Category Archives: BioEngineering

Big news in biotech: Scientists created what appeared to be a mouse embryo using stem cells. From the Telegraph story: Artificial human life could soon be grown from scratch in the lab, after scientists successfully created a mammal embryo using only stem cells. Cambridge University mixed two kinds of mouse stem cells and placed them on a 3D scaffold. After four days of growth in a tank of chemicals designed to mimic conditions inside the womb, the cells formed the structure of a living mouse embryo. The breakthrough has been described as a masterpiece in bioengineering, which could eventually allow scientists to grow artificial human embryos in the lab without the need for a sperm or an egg. First, this wouldnt be from scratch, as if they scientists brewed DNA from raw chemicals. It involved existing cells. Second, we already know that mammalian life can be created without egg and sperm, for example, as in cloning, of which this is a variant technique that fuses different cells into a new organism. Third, IF they ever create a human organism in this way, it would not be an artificial life but a real and fully human being thatshould be treated as … Continue reading →

Almost every woman in engineering Ive talked to knows the pressure of having to prove herself. She knows what its like to be meticulously perfect in her calculations, and to accept that regardless of her intelligence, her work will be checked again by someone who doesnt trust her.She knows that at the end of the day, mistakes hold more weight than they should. I say almost every woman because I am one of the few that has rarely experienced this. Im lucky. Im an anomaly. Bioengineering at Santa Clara University has a relatively large percentage of female students, compared to the other engineering disciplines. Im not intimately familiar with gender tensions in the classroom because there arent any in the classes I take, and I rarely feel the need to prove that I am better than the men I work with. My mentors dont expect me to make mistakes, and are genuinely surprised when I do. Im not pressured to be perfect, but at the same time, the expectations for the work I do are just as high as anyone elses. The psychological effects of this are subtle, but theyve shaped how I perceive my own abilities, goals, and expectations. … Continue reading →

Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new tool to identify interactions between RNA and DNA molecules. The tool, called MARGI (Mapping RNA Genome Interactions), is the first technology that's capable of providing a full account of all the RNA molecules that interact with a segment of DNA, as well as the locations of all these interactions -- in just a single experiment. RNA molecules can attach to particular DNA sequences to help control how much protein these particular genes produce within a given time, and within a given cell. And by knowing what genes produce these regulatory RNAs, researchers can start to identify new functions and instructions encoded in the genome. "Most of the human genome sequence is now known, but we still don't know what most of these sequences mean," said Sheng Zhong, bioengineering professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and the study's lead author. "To better understand the functions of the genome, it would be useful to have the entire catalog of all the RNA molecules that interact with DNA, and what sequences they interact with. We've developed a tool that can give us that information." Zhong and his … Continue reading →

Local students have been named to the Dean's List at Clemson University for the fall 2016 semester. They are: Deidra M. Ward of Charleston, who is majoring in chemical engineering Antonio J. Ayala of Ladson, who is majoring in bioengineering Austin Ryal Bowen of Ladson, who is majoring in computer engineering Austin M. Greenwood of Ladson, who is majoring in electrical engineering Sarahlyn E. Hill of Ladson, who is majoring in biological sciences Ricki E. Hughes of Ladson, who is majoring in animal and veterinary science Kylie M. Johnson of Ladson, who is majoring in general engineering Jocelyn M. Mcgill of Ladson, who is majoring in animal and veterinary science Charles R. Ritter III of Ladson, who is majoring in computer science Kerry Marissa Wilt of Ladson, who is majoring in women's leadership Taylor Marie Abendroth of North Charleston, who is majoring in biochemistry Kimberly Bui of North Charleston, who is majoring in biological sciences Michael Chavez of North Charleston, who is majoring in general engineering Nicole Shilah Mcalister of North Charleston, who is majoring in College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities Cameron James Weathers of North Charleston, who is majoring in civil engineering Benjamin M. O'Cain of St. George, … Continue reading →

SINGAPORE Researchers here have come up with a new way to test a patients reaction to a drug even before it is administered. By first testing a drug on stem cells made from from the patients blood, scientists from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) of A*STAR and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) have found that doctors may screen for possible side effects to drugs.. This, the IBN said, can help create personalised medicine for every individual and improve healthcare and treatment outcome. Revealing its research findings on Tuesday (Feb 28), A*STAR said it had tested this concept on five kidney cancer patients who had previously been exposed to the cancer drug pazopanib. Based on their medical history, three of the five patients had displayed adverse reactions to pazopanib in the past. The researchers used stem cells from the five patients to create liver cells that were then exposed to pazopanib. The study found that the effects of pazopanib on the newly created liver cells tallied with how each of them had previously reacted to the drug. Furthermore, for those who suffered adverse reactions, the researchers were also able to analyse how pazopanib caused liver damage to them, … Continue reading →

Fort Worth Star Telegram UTA raises cancer research profile with $6 million in grants Fort Worth Star Telegram UTA has more than 25 cancer researchers in its biology, bioengineering and computer science colleges and has 13 cancer-related patents issued in the past five years. Last year, UTA joined the ranks of top research universities listed by the Carnegie ... See more here: UTA raises cancer research profile with $6 million in grants - Fort Worth Star Telegram … Continue reading →

Science Daily New tool to map RNA-DNA interactions could help researchers translate gene sequences into functions Science Daily "Most of the human genome sequence is now known, but we still don't know what most of these sequences mean," said Sheng Zhong, bioengineering professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and the study's lead author. "To better ... and more » Read more from the original source: New tool to map RNA-DNA interactions could help researchers translate gene sequences into functions - Science Daily … Continue reading →

February 24, 2017 Artistic rendering of RNA-DNA interactions. A 3-D structure of tightly coiled DNA is depicted as the body of a dragon in Chinese myth. Interacting RNAs are depicted as hairs, whiskers and claws, which are essential for the dragon to function. Credit: Victor O. Leshyk Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new tool to identify interactions between RNA and DNA molecules. The tool, called MARGI (Mapping RNA Genome Interactions), is the first technology that's capable of providing a full account of all the RNA molecules that interact with a segment of DNA, as well as the locations of all these interactionsin just a single experiment. RNA molecules can attach to particular DNA sequences to help control how much protein these particular genes produce within a given time, and within a given cell. And by knowing what genes produce these regulatory RNAs, researchers can start to identify new functions and instructions encoded in the genome. "Most of the human genome sequence is now known, but we still don't know what most of these sequences mean," said Sheng Zhong, bioengineering professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and the study's lead author. … Continue reading →

The human species is about to change dramatically. That's the argument Yuval Noah Harari makes in his new book, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Harari is a history professor at Hebrew University in Israel. He tells NPR's Ari Shapiro that he expects we will soon engineer our bodies and minds in the same way we now design products. On how we will begin to engineer bodies The three main ways of doing that, first of all, is to take our organic body and start tinkering with it with things like genetic engineering, speeding up natural selection and actually replacing it with intelligent design not the intelligent design of some God above the clouds, but our intelligent design. The other way is to start combining organic with inorganic parts and creating cyborgs. For four billion years all of evolution not just of humans but of all beings was confined to the organic realm, but very soon we might be able to break out of the organic realm using things like brain-computer interfaces, which combine organic parts like an organic brain with inorganic parts like bionic hands or eyes or ears. And then the third and most extreme path is … Continue reading →

It gets harder every year to get into some of the University of Washingtons most in-demand majors, creating a cutthroat system of competition at the flagship university. By the end of his freshman year at the University of Washington, Jack Kussick believed there was no point in even applying to get into the UWs bioengineering program. Kussick had sailed through Seattles Roosevelt High with top grades. When he entered the UW, the Seattle native was thinking about a career designing cutting-edge rehabilitation tools that could help wounded veterans get back on their feet, or athletes devastated by injury return to their sports. But college required an entirely different type of studying. As a freshman, Kussick stumbled in a few classes before he figured out a system that worked for him. By then, he believed, it was already too late. In order to be competitive for bioengineering, a counselor told him, hed need to begin making As in nearly every class. Even then, his chances of being admitted were slim. At a time when students are encouraged to go into careers in science and technology, as well as business, its becoming harder and harder to do so in some majors at … Continue reading →