Should we sequence newborns’ DNA? The answer is complicated, study finds
August 11, 2020
A new study led by UC Berkeley researchers is the first to comprehensively assess the potential of genomic sequencing to reveal health problems in newborns.
Research News
Searching for adaptation secrets in the Sahara Desert
August 04, 2020
Graduate student Diana Aguilar Gómez tells the story of Joana Rocha, a visiting scholar in the Rasmus Nielsen lab who ventured into the Sahara Desert to study the genetic adaptations that help desert foxes thrive in extreme environments.
New understanding of CRISPR-Cas9 tool could improve gene editing
July 30, 2020
Although Jennifer Doudna’s CRISPR-Cas9 has become the go-to genome editor for both basic research and gene therapy, it has spawned other potentially powerful DNA manipulation tools that could help fix genetic mutations.
A behind-the-scenes look at the longevity vitamin PQQ
July 23, 2020
Wen Zhu, a postdoctoral researcher in the Klinman Lab at QB3-Berkeley, explores the key steps in PQQ biogenesis aiming to unlock PQQ’s potential for health benefits.
Megaphages harbor mini-Cas proteins ideal for gene editing
July 16, 2020
While the DNA-cutting proteins central to Jennifer Doudna’s CRISPR-Cas9 and related gene-editing tools originally came from bacteria, a newfound variety of Cas proteins apparently evolved in viruses that infect bacteria.
Using CRISPR genome editing to make cyanide-free cassava
July 14, 2020
A team of researchers from Jennifer Doudna’s Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) are using CRISPR genome editing to alter cassava, a worldwide staple crop that naturally produces the precursor of cyanide.
Using physics to search for meaning in the chaos of gene regulation
July 09, 2020
By applying ideas from theoretical physics, researchers are starting to develop a unified understanding of how genes are regulated.
Professor David Schaffer selected to serve as next director of QB3-Berkeley
July 07, 2020
Professor David Schaffer has been selected to serve as the next director of Berkeley’s California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3-Berkeley)