Changing the Genetic Code to Improve Biomedicine
Shaharyar Lakhani published on June 13, 2019:
Proteins are the workhorses of life, and are comprised of strings of amino acids, which in turn are specified by the triplet codons of the genetic code. Currently, only 20 amino acids make up the genetic code in most organisms. In order to expand the functionalities of proteins, genetic engineers have been attempting to expand the genetic code with new amino acids that offer novel chemistries.
A New Biological and Financial Ecosystem for Plastic
Shaharyar Lakhani published on June 24, 2019:
Plastics have been in popular use for only around 50 years, yet they have managed to saturate the planet. The toxic pollutants in plastics, combined with the long time they take to degrade, have adversely affected land, water, and air pollution. Nearly 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year, with the majority going to waste and ending up in landfills or the ocean. If the current trend continues, by 2050, the total weight of plastic in the ocean will be more than that of fish!
Speeding Up Evolution using Artificial Intelligence
Shaharyar Lakhani published on June 24, 2019:
An artificial neural network, a computer system modeled on the human neural system, allows a computer to figure out what constitutes a particular subject on its own. A research team in the Ellington Lab at the University of Texas at Austin is using this concept to recognize the ‘amino acid-ness’ of individual amino acids in a protein structure. They call the project “JMBLYA” because like the dish, they mix various components together to make a final product, in this case the mutated amino acids to make a protein. Various tests of JMBLYA have now proven it to be a time machine of sorts, where it can predict the future evolution of a protein to be more stable, and allows us to intervene in the present to make the beneficial mutation.
The Biosecurity Battle
Shaharyar Lakhani published on June 28, 2019:
In order to build community awareness of risk and threat, the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) held a “Malice Analysis Workshop” on Wednesday, June 19th. The workshop was sponsored by the Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology at the University of Texas at Austin. The objective of the workshop was to help researchers “identify potentially malicious applications of various projects, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed.”
A Solution to Research in Low Resource Areas
Shaharyar Lakhani published on July 3, 2019:
While science produces many advancements across various fields, it is undeniably costly and intricate. Therefore, only people with the right equipment and facilities are able to carry out high level experiments. Dr. Sanchita Bhadra and her team in the Ellington Lab at the University of Texas at Austin are trying to resolve this problem by making products that can aid in carrying out scientific research in environments where these facilities aren’t present. This would allow researchers to conduct experiments all over the world without needing high-tech and costly equipment.