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A Step Forward for Microbial Machines
In a deft act of genomic manipulation, researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute, in Rockville, MD, transplanted a bacterial genome into yeast, altered it, and then transplanted it back into a hollowed bacterial shell, producing a viable new microbe. The technique may provide a way to more easily genetically engineer organisms not commonly studied in the lab and could aid in the expanding effort to create microbes that can produce fuels or clean up toxic chemicals. "This research enhances our capabilities in genome engineering and opens new applications," says Jim Collins, a bioengineer at Boston University, who was not involved in the research. "I see this as an important advance relevant to the bioenergy and biomaterials industries."
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23297/
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