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Engineering Biology in Cambridge

 
Read more at: 2024 Cambridge iGEM team wins Gold and is nominated for Best Hardware

2024 Cambridge iGEM team wins Gold and is nominated for Best Hardware

11 November 2024

The Cambridge iGEM team won a Gold Medal and received a nomination for the ‘Best Hardware’ special prize in the Undergrad Category at the 2024 iGEM Grand Jamboree. Their project ‘MaGenTa’ worked on developing tools for magnetogenetics, an approach using magnetic fields to remotely and precisely control gene activation.


Read more at: Cambridge to Lead UK Contributions to a New International Research Centre for Enhancing Plant Resilience
A close-up photo of golden ears of wheat

Cambridge to Lead UK Contributions to a New International Research Centre for Enhancing Plant Resilience

3 October 2024

Cambridge researcher Dr Nicola Patron has been awarded a share of over £2 million to lead the UK’s contribution to a new global centre working to address urgent agricultural problems and explore sustainable solutions for agriculture.


Read more at: Interested in Connecting with Local Industry?
Photo of a sculpture of DNA. The photo is looking down the centre of the double helix spiral. The bases are bright fluorescent tubes glowing with light.

Interested in Connecting with Local Industry?

3 September 2024

The EngBio IRC are looking for a student or postdoc with an innovative mindset to lead a new project exploring synthetic and engineering biology opportunities within the Cambridge biotechnology cluster.


Read more at: Cambridge Scientists Improve Microalgae Cultivation
Illustrative figure of five cubes filled with green sphere of algal agregates. The spheres decrease in size and increase in density through the sequence.

Cambridge Scientists Improve Microalgae Cultivation

3 September 2024

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have investigated the photonic properties of hydrogels embedded with microalgae and the resulting improved efficiency of algal growth within. They hope to scale up algal productivity for commercial applications and novel material synthesis.


Read more at: Call for Workshops and Discussions Exploring Engineering Biology
Microscopy image of cells outlined in cyan with the EngBio IRC logo and text reading "Strategic Events"

Call for Workshops and Discussions Exploring Engineering Biology

3 September 2024

Applications are now open for the EngBio IRC's Strategic Events Call. We are looking for workshops and discussions exploring engineering biology applications, tools, intersections with other emerging technologies and collaborative grant applications. Applications are welcome from IRC faculty members.


Read more at: EngBio Early Career Researchers: what's it all about?

EngBio Early Career Researchers: what's it all about?

23 July 2024

The PostDoc Academy spoke to Dr Indra Roux and Dr Irina Gostimskaya, two postdocs on the EngBio IRC committee. In this interview the two postdocs discuss the EngBio ECR group, its benefits, and advice for new postdocs.


Read more at: Engineering Cancer Therapeutics
Flouresence microscopy image of a cancer cell surrounded by killer T cells, illustrating how CAR-T therapies work. Image courtesy of the NIH Image library.

Engineering Cancer Therapeutics

22 July 2024

Can we apply engineering biology principles to develop kinder, more effective treatments for cancer ? From innovative CAR-T therapies, to new tools for drug discovery and potential new treatments. Learn more about the University of Cambridge researchers exploring precision medicines for cancer.


Read more at: Exploring the Interdisciplinary Landscape of Cancer Research

Exploring the Interdisciplinary Landscape of Cancer Research

18 July 2024

Prof. Laura Machesky researches how cancer cells interact with their environment. This is an essential part of understanding and combating cancer metastasis. Find out how engineering biology and interdisciplinary work have contributed to her research.


Read more at: Registration for SynBio UK 2024 now open!

Registration for SynBio UK 2024 now open!

11 June 2024

The University of Cambridge and the Biochemical Society are pleased to be co-hosting this year’s Synthetic Biology UK conference. This year's conference will unite the synthetic and engineering biology communities with sessions including Synthetic Cells, Protein Design & Engineering, Future Food, Therapeutics, AI & Machine Learning, Control Systems, and Responsible Innovation.


Read more at: Open Technologies Highlight: SeedGerm
Microscopy image of seeds germinating with roots pseudo-coloured to indicate germination time

Open Technologies Highlight: SeedGerm

10 June 2024

Thinking about how to speed up and reduce errors in seed phenotyping, Prof Ji Zhou and his colleagues at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) have develeoped SeedGerm. This is an imaging tool that combines cost-effective hardware and open source software to improve the efficiency of seed germination analysis. This process is important in a wide range of crop science research.