionals, and their collaborations at the Wyss Institute and beyond. Most people believe that declining health as we age is an unfortunate, inevitable fact of life – but not Alex Plesa. He thinks the reason we think we can’t change it is because we don’t…

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