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December 2025

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April 2023

Researchers in George Church’s lab modified wild type ADK proteins (left) in <em>E.coli</em>, furnishing them with an nonstandard Amino Acid (nsAA) meant to biocontain the resulting bacterial strain.

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Akos Nyerges uses MAGE to genetically protect E. coli from invading phages and prevent those modified genes from escaping into the environment.

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Several cycles of MAGE can introduce edited segments of genetic information to multiple targets in a genome, as well as promote the growth of a diverse population of cells in a colony or swap out amino acids in polypeptide chains.

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SSAPs work with a host’s existing single-strand binding proteins to edit single-strand portions of DNA. Using SSAPs to bind edited genes during replication produces a new generation of edited cells, which can be scaled up using the MAGE system.

George Church is at it again, this time using multiplex gene editing to create virus-proof cells, improve organ transplant success, and protect elephants.

A pioneer of the multiplex frontier

Maria Croyle holds up a small circular thin film in her research laboratory.

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Croyle uses forceps to pick up one of her thin films out of a package that looks similar to a contact lens container.

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Croyle peels open the packaging of her thin film technology in her laboratory.

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Maria Croyle holds up a single sheet of her thin film technology in front of her face while standing in her research laboratory.

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Most vaccines and biologics must stay cold until ready for use, but new thin film technology stabilizes these therapeutics for months at room temperature.

No need for a cold chain with these thin films

A microscope image of ovarian tissue shows dormant follicles stained purple and mature follicles stained pink. 

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An aerial view of a white mother mouse and a glowing green mouse pup in a mouse enclosure. A black arrow points to the pup. 

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Monica Laronda wears a white lab coat and crosses her arms next to a lab bench.

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A headshot of Teresa Woodruff wearing a white blazer and a gold pin. 

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Ariella Shikanov wears a white lab coat, blue gloves, and lab glasses and stands at a microscope on a lab bench.

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Aiming to preserve fertility for women undergoing cancer treatments, researchers are developing biomaterials that mimic the structure and function of the ovary.

Engineering fertility options for cancer survivors

Bioengineering

The oil painting “Gassed” by American painter John Singer Sargent depicts wounded soldiers walking toward a dressing station with their eyes bandaged as a result of mustard gas exposure.

What was once a weapon of destruction became a mainstay of cancer treatment.

Science Milestone: The birth of cancer chemotherapy

A white lab mouse stands on its hind legs and peers out of a cage at a scientist's hand. 

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Legislation now allows some drugs to skip animal testing, but it&rsquo;s unclear when, if ever, this step will be gone for good.

Animal testing might go, but not today

Editor's Focus

A drawing of black ants crawling toward a petri dish on a white, wooden surface.

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A black and white photo of Andreas Mershin wearing a dark collared shirt.

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A dog from the UK’s Medical Detection Dogs sits on a bench next to Medical Detection Dog founder, Claire Guest.

A photo of a locust head and antennae are secured in wax.

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A photo of Chan Namgong wearing a light blue shirt and white pants while standing outside on a sunny day.

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A photo of Debajit Saha wearing glasses and a suit jacket and smiling.

An ant of the species Formica fusca walks on a tree branch.

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Dogs, locusts, ants, and even worms detect human cancers at earlier stages than current tests, leading the way to better cancer diagnostics.

Sniffing out cancer with animal noses

Cancer

A headshot of James Wilson wearing a navy blazer and light blue shirt. 

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A headshot of Sharon Barr wearing a brown cardigan. 

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A headshot of Reena Kartha wearing a maroon shirt and beige cardigan.

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Kristen Wheeden wears a purple shirt and stands next to her son Brady, who wears a shirt that reads “Porphyria Awareness Week #PorphyriaTogether” and holds his thumb up. 

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A head shot of James Cloyd wearing a white shirt, black blazer, and red tie.

A yellow figurine of a person stands out in a sea of black figurine people. 

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Forty years after the Orphan Drug Act passed, researchers advance drug development for neglected rare conditions everywhere from the lab bench to backstage.

Finding a home for orphan diseases

Rare Diseases

Digital illustration of a glowing DNA double helix surrounded by interconnected circuit-like lines on a dark blue background.

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Ansa BioTechnologies

Learn the key differences between chemical and enzymatic approaches to synthetic DNA production and their implications for modern research.

Understanding chemical and enzymatic DNA synthesis

Articles

Abstract illustration of a DNA double helix surrounded by geometric shapes, interconnected lines, and circular data-inspired design elements on a light background. 

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Discover how codon optimization influences gene expression, protein production, and synthetic DNA design across diverse expression systems.

Codon optimization explained

Close-up 3D rendering of small extracellular vesicles budding from a cell membrane and floating through a fluid environment against a blue background.

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Eppendorf

Explore strategies for improving extracellular vesicle yield, purity, and reproducibility in biomanufacturing workflows.

April 2023 Volume 19, Issue 4