Berita dan Artikel
The Clinical Potential of Synthetic Biology
Tim UI SynBio, 8 Desember 2013
Synthetic biology is an emerging field focused on engineering biomolecular systems and cellular capabilities for a variety of applications. Substantial progress began a little over a decade ago with the creation of synthetic gene networks inspired by electrical engineering. Since then, the field has designed and built increasingly complex circuits and constructs and begun to use these systems in a variety of settings, including the clinic. These efforts include the development of synthetic biology therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer, as well as approaches in vaccine development, microbiome engineering, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine. Here, we highlight advances in the biomedical application of synthetic biology and discuss the field’s clinical potential.
Artemisinin: A synthetic Biology Success Story
Tim UI SynBio, 8 Desember 2013
Malaria is one of the biggest health challange in the world. Today many population of malaria parasites have evolved resistance to popular drugs chloroquine and sulfacoxine-pyrimethamine. In 2006, with multimillion dollar financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Jay Keasling and his team at UC Berkeley has announced a success in producing synthetic artemisinin from yeast. According to WHO, artemisinin clearly is a key player in our arsenal against malaria.
Progress on Synthetic Bird Flu Vaccine
Tim UI SynBio, 9 Desember 2013
US Government is on their way to speed up the dicovery of novel bird flu vaccine using synthetic biology technology. This new, faster approach is the result of a collaboration among the U.S. government, vaccine maker Novartis and a unit of the J. Craig Venter Institute, Synthetic Genomics Vaccines Inc. According to Mike Shaw, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the new process of building the virus based on its genetic code allows “almost guaranteed success”.
Synthetic Peptide May Treat Cancer in the Future
Tim UI SynBio, 9 Desember 2013
“The cancerous cell was induced from humans. However, we have not yet conducted clinical trials on humans with the peptide. With the creation of this new synthetic peptide, we have seen that it can be used to curb these defects in cells.” said Prof Siddhartha Roy, director of IICB, Kolkata. Interacting with mediapersons after delivering a lecture on ‘Regulating gene expression by designed synthetic molecules’, at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) here on Thursday, Roy explained that when there is a defect in the transcription process in the cells in the human body, it manifests in the form of a disease.
