An inter cellular network based XOR gate: The system is built from four Escherichia coli colonies, whereas each colony consists of a strain engineered to contain a single gate. Three cell colonies (cell 1, 2, 3) containing NOR gates and a fourth (cell 4) a BUFFER gate (two subsequent NOT gates; if in = 0, so out = 0; or if in = 1, so out = 1). The cell colonies communicate through quorum sensing, which represent the “wires” of the system. If both inputs (a, b) are present, or if a and b are absent, the system has no output. If either a or b is present, yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) is expressed. 1 means that the input (a, b) is sensed or the output (out) is released, whereas 0 means not. In the examples system output = 0 is highlighted as pink, output = 1 as green. http://bit.ly/YI13bF
Arithmetic logic unit in a biological microprocessor: NOT gate
Deoxyribozyme based NOT gate: The deoxyribozyme (DNA based catalyst) is in an active form, if no input (in) is present (in = 0). Cleavage activity results in this case in a fluorescent oligonucleotid (F) as output. An oligonucleotide input (in) (in = 1) leads to hybridization of the input strand (green) with the closed loop strand, which is marked purple. This results in an inactive, open loop and the absences of a fluorescent product. http://bit.ly/YI13bF
Input/Output (I/O) device in a biological microprocessor:
A switch, which produce an on (induced) or off (not induced) state: The figure gives an example of a switch in a synthetic gene network. Off (no detectable EGFP expression): LAcl repressor proteins, which are constitutively expressed, bind to two introns with lac operator (lacO) sites, inducing transcriptional repression of EGFP and TetR respectively. Repression of TetR allows transcription of shRNA, which can subsequently bind to its target sequence, and repress it’s shRNA target. On (EGFP expression induced): isopropyl-b-thiogalactopyrano (IPTG) binds to Lacl proteins. As a consequence, the repressor proteins are inactive, as they change their conformation. Thus, TetR, which represses shRNA, and EGFP get transcribed. http://bit.ly/YI13bF
Hack the Lab: Temperature - controlling, measuring and experimenting with it
Saturday, Jun 6, 2015, 12:00 PM
Makespace classroom 16 Mill Lane Cambridge, GB
11 Members Attending
PLEASE NOTE: RSVPing on the makespace page would be much appreciated so both we and they have attendance numbers! http://www.meetup.com/Makespace/events/222377763/
The third instalment of the monthly 'Hack the Lab' meetup on open hardware (and software) for science will be focusing on temperature: how to control it, measure it and perform experimen...
PLEASE NOTE: RSVPing on the makespace page would be much appreciated so both we and they have attendance numbers! http://www.meetup.com/Makespace/events/222377763/ The third instalment of the monthly
When artists use synthetic biology, are they playing God, or just playing with cool new toys? Scientists Drew Endy and Christina Agapakis weigh in on the ethics.
The rapid and selective regulation of a target protein within living cells containing closely related family members is a longstanding challenge. Here we introduce genetically directed bio-orthogonal ligand tethering (BOLT) and demonstrate selective inhibition (iBOLT), and optical switching (photo-BOLT), of protein function in live mammalian cells to address this challenge.
An RNA aptamer based NOR gate: NOR is an OR gate followed by a NOT gate. Two subsequent RNA devices consist, is this case, each of three functional components: a sensor, made of an RNA aptamer (brown), an actuator component, made of a hammerhead ribozyme (purple), and a cobbling sequence between these parts, the transmitter (blue). Translation of the gene of interest (here GFP), encoded upstream of the device, is only possible in the case of the absence of both inputs (a and b). http://bit.ly/YI13bF
"Approaches to Biotech Automation: the Cloud Lab and the Desktop Robot
In biotech, it’s no secret that there is a strong trend toward automation. In the next couple of years we are bound to see the vast majority of human lab work assigned to robots. Currently, there are two competing approaches to biotech automation: the cloud lab and the desktop robot. The former offers automation as a service by order, while the latter attempts to bring the automation to your lab bench.
Partial Automation Doesn’t Improve Much
It’s easy to assume that like computers, it’s best to have physical access to our machines, but just as cloud computing is taking off, so should the appeal of cloud pipetting. For most synthetic biologists, the bulk of lab work is spent in the ceaseless cloning cycle of ordering DNA or primers to amplify DNA, running a PCR, separating DNA on a gel, transforming cells, plating cells, waiting a day, picking colonies, waiting another day, purifying DNA, sequencing DNA, testing your final product, then trying again over and over. All of these steps can be automated, and already have been by companies like Transcriptic, SGI, and Emerald Labs. As researchers, we already wait around for DNA to be synthesized, delivered, and product DNA to be sequenced, so it would make sense for us to investigate outsourcing the rest of the process. If a company like Transcriptic can localize itself near a synthesis and sequencing company (or integrate those things in-house), their throughput will be much faster and more convenient than any desktop pipetting machine could ever be.
The point being, even if desktop robots were extremely versatile and efficient, your job would consist of receiving DNA from your closest provider, loading small amounts of liquid into a desktop robot, waiting for the robot to perform, moving those samples to the thermocycler, waiting for the thermocycler to finish, moving the PCR to a gel, waiting for the gel, etc. In short, your job would be to move liquid from machine to machine at various time intervals that segment your day into chunks of time that are highly variable and difficult to schedule other job functions around. Ultimately, a desktop robot will still require your valuable attention and time where an outsourcing option could potentially give those resources back to you.
What would be ideal is if the robot could do all these functions from pipetting to PCRs to incubations as well as move it from station to station. The type of robot that would require is not a desktop robot. It’s a room-sized robot. Typically the type of robot only a large company can afford. The type of robot these cloud labs already have and are at your disposal....."
Science Careers, a part of the journal Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is the leading resource for job listings and career advice in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Science Careers
Do you like spiders? Do you like the idea of wearing spider webs? Well, you'll soon be able to wear clothing made from the same material as spider webs if a..
Arithmetic logic unit in a biological microprocessor
AND gate
An AND gate can be based on the transcriptor (T), an asymmetric transcription terminator, which can block RNA polymerase flows one directional. If both terminators are flipped, induced by their respective input signal (a and b), RNA polymerase flows unhindered (full length RNA output). http://bit.ly/YI13bF
The the general purpose silicon computer system can be used as a template for biocomputers. "Such a template consists of four units: the input and output device (I/O), the arithmetic logic unit, the control unit and the memory.
The first three units collectively build the central processing unit (CPU), typically constructed on a single integrated circuit called a microprocessor. The control unit coordinates the various system components. It decodes the program instructions, and transforms them into control signals, which activate other system parts. This finally results in a change of the system state. Historically the control unit was defined as a distinct part, whereas in modern design this unit is an internal part of the CPU. Busses (often made of groups of wires) interconnect these units. Each unit contains a huge number of small electrical circuits. Switches can turn these circuits on (1) or off (0). A logic gate can perform a logic operation on one or more of such logic inputs and produce a single logic output. Thus, basic elements of any biocomputer unit are switches and logic gates."
"Engineering Biology to Address Global Problems: Synthetic Biology Markets, Needs, and Applications" Nancy J. Kelley, David J. Whelan, Ellyn Kerr, Aidan Apel, …
Diagnosing cancer with help from bacteria Engineers at MIT and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) have devised a new way to detect cancer that has spread to the liver, by enlisting help from probiotics beneficial bacteria similar to those found in yogurt. Many types of cancer, including colon and pancreatic, tend to metastasize
A large-scale survey of U.S. doctors tells us that doctors are using digital tools and willing to receive data feeds from their customers, but they are quite frustrated by poor usability of digital healthcare tools and difficulty getting measurable results[1].
Evolva say its synbio vanillin is a sustainable alternative to the synthetic variety, but critics say the technology isn’t palatable for the environment
To get content containing either thought or leadership enter:
To get content containing both thought and leadership enter:
To get content containing the expression thought leadership enter:
You can enter several keywords and you can refine them whenever you want. Our suggestion engine uses more signals but entering a few keywords here will rapidly give you great content to curate.
Your new post is loading...
Scoop.it!
