British researchers are helping to create “designer” genomes that can be inserted into yeast cells to create new strains of these organisms.
The international project adds to work to create the first ever synthetic life form, by building a bacterium genome from scratch. This will be the first time a genome has been built from scratch for a eukaryotic organism, and the scientists aim to redesign parts of the yeast genome so that it can perform functions that are not possible naturally, like making yeast more efficient so they require less energy and can tolerate more alcohol before dying.
Read the full article here: Synthetic yeast could make beer cheaper and stronger
Additional Resources:
- Synthetic Yeast 2.0
Learn more about the synthetic yeast project’s goals, motivation, and technology at the project website. - “Yeast thrives with partially synthetic genome,” Nature
Read about how researchers created yeast cells with semi-synthetic chromosomes back in 2011.
