Bay Area may be at risk from synthetic biology research labs

Aggregated News

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_20266512/emily-smith-beitiks-bay-area-may…

This article is available at the San Jose Mercury News.

Synthetic biology researchers think they’ve made a cell. Is it alive?

By Matthew Herper, Stat | 07.01.2026

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Researchers have created what they say may count as the first synthetic cell, and have started a public benefit corporation to share the technology with other scientists. It’s a piece of science that generates as many questions as answers. They...

Assisted Reproduction

Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna enters AI protein design arena

By Darren Incorvaia, Fierce Biotech | 07.16.2026

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Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., the Nobel Laureate best known for co-inventing the CRISPR system that has become the foundation for gene editing, is dipping her toes into a new, buzzy field: AI-powered protein design.

In a new paper, published today...

Genetic Selection

Lambs born via IVF using highly immature eggs in major breakthrough

By Carissa Wong, New Scientist | 07.08.2026

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Healthy lambs have been born via an experimental form of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) that coaxes highly immature eggs to become mature ones in the lab. This is the first time the approach has been demonstrated in a large animal...

Animal Biotechnologies

Off Target: Reporting on Human Embryo Gene Editing

By Emily Packard Dawson and Lainie Friedman Ross , The Hastings Center for Bioethics | 07.16.2026

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Major news outlets recently reported – based on a bioRxiv preprint – that scientists had edited genes in human embryos with “startling precision.” The scientists’ decision to release this work ahead of peer review, coupled with the extensive media coverage...

Human Genetic Modification

Bay Area may be at risk from synthetic biology research labs

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