8/21/2007

SynBERC scientists honored by Technology Review

Three scientists in QB3's Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC) have been recognized by Technology Review magazine as among the world's top innovators under age 35. J. Christopher Anderson was chosen for designing tumor-killing bacteria, Kristala Jones Prather for developing a promising reverse-engineering strategy for synthesizing commercial molecules biologically, and Neil Renninger for applying synthetic-biology to the production of biofuels.

The annual "TR35" list was announced August 15 by Technology Review, the oldest technology magazine in the world and a publication of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The 35 innovators on the list were selected from more than 300 nominees as examples of "the spirit of innovation in business, technology and the arts," according to the magazine.

J. Christopher Anderson, Kristala Jones Prather, and Neil Renninger (Photo Credits: J. Christopher Anderson, Mark Ostow, and Neil Renninger)

"The TR35 honors young innovators for accomplishments that are poised to have a dramatic impact on the world as we know it," said Jason Pontin, the magazine's editor-in-chief and publisher. "We celebrate their success and look forward to their continued advancement of technology in their respective fields."

J. Christopher Anderson, a post-doctoral researcher in the laboratory of UC Berkeley bioengineering professor Adam Arkin, has plugged a half dozen groups of genes into a benign variety of E. coli bacteria to create a microbe that can zero in on a tumor and kill it.

Kristala Jones Prather, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at MIT, is developing a database of enzyme reactions, which includes algorithms to help identify the enzymes most useful for new chemicals that are not produced through any natural biosynthetic pathway.

Neil Renninger, cofounder and now senior vice president for development of Amyris Biotechnologies, began his work at Amyris by identifying molecules that would work well as fuels and were compatible with existing engines and delivery infrastructures. He then found a way to combine biological and chemical processes to manufacture them.

Both Prather and Renninger obtained their Ph.D.s from the laboratory of Jay Keasling, head of SynBERC, professor of chemical engineering and bioengineering at UC Berkeley, and head of the synthetic biology department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).

Anderson, Prather, Renninger, and the other TR35 winners for 2007 will be featured in the September issue of the magazine and honored at the Emerging Technologies Conference to be held at MIT.

Related links

Technology Review article

SynBerc