'Artificial cell' can make its own genes

[BadgerKid]

An "artificial cell" capable of synthesising genes and making them into proteins has been developed by researchers in the US.

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The postage stamp-sized machine able to make and express its own genes offers a fast and cheap new way of making "designer" proteins not found in nature. It could ultimately help scientists test how individual patients will react to specific drugs.

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Kong believes his new device will be valuable for researchers investigating novel protein designs. The team is now exploring ways to make much larger devices containing thousands of reaction chambers that can synthesis many different proteins at once.

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Carr hopes that in the future such devices will be complex enough for use in cancer treatment. "I could start with the genetic information from a patient, program it into the device that we are working on, and essentially run a kind of simulation of how a drug might affect their cancer,” he explains.

Full article at http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13568-artificial-cell-can-make-its-own-genes.html

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Just another example of how, IMO, biology is becoming the "next big thing". I wish our country didn't dismiss science as much as it does.