BridgIT, a new tool for orphan and novel enzyme reactions

Effective protein engineering can give us control over the generated products inside a cell. However, for many of the biochemical reactions responsible for these products, we don't we don't know the specific protein or enzyme-producing ...

Measuring metabolites in algae one cell at a time

In the search for new sources of consumables, scientists have come to realize that life itself could be the solution. Metabolic engineers have altered the metabolism of living organisms to make new drugs, biodegradables and ...

Microbes could make drug production more efficient

Alkaloid-based pharmaceuticals derived from plants can be potent treatments for a variety of illnesses. But getting these powerful therapeutic agents from plants can take a long time and cost plenty of money, because it often ...

Performing cellular surgery with a laser-powered nanoblade

To study certain aspects of cells, researchers need the ability to take the innards out, manipulate them, and put them back. Options for this kind of work are limited, but researchers reporting May 10 in Cell Metabolism describe ...

Non-natural biomedical polymers produced from microorganisms

Renewable non-food biomass could potentially replace petrochemical raw materials to produce energy sources, useful chemicals, or a vast array of petroleum-based end products such as plastics, lubricants, paints, fertilizers, ...

Scientists hijack light-loving bacteria to produce fatty acid

Scientists have directed a common bacterium to produce more of a valuable fatty acid, lauric acid, than it typically does. The achievement is noteworthy not simply because of the increased production of fatty acid, which ...

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