Biotechnology news

• Engineered phage-derived lysins effectively kill mycobacterial pathogens

  30-03-2026 02:00 via cell.com
  Treatment of mycobacterial infections is difficult due to poor penetration of antibiotics across the complex cell envelope. We engineered phage-inspired lytic proteins, mycolysins, that selectively breach this barrier and enable rapid bacterial clearance in pulmonary and wound infection models, highlighting a programmable biologic platform to enhance and shorten existing therapies.
  
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• Programmable mycolysins expand the antimicrobial toolkit against mycobacteria

  18-06-2026 02:00 via cell.com
  In a timely advance for antimycobacterial biotechnology, Abouhmad et al. engineered modular ‘mycolysins’ that combine mycobacteriophage lysis functions with membrane-active peptides to efficiently breach the mycobacterial envelope and achieve pathogen intracellular killing. Their work opens a route that may accelerate the development of biologics against tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial diseases.
  
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• The New Race to Find Treatments for Measles

  17-06-2026 16:56 via nytimes.com
  As vaccination rates decline, biotech companies see a potential new market for measles drugs.
  
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• With Measles Roaring Back, the Search for a Drug is On

  11-06-2026 17:00 via nytimes.com
  As vaccination rates decline, biotech companies see a potential new market for measles drugs.
  
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• Better Sex, Better Hair, Better Sleep: ‘Humanmaxxing’ Is Here

  11-06-2026 11:07 via nytimes.com
  The biotech billionaire who wants to rebuild your body and blow your mind.
  
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• As Ebola Spreads in East Africa, Will China Step Up?

  06-06-2026 11:01 via nytimes.com
  China is well positioned to help stop the deadly virus, and could move into a gap left by U.S. retreat.
  
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• China’s Rise in Drug Development Looms Over U.S.

  31-05-2026 18:07 via nytimes.com
  Clinical trials in China are getting attention at an international oncology gathering in Chicago. China’s surging biotechnology industry is fueling alarm that U.S. dominance in the field is waning.
  
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• Reprogramming halophilic life for low-salt biomanufacturing

  16-05-2026 02:00 via cell.com
  By reengineering Halomonas bluephagenesis to grow and produce polyhydroxybutyrate under low-salinity, open conditions, Sun et al. transform salinity from a fixed physiological constraint into a bioprocess variable. This study reframes halophilic chassis design for more flexible and sustainable industrial biomanufacturing.
  
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• Biotechnologies based on the fungal bioluminescence pathway

  08-05-2026 02:00 via cell.com
  The originally published article contained figures that did not comply with the journal’s policies regarding the use of generative AI. Figures 1, 4, and 5 have been replaced, and the associated captions have been modified. The authors regret the error.
  
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• Blue at the edge

  07-05-2026 02:00 via cell.com
  ‘Blue at the Edge’ was created using C-phycocyanin (C-PC)-containing total soluble protein extract from extremophilic Galdieria. The painting portrays a moonlit desert, a quiet terrain that appears lifeless, but in a vibrant living blue made from algae. This visual contrasts the acidic, high-temperature environments where Galdieria thrives—inhospitable habitats that actually sustain metabolically versatile life. This alga thrives under elevated CO2 in complete darkness and very low pH on a
  
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• The Rich and Powerful Want to Live Forever

  24-04-2026 11:02 via nytimes.com
  From the Kremlin to Silicon Valley, some of the most powerful people in the world now want something more: eternal life.
  
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• Scientific breakthrough versus successful startup: teaching scientists to navigate bench to business

  08-04-2026 02:00 via cell.com
  Scientific breakthroughs infrequently translate into startups without structured training. Stanford’s BioEntrepreneurship Bootcamp teaches a practical framework for navigating bench-to-business translation. The curriculum integrates instruction on intellectual property, team formation, risk assessments, milestone-based funding, and investor communication, with the goal of equipping scientists to advance discoveries into viable ventures.
  
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• Clinical-scale bioreactor production of hiPSC-derived extracellular vesicles modulates miRNA and protein cargo to enhance angiogenic function

  30-03-2026 02:00 via cell.com
  A perfusion-based stirred-tank bioreactor enables scalable production of human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) enriched in proangiogenic cargo. This approach overcomes key limitations of conventional EV production, delivering high yields and consistent quality, and represents an important step toward standardized, clinically relevant EV manufacturing for cell-free regenerative therapies.
  
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• Synthetic M13 phage engagers expand CAR-T cell antigen recognition to overcome tumor heterogeneity

  27-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  This work reports a bacteriophage-based engager platform that simultaneously addresses antigen heterogeneity and functional exhaustion of chimeric antigen receptor T cells in solid tumors. It enables modular antigen redirection and eliminates immune suppression to improve antitumor responses.
  
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• How to Turn a Chicken Egg Into a Drug Factory

  26-03-2026 14:00 via nytimes.com
  A biotech start-up is testing a novel way of efficiently producing pharmaceutical drugs.
  
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• Utilizing biomolecular condensates as electrochemical reactors

  25-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  Liquid–liquid phase separation and biomolecular condensates have received massive fundamental research interest in recent years. Yu et al. engineered self-assembling, genetically encoded biomaterials that function as electrochemical reactors. Their work demonstrates the great utility of these materials in nanoparticle synthesis, pollutant degradation, and inhibition of bacteria through artificial ferroptosis.
  
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• David Botstein, Gene-Mapping Pioneer, Dies at 83

  20-03-2026 22:25 via nytimes.com
  His method of locating genes in human DNA allowed researchers to find disease-causing genes, and later to map the entire, sprawling human genome.
  
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• Seamless vessel–microenvironment bioprinting reveals contact-dependent vascular communications

  18-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  Current bioprinting often creates artificial barriers that disrupt cell communication. Zhao et al. introduce a seamless, collagen-based platform that eliminates material interfaces. This continuous microenvironment enables the discovery of critical contact-dependent signaling mechanisms in vascular development and cancer progression, offering a versatile tool for dissecting complex tissue interactions.
  
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• Breaking the immunosuppressive barrier: an armored CAR-M biotechnology with the original M1 phenotype dominance rescues antitumor immunity

  18-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  The immunosuppressive environment of solid tumors limits the efficacy of current chimeric antigen receptor macrophage (CAR-M) therapies. We report a novel armored CAR-M technology that can dominate the tumor microenvironment and revitalize antitumor immunity. This breakthrough opens up promising new avenues for cancer immunotherapy, particularly for the treatment of solid tumors.
  
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• Bioprospecting c-di-GMP-activated exopolysaccharides in bacteria: isolation of a novel atypical sphingan

  18-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  A cyclic diguanosine monophosphate-activated screening platform turns ordinary bacterial collections into treasure troves of novel exopolysaccharides, exemplified by a galacto-sphingan. This strategy reveals cryptic biomaterials poised for green applications in agrifood and medicine.
  
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• Biomimetic recombinant collagen with multicopy dual-targeted hemostatic motifs for enhanced hemostasis in surgical trauma

  18-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  A multicopy dual-targeted design strategy for recombinant collagen is presented. By integrating hemostatic motifs (GFPGER and GPP) in multiple copies within a single collagen chain, receptor binding is enhanced, leading to stronger platelet activation, fibrin formation, and improved in vivo hemostatic performance.
  
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• Omega-based mini prime- and base-editing systems in Escherichia coli

  16-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  Obligate mobile element-guided activity-based prime-editing and base-editing systems represent a significant advancement in gene editing and targeted mutagenesis, enabling precise, programmable mutations in target genes. These compact, high-efficiency systems seamlessly integrate with multiple high-throughput screening technologies, significantly accelerating directed evolution processes and offering powerful tools for genetic engineering and biotechnological applications.
  
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• Characterization and engineering of highly efficient Cas12j genome editors

  13-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  This study identifies and engineers compact Cas12j genome editors from viral metagenomes. By enhancing their activity through exonuclease fusion and enabling precise base editing via deaminase coupling in mammalian cells, these advances expand the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) toolbox and support the development of genome-editing strategies suited for delivery-constrained therapeutic applications.
  
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• A new strategy to stabilize gene circuits

  13-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  The stability of synthetic gene circuits is limited by cellular growth and division. Zhang et al. demonstrated how engineered condensates of transcription factors can stabilize gene expression and enhance bio-based production. This work establishes the spatial organization of transcription factors through phase separation as a powerful strategy for robust gene expression.
  
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• Control of properties and nutrient content of cultivated foie gras tissues via scaffold and media factors

  12-03-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  We present a proof-of-concept avian cultivated fatty liver prototype inspired by foie gras, using edible, plant-based 3D scaffolds to support chicken hepatocyte lipogenesis. The system reproduces key physical and chemical features of foie gras while enabling nutritional enhancement, providing a scalable and ethical foundation for future species-specific cultivated foie gras development.
  
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• F.D.A. Faces Upset Over Denials of New Drugs

  05-03-2026 11:01 via nytimes.com
  Agency officials promise fast reviews of new treatments while vowing they will not be a “rubber stamp” for the industry. But patients with rare diseases view recent decisions as signs that the doors are closing on their options.
  
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• Henrietta Lacks’s Family Settles Suit With Novartis Over Use of Her Cells

  27-02-2026 22:47 via nytimes.com
  Ms. Lacks’s family accused Novartis of profiting from her cells, which were taken from her without her consent in 1951, when she was dying of cervical cancer.
  
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• Industrial perspective validation of a neutralizer-free l-lactic acid production process by engineered acid-tolerant yeast Pichia kudriavzevii

  27-02-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  l-Lactic acid (l-LA) is one of the most important three-carbon chemicals in the world. Its crucial role as the precursor of polylactic acid (PLA) (see Glossary) has led to a soaring demand for l-LA [1]. The global demand for l-LA is estimated to reach $2.67 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 11.2% from 2024 to 2030 (https://www.qyresearch.com/industry-news/7036/l-lactic-acid). Microbial fermentation is an industrial production strategy for l-LA. Corbion, NatureWorks, and Henan
  
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• Establishment of a nonhomologous end joining-mediated genomic library in Fusarium fujikuroi for high-level production of gibberellic acid

  26-02-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  NHEJ-mediated genome-wide insertional mutagenesis enables rapid discovery of functional genetic targets and stable integration sites in Fusarium fujikuroi, providing a versatile platform for metabolic engineering and strain improvement.
  
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• Biosensor-guided indexing of genome evolution for boosting microbial chemical synthesis

  24-02-2026 01:00 via cell.com
  This study developed a biosensor-driven genome evolution (BRIDGE) workflow that enables marker-free engineering of microbial hosts. As an example, protocatechuic acid (PCA) overproduction in Pseudomonas putida was achieved by BRIDGE. Considering the great variety of available biosensors, BRIDGE may represent a generalizable framework for biosensor-driven evolution of microbial cell factories.
  
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