6-Jan-2026 AI is rewriting the rules of enzyme engineering—from faster prediction to smarter design Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science A research team maps the key tasks that define modern enzyme engineering—function annotation, structure modeling, and property prediction—and explain how AI methods now accelerate each step, from mining candidate enzymes in massive sequence databases to generating new variants with improved activity, stability, or selectivity. Journal BioDesign Research
6-Jan-2026 From rare pigment to industrial bioproduct: How engineered microbes are boosting violacein production Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science A research team has delivered a comprehensive overview showing how microbial fermentation—guided by synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and smart bioprocess design—can transform violacein from a rare natural pigment into a scalable bio-based product. Journal BioDesign Research
6-Jan-2026 DeepCodon: A rare-codon–aware AI tool boosts protein expression in E. coli Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science A research team has developed DeepCodon, a deep learning–based codon optimization tool that significantly improves heterologous protein expression in Escherichia coli while preserving functionally important rare codon clusters. Journal BioDesign Research
6-Jan-2026 Engineered probiotics emerge as programmable living medicines for complex diseases Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science A research team provides an overview of how engineered probiotics—genetically modified beneficial microbes—are being transformed into living medicines capable of sensing disease, delivering therapies, and reshaping diseased microenvironments. Journal BioDesign Research
6-Jan-2026 Computational blueprints expand the reach of synthetic metabolism Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science A research team has delivered an overview of how computational tools are reshaping the design of nonnatural metabolic pathways—engineered biochemical routes that do not exist in nature but enable microorganisms to produce valuable chemicals, fuels, and materials. Journal BioDesign Research
6-Jan-2026 Engineered RNA sensor detects and fights coronavirus inside living cells Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science A research team has developed a new RNA-based system that can detect coronavirus infection in real time inside living cells—and even trigger antiviral responses only when infection occurs. Journal BioDesign Research
6-Jan-2026 Discovery, characterization, and application of chromosomal integration sites in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Sulfolobus islandicus, an archaeal model organism, offers unique advantages for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology applications owing to its ability to thrive under low pH and high temperature conditions. Although several genetic tools exist for this organism, the absence of well-defined chromosomal integration sites continues to limit its development as a cellular factory. A research team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign employed the CRISPR-COPIES pipeline and a multi-omics strategy that integrates genomics and epigenomics to guide the selection of genomic regions suitable for integration. This work expands the genetic toolbox for non-conventional hosts, advancing the potential for robust platforms for synthetic biology and industrial biotechnology. Journal Trends in Biotechnology Funder U.S. Department of Energy, National Research Foundation of Korea, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
6-Jan-2026 Beyond species counts: scientists propose "trait-based" framework to predict biodiversity in a changing world Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University A new perspective published in Biological Diversity links plant functional traits to ecological resilience, offering a more precise way to forecast how ecosystems will respond to climate change. Journal Biological Diversity
6-Jan-2026 Opportunities and challenges of brain-on-a-chip interfaces Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd A review paper by scientists from Tianjin University presented light on brain-on-a-chip interfaces (BoCIs)—a groundbreaking technology that fuses lab-grown biological neural networks with electronic systems to enable bidirectional information exchange. The new research paper, published on Jun. 17 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, presented a systematic categorization and detailed characterization of Brain-on-a-Chip Interfaces (BoCIs). It discusses the interaction methods employed in lab-grown brain models, followed by an exploration of hybrid intelligence research based on BoCIs.
6-Jan-2026 A review on multi-view learning Higher Education Press Review re-maps multi-view learning into four supervised scenarios and three granular sub-tiers, delivering the first unified blueprint for researchers to navigate classification, clustering, incomplete views and hybrid techniques. Journal Frontiers of Computer Science
