Kostas Vavitsas
A question of accountability: How can we prevent the release of potentially harmful human-created organisms?
When it comes to risk from synthetic biology applications, one source of concern is the community of DIY biologists and ...
Meat from algae: The next plant-based contribution to sustainable food production?
Microalgae capture sunlight using pigments of vibrant colors, such as chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phycocyanin. In particular, the algae spirulina and ...
Viewpoint: Is there a scientific basis to ban gene drive technology that can rid us of virus-carrying rodents and mosquitoes?
Gene drives may be invaluable tools to control the spread of parasites, invasive species, and disease carriers. But the technology ...
Fighting cancer by boosting the body’s immune system with genetically engineered bacteria
Our immune system can defeat cancer. Immune cells can directly attack cancer cells or produce proteins that don’t let tumors ...
Viewpoint: Why GMOs? Biotechnology yields a drought-tolerant rice that conventional breeding couldn’t produce
“Photosynthesis: a feat of chemical engineering underpinning creation’s entire cathedral.” ― Richard Powers, The Overstory ...
Can GMO tobacco plants produce vaccines for the coronavirus, flu and ebola?
The battle against COVID-19 will never be won before the majority of the population gains immunity to the new coronavirus ...
Disease is the greatest threat to bee health. Can we protect them through genetically engineered probiotics?
If you cannot engineer the organism, engineer its microbiome. Since scientists began exploring how to solve problems using synthetic biology, ...
Fighting the coronavirus outbreak with genetic sequencing, CRISPR and synthetic biology
We are better prepared for a coronavirus outbreak than a few years ago ...
Boosting Australia’s fire recovery by ‘terraforming’ damaged lands with synthetic biology
Biotechnology can provide valuable tools for fire prevention and restoration ...
How good storytelling can help consumers see the benefits of GMOs, synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a field full of exciting stories .... I asked Karl Schmieder, a seasoned communications and strategy consultant ...
Fighting climate change by reprogramming yeast, bacteria to feast on carbon dioxide
An organism easily adapted to different environments and ready to consume any compound would be a valuable tool ...
CRISPR gene editing’s ‘prime’ upgrade could snip out 89% of genetic diseases
The new editing technique has the capability to introduce specified changes to the DNA: mutations, deletions, and insertions of new ...
Billion-year-old microbes could give us new food, fuel sources—if we can figure out how to use them
We can’t afford to let this potential biotech breakthrough go to waste ...
For synthetic biology to reach its potential, building new chromosomes from scratch must become commonplace—and we may be getting close
Many of the needed technological breakthroughs can be achieved in the next several years ...
Viewpoint: Don’t expect synthetic biology to reverse climate change. But it could help, if we use it correctly.
There are several ways in which synthetic biology may have a positive contribution to our carbon footprint ...
Probiotics as ‘living medicine’: Synthetic biology takes on gut diseases, metabolic syndromes
Engineered probiotics could relieve patients of metabolic diseases ...
Sustainable dyes and fabrics created through synthetic biology promise to revolutionize fashion industry
The fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon emissions; that is more than air and sea transport ...
Why this attempt to cure an inherited form of blindness with CRISPR is so important
The time has come to see if the promises of CRISPR as a therapeutic tool hold true ...
‘Better’ gut bacteria probably won’t turn you into an elite athlete. But could it give you a performance boost?
Athletes getting an edge from a probiotic boost may be more realistic than once thought ...
Using engineered gut bacteria to fight genetic disease
A Boston-based synthetic biology company is taking a novel approach to treating the rare genetic metabolic disorder Phenylketonuria. Synlogic uses ...
