New Issue of GEN Biotechnology

GEN Biotechnology announces the publication of its February 2024 issue. GEN Biotechnology publishes outstanding peer-reviewed research and perspectives in all aspects of biotechnology. The Journal, led by Editor-in-Chief Hana El-Samad, PhD (UCSF; Altos Labs) and Executive Editor Kevin Davies, PhD, is published bimonthly in print and online.

For full-text copies of articles or to arrange interviews with Dr. El-Samad, Dr. Davies, authors, or members of the editorial board, contact Kathryn Ryan at the Publisher. 

1.  Original Research: Fluorescent Sex-Sorting Technique for Pest Control
Genetic biocontrol methods are sustainable alternatives to traditional insecticide-based approaches for controlling pest and disease vector populations. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is a genetic biocontrol technology that suppresses populations through frequent release of sterile males, as female insects are often responsible for destroying agricultural resources or pathogen transmission. In this cover article, Omar Akbari and colleagues from the University of California, San Diego describe a genetically stable sex-sorting technique termed SEPARATOR (Sexing Element Produced by Alternative RNA-splicing of A Transgenic Observable Reporter) to address the need for rapid and accurate sex-sorting technologies. SEPARATOR uses dominantly expressed fluorescent proteins and differentially spliced introns to ensure sex-specific expression. The authors present proof of concept in Drosophila melanogaster. They also suggest that SEPARATOR has potential to be adaptable in various insect species and can enable the study of sex-specific developmental processes.

Contact: Omar Akbari (UCSD) 

2.  Editorial: The Next Emergence of Synthetic Biology
 From the birth of recombinant DNA to today’s CRISPR systems, synthetic biology – the ability to build circuits that interface with cells, tissues, and organisms, to engineer new functions – is one of the foundational pillars of modern biotechnology. While the original synthetic circuits were composed of two to three genes, decades of advancement have only been able to achieve circuits with dozens of genes. In this editorial, Editor-in-Chief, Hana El-Samad, describes the current bottlenecks keeping today’s circuits at the “few dozen” ceiling and presents a new wave of “non-reductionist” synthetic biology. 

Contact: Hana El-Samad (Altos Labs, Editor-in-Chief of GEN Biotechnology)

3.  An Interview with Peter Marks, Director of CBER at the FDA
In December 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two milestone treatments, Casgevy and Lyfgenia, representing the first cell-based gene therapies for the treatment of sickle cell disease in patients 12 years and older. In this interview, Peter Marks, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the FDA, discusses the new wave of advances in cell and gene therapy research and development, and how CBER provides regulatory guidance to ensure that approved products meet stringent criteria of quality, safety, and efficacy. This interview was streamed as the opening keynote session for GEN’s January 2024 virtual summit, The State of Cell and Gene Therapy. 

Contact: Alex Philippidis (GEN)

4.  Addressing Scientific Misconduct: An Interview with Elisabeth Bik
Elisabeth Bik is a microbiologist and scientific integrity consultant who routinely covers cases of falsified data, plagiarism, and manipulated images on her blog Science Integrity Digest. In this exclusive interview with Uduak Thomas, senior editor at GEN, Bik discusses examples of scientific misconduct, allegations of questionable research practices, and new approaches aimed at reducing instances of misconduct and fraud in scientific literature.  

Contact: Uduak Thomas (GEN)

5. Obesity, Artificial Intelligence and More: Vijay Pande on 2024 in Biotech
Vijay Pande is a general partner at Andreesen Horowitz (a16z) as well as the founding investor of a16z’s Bio+Health fund. The former Stanford University professor made his name as the chief architect and director of the folding@home computing network, which debuted in 2000. In this interview by GEN senior business editor, Alex Philippidis, Pande discusses his outlook for biotech in 2024, including M&A trends, the success of metabolic drugs, the potential of gene editing therapies, and the development of AI-based treatments. 

Contact: Kaustuva Das (Thermal PR)