Variation at a Central Metabolic Gene Influences Male Fruit Fly Lifespan

June 29, 2017 | newswire

Why do females outlive males? For fruit flies, the answer can be found in the expression of an important metabolism gene....

Continue reading "Variation at a Central Metabolic Gene Influences Male Fruit Fly Lifespan"

Leadership in Public Science: Meet Jean Goodwin

June 7, 2017 | newswire

Leadership in Public Science cluster member Jean Goodwin studies how scientists and the public communicate with each other....

Continue reading "Leadership in Public Science: Meet Jean Goodwin"

Read "Citizen Health Innovators: Exploring Stories of Modern Health" from BioCoder, Spring 2017

Todd Kuiken in BioCoder: Citizen Health Innovators

May 5, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Many would argue that their greatest necessity is health. So what happens when treatments are ineffective or unavailable? Today, in the age of crowdfunding, some people are taking matters into their own hands and developing their own treatments, including surgical techniques, gene therapies and molecular therapies. GES Senior Research Scholar Dr. Todd Kuiken, together with international science policy expert Eleonore Pauwels, of The Wilson Center, explores the risks, regulatory issues, and implications of the emerging DIY, "patient-powered" health research movement in the Spring 2017 issue of BioCoder....

Continue reading "Todd Kuiken in BioCoder: Citizen Health Innovators"

NC State Honors Outstanding Faculty

May 4, 2017 | newswire

NC State recognized 28 faculty members for their dedication to teaching, learning, research and service during the 2017 Celebration of Faculty Excellence on May 2. The annual event honors faculty who have won prestigious state, national and international awards and created new knowledge and advancements in their respective disciplines....

Continue reading "NC State Honors Outstanding Faculty"

Read "U.S. Regulations for Biotechnology Are Woefully Out of Date" on Slate.com

Jennifer Kuzma quoted in Slate on biotech regulatory issues

May 3, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

Biotechnology is moving at lightening speed, especially with the advances in genetic engineering and synthetic biology. However, policies and regulations lag far behind, leaving potentially dangerous gaps in classification and oversight. Dr. Jennifer Kuzma, GES...

Continue reading "Jennifer Kuzma quoted in Slate on biotech regulatory issues"

Read Dr. Brown's article "Economic, Regulatory and International Implications of Gene Drives in Agriculture" in Choices

Zack Brown publishes article in Choices on the ‘Economic, Regulatory and International Implications of Gene Drives in Agriculture”

May 3, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

Agricultural pests, such as fruit flies and mosquitoes, cause billions of dollars in crops losses and spread life-threatening diseases, including malaria and Zika. Many researchers, including NC State IGERT students, are working to develop gene...

Continue reading "Zack Brown publishes article in Choices on the ‘Economic, Regulatory and International Implications of Gene Drives in Agriculture”"

Read 'DARPA’s Synthetic Biology Initiatives Could Militarize the Environment' in Slate

Todd Kuiken publishes Slate article discussing concerns with DARPA’s SynBio Initiatives

May 3, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

GES Research Scholar Dr. Todd Kuiken has concerns about DARPA, who’s investments are “bending the entire field of synthetic biology towards military applications.” Will DARPA’s initiatives lead to the militarization of the natural environment?...

Continue reading "Todd Kuiken publishes Slate article discussing concerns with DARPA’s SynBio Initiatives"

Todd Kuiken quoted in Atlantic article on failure of glowing plant kickstarter

April 28, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

Remember the Kickstarter campaign that raised half a million dollars to fund the invention of glowing houseplants? Todd Kuiken, GES research scholar and synthetic biology expert, weighs in on the recent announcement of the project’s failure...

Continue reading "Todd Kuiken quoted in Atlantic article on failure of glowing plant kickstarter"

Dr. Jennifer Kuzma

Jennifer Kuzma publishes Trails and Trials in Biotechnology Policy

April 28, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

Reflecting on her journey from undergrad at a small liberal arts college to scientist, professor and world-renowned expert on governance for emerging biotechnologies, Jennifer Kuzma has published a chapter in Women in Sustainable Agriculture and...

Continue reading "Jennifer Kuzma publishes Trails and Trials in Biotechnology Policy"

NAS Committee Responds to Critique of Gene Engineering Report

April 12, 2017 | newswire

NC State’s Fred Gould, who led a National Academies committee that issued a 2016 report on genetically engineered crops, pens a letter in Nature Biotechnology to respond to a report critique....

Continue reading "NAS Committee Responds to Critique of Gene Engineering Report"

Study IDs Ways to Encourage ‘Refuge’ Planting, Slowing Resistance to Bt Crops

April 3, 2017 | newswire

A study finds a shortfall in the amount of “refuge” cropland being planted in NC – increasing the rate at which crop pests evolve the ability to devour genetically engineered Bt crops....

Continue reading "Study IDs Ways to Encourage ‘Refuge’ Planting, Slowing Resistance to Bt Crops"

The Importance of Seeds: a Q&A with Rob Dunn

March 30, 2017 | newswire

There is little genetic diversity among the crops that are most important for feeding people around the world. Rob Dunn’s new book explores this issue and why it matters....

Continue reading "The Importance of Seeds: a Q&A with Rob Dunn"

NC State’s Sederoff Honored for Molecular Genetics Work With Forest Trees

March 17, 2017 |

An international prize goes to Ron Sederoff, a forestry professor whose research has given us a better understanding of forest trees’ biology and accelerated advances in plant breeding....

Continue reading "NC State’s Sederoff Honored for Molecular Genetics Work With Forest Trees"

Barrangou Wins 2017 NAS Award in Molecular Biology

January 23, 2017 | newswire

Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou of the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences adds a National Academy of Sciences award to his growing list of accolades....

Continue reading "Barrangou Wins 2017 NAS Award in Molecular Biology"

New Tool Can Help Policymakers Prioritize Information Needs for Synthetic Biology Tech

January 17, 2017 | newswire

Researchers have developed a model that can be used to assess emerging synthetic biology products to determine what needs to be done to inform future policies....

Continue reading "New Tool Can Help Policymakers Prioritize Information Needs for Synthetic Biology Tech"