Tag Archives: bioengineering

Making a start on a synthetic liver

News: Synthetic Biology    November 1, 2010
What do you call a house with most of the framework in place, some of the plumbing, and a few walls? More than started, but a long way from finished. That just about fits the description of what some are calling ‘the first synthetic liver.’ It’s far from being a true liver, though a few [...]
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Oil production from living bacteria

News: Alternative Energy    April 4, 2010
In the attempt to find alternative sources of energy, scientists are probing possibilities in almost the entire world of life. This includes plant life, of course, with trees, corn (maize), switch grass, and other crops in the list. It also includes smaller forms of plant life, in particular algae. Even smaller forms of life and [...]
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Starting an open-source BIOFAB

News: Genetic Modification    January 21, 2010
Saying “We now need to move beyond Lego™ metaphors and genetic toys to professional technologies,” the realization of a common repository for biogenetic components – the stuff of which genetic modifications and synthetic biology are made – is launched. The name given to the International Open Facility Advancing Biotechnology is BIOFAB, the combination of biology [...]
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Concept News: Engineering tissue from fractal channels

News: Synthetic Organs    December 29, 2009
First off, tissue engineering is not only for paper products; it can also mean engineering of living tissue. In fact, fabricating tissue is one of the cornerstones of bioengineering. Many artificial organs will be built from engineered tissue. Currently the most successful tissue biomaterials are used for replacement skin and cartilage, but the field is [...]
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First Implant: anti-cancer vaccine device in mice

News: Body Implant    December 1, 2009
Although implanting drug administering devices in living animals is not new, a successful implementation for treating cancer is new. A team of scientists at Harvard University (USA) have developed a disk-like implant, which carries targeted cancer antigens.
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E Coli: Maker of competitive plastics

News: Hydrocarbon Use    November 23, 2009
Our old friend, E. Coli, the bacteria found in every person’s gut and the bio-scientist’s lab-love, has found a new role: Maker of the polymers for plastic. Note that the E. Coli mentioned in the study has already been bio-engineered.
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More than a prosthetic, it’s SmartHand

News: Synthetic Organs    November 6, 2009
The idea behind most prosthetics is to ‘fill the gap’ of missing limbs – hands, arms, legs, feet. In many cases there is some kind of mechanical articulation. In a few cases there is connection to existing musculature. However research in bioengineering and the ability to do ever more sophisticated procedures involving nerves and muscles [...]
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