GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News

The December issue has the “write stuff”—not the “right stuff,” which refers to a certain combination of dependability and daring in test pilots. No, the “write stuff” is about DNA writing (which also calls for dependability and daring). Consider how DNA writing’s limits may be expanded by enzymatic synthesis, which is challenging chemical synthesis, the current standard in DNA writing. And that’s not the only story this issue tells of “pushing the envelope.” Cryo-electron microscopy, once referred to as “blobology,” now produces high-resolution images that can guide structure-based drug design. And what can happen after an envelope has been pushed? To answer that question, we present two Special Reports and a bioprocessing feature on the cell and gene therapy industry. Here, maturing technologies are supporting safer, more effective, and more available manufacturing operations. Finally, we conduct a flyby of medical marijuana and launch readers into the bioverse.