Trends in biotechnology最新文献

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty on 'Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Traditional Knowledge' introduces novel clauses designed to enhance compliance through an unprecedented sanction mechanism. The treaty mandates penalties for non-disclosure, including administrative sanctions and potential patent revocation in cases of fraudulent intent, thereby setting a new standard for stronger compliance frameworks.

Vertical flow assays (VFAs) have emerged as efficient diagnostic tools for point-of-care testing, offering rapid detection, high sensitivity, and multiplexing capabilities. By addressing key limitations of lateral flow assays, such as low specificity and cross-reactivity, VFAs enable simultaneous detection of multiple targets with improved accuracy and lower detection limits. Their applications span clinical diagnostics, pathogen detection, food safety, and agriculture. Recent advances, including smartphone integrations and innovations in pathogen, nucleic acid, and biomarker detection, have expanded their utility. With advantages like low cost, ease of use, and adaptability, VFAs are well suited for resource-limited settings. This review summarizes the current progress in VFA technology and discusses its future perspectives in advancing rapid, accessible diagnostics across various fields.

Bees are vital to global food security and biodiversity but their populations are threatened by a steady flux of interacting stressors. Current mitigation strategies are failing to address the complexity and scale of these threats. Biotechnology offers innovative solutions to protect essential pollination services and secure the future of beekeeping. Omic tools guided by artificial intelligence can unlock new possibilities for strengthening bee populations and improve their ability to adapt to emerging challenges. Molecular and bio-based treatments offer precise, nonchemical inputs for managed hives. Synthetic biology enables engineered gut microbiomes, pollinator-friendly crops, and artificial diets that are tailored to bee health. We discuss recent progress and future directions of biotechnology to help bees cope with a rapidly changing world.

Biofoundries serve as transformative platforms for accelerating the engineering of enzymes and microorganisms toward biomanufacturing. In this study, we developed scalable enzyme engineering workflows tailored for biofoundry applications, focusing on isoprene synthase (IspS) - a critical rate-limiting enzyme in the isoprene biosynthesis. By integrating computational mutation design based on sequence coevolution analysis and laboratory automation, we conducted three rounds of site-directed mutagenesis and screening. Approximately 100 genetic mutants were synthesized per round and these workflows can be easily scaled up to thousands without extensive optimization. Moreover, this approach enabled the rapid identification of IspS variants with up to 4.5-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency and simultaneously enhanced thermostability. Additionally, introducing the engineered IspS into Methylococcus capsulatus Bath improved methane-to-isoprene bioconversion, achieving a titer of 319.6 mg/l. These scalable workflows establish a robust framework for enzyme engineering within biofoundries. This provides a basis for the development of innovative biotechnological advancements.

Synergistic integration of bone extracellular matrix (bECM) macromolecules in biomimetic bone tissue engineering (BTE) remains underexplored. This study presents a novel bioink for load-bearing 3D bioprinting (LB-3DBP), comprising gelatin and kappa-carrageenan (κC). Termed 'thermoreversible ionic-covalent entangled (TRICE) bioink', it exhibits exceptional cell viability (>92%), printability, and osteogenic capacity. This advanced multi-material bioprinting approach integrates the TRICE bioink with a calcium phosphate (CaP)-based load-bearing ink. The resulting LB-3DBP scaffolds exhibited a compressive modulus of ~33.2 MPa (comparable with trabecular bone) and up to 200-fold greater strength compared with hydrogel-only bioprints. The (ECM)-inspired TRICE bioink enhanced focal adhesion, proliferation, and MAPK/ERK-mediated osteogenic differentiation. In rabbit femoral condyle models, LB-3DBP scaffolds promoted de novo bone formation and remodeling within 8 weeks. This work bridges mechanical resilience and bioactivity in BTE, offering fully bioresorbable, patient-specific scaffolds that recapitulate the properties of native bone. Thus, our biomimetic, multi-material platform provides a scalable solution for personalized bone regeneration.

A proof-of-concept reversible genetic logic circuit in tobacco plants is presented. The genetic circuit implements a Boolean NOR function using a Cas6-based translational repression system, with exposure to estradiol and ethanol as inputs, and expression of GFP as the output. Expressed in the presence of the inducers, two Cas6 proteins are used to selectively prevent the translation of GFP. The circuit yields a 40-90% reduction in GFP expression in the presence of the inducers. A mathematical model of the circuit's mechanism of action is proposed and validated using experimentally acquired data. The employed genetic circuit design methodology is versatile, simplistic, and analogous to PMOS-based pass-transistor logic used in electronic circuit design, making it possible to design complex logic circuits without extensive biological expertise. Lowering the barrier to entry, this methodology can help improve the use of synthetic biology and its integration with other systems.

Amid growing global food demands and escalating environmental crises, sustainable protein production faces critical challenges. Traditional agriculture is failing to meet rising demands due to resource inefficiency and climate impacts. Advanced single-cell protein (SCP) produced through microbial fermentation of non-grain feedstocks offers a promising alternative. Current SCP advancements prioritize enhancing non-grain feedstock utilization, expanding multifunctional applications, and integrating hybrid biosystems. Synthetic biology breakthroughs diversify non-grain feedstocks versatility beyond traditional one-carbon (C1)-feedstock like methanol to CO₂. Advanced SCP scalability is hampered by limited strain robustness, insufficient genome-editing precision, logistics of low-density non-grain feedstocks, and electrochemical energy carrier safety risks. By addressing these challenges, advanced SCP technologies promise to reshape global food systems, bridging the gap between circular carbon economies and nutritional security.

Scaling biomanufacturing from laboratory to industrial scale poses significant challenges, especially for continuous fermentation. This study investigates these challenges using a β-carotene-producing Yarrowia lipolytica strain. Through fermentation experiments and proteomics, we have assessed how fermentation modes, carbon sources, dissolved O₂, and media composition influence long-term bioproduction. In shaking flask subcultures, the strain maintained β-carotene production for over ~30 generations. However, in continuous fermentations, subpopulation shifted toward faster-growing low-producers, leading to significant production losses within just ~18 growth generations. This process was accelerated by O₂ limitation and high bioreactor dilution rates. Using canola oil as a carbon source increases population heterogeneity but enhances β-carotene biosynthesis and prolongs production compared with glucose-based media. Kinetic modeling suggests that strains optimized for the highest production in laboratory settings may be less robust in industrial environments, where suboptimal yet faster-growing variants gain a competitive edge under prolonged stress and ultimately shape overall continuous fermentation performance.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology represents a landmark advance in the field of gene editing. However, conventional CRISPR/Cas systems are limited by inadequate temporal and spatial control. In recent years, the development of optically controlled CRISPR (Opto-CRISPR) technology has offered a novel solution to this issue. As a combination of optogenetics and the CRISPR technology, the Opto-CRISPR technology enables dynamic space-time-specific gene editing and regulation in cells and organisms. In this review, we concisely introduce the basic principles of Opto-CRISPR, summarize its operational mechanisms, and discuss its applications and recent advances across various research fields. In addition, this review analyzes the limitations of Opto-CRISPR, aiming to provide a reference for the development of this emerging field.