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“UK Joins Project to Create Synthetic Organism from Scratch”
by The Guardian   
July 11th, 2013
Brewer's yeast

Britain’s latest bid to embrace the futuristic science of synthetic biology will be revealed by the government on Thursday when it announces plans to make new strains of brewer’s yeast.

Researchers will receive nearly £1m to create a synthetic chromosome for the single-celled organism that since Neolithic times has been exploited for its ability to turn sugar into alcohol.

The scientists are joining an international effort to build the world’s first synthetic yeast genome from scratch, using groundbreaking techniques that are set to transform the field of biology.

Experts from Britain, the US, China and India aim to make synthetic versions of all of the organism’s 16 chromosomes by 2017, and incorporate them into living cells a year later.

Once they have made all of the genetic parts of the yeast they hope to press ahead with designing new strains that churn out useful substances such as industrial chemicals, vaccines and biofuels.

Though practical applications are some way off, the painstaking work to recreate the organism’s genetic machinery will give scientists vital insights into the molecular biology of life.

David Willetts, the science minister, is expected to announce UK backing for the project at a synthetic biology conference at Imperial College London on Thursday.

“Using engineering techniques to construct or recreate genes is a technology that could massively improve human wellbeing. It could feed us, fuel us and heal us,” Willetts told the Guardian. “You transform the output of your agriculture, make much more environmentally friendly forms of energy, and use it for tackling diseases.

“It’s early stages, but Britain has a strong presence in this, and these technologies are already being used.”

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