Reviews & Analysis

A method for 'stamping' viruses achieves efficient transduction of single target cells in cultured tissues and in the mouse brain.

An analysis of biotech and pharma stock prices since 1930 reveals sharp differences in the risk-adjusted returns of the two sectors.

Strategies to engineer microorganisms to produce medium-chain hydrocarbon chemicals are reviewed.

Self-assembling sequences of protein coiled coils create polyhedral nanostructures for advanced applications in biomedicine, chemistry and materials science.

Recent developments in bioengineering promise the possibility of new diagnostic and treatment strategies, novel industrial processes, and innovative approaches to thorny problems in fields such as nutrition, agriculture, and biomanufacturing. As modern genetics has matured and developed technologies of increasing power, debates over risk assessments and proper applications of the technology, and over who should have decision-making power over such issues, have become more prominent. Recently, some scientists have advocated that ethicists “step out of the way,” whereas others have called for greater ethical scrutiny, or even for moratoria on some lines of research^1,2. As a community, however, we must together determine the proper application of these powerful biological tools. This paper, a consensus statement of a group of interdisciplinary delegates drawn from the top biotech-producing countries of the world, offers a set of ethical principles to contribute to the ethical conversation about human cellular biotechnological research moving forward.

Replacement of pathogenic mitochondrial DNA in human embryos is poised for clinical application.

T-cell receptors with higher affinity for tumor antigens are discovered by harnessing T-cell development.

Built-in error-correction and novel fluorogenic chemistry open a path to perfect read quality.

New genomic resources for pearl millet are revealing how crops stand up to challenging environments.

Field-evolved resistance of pests to transgenic crops continues to emerge but can be delayed by using refuges as part of an integrated pest managent strategy.

Bacteria are engineered with pattern-generating circuits to produce self-organized materials that can function as pressure sensors.

Two reports examine the sources of variation in methods for analyzing microbial communities.

The promises and potential pitfalls of shotgun metagenomics, from experimental design to computational analyses, are reviewed.

Two new protein tools translate neuronal activity into gene expression during a light-defined time window.