UC
Berkeley scientists bring promising research to new California
bioscience institute
07
Dec 2000
By
Catherine Zandonella, Media Relations
Berkeley
- Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, will
apply their expertise in physics, chemistry, mathematics and
computer science to the revolution in health science as part
of the new California Institute for Bioengineering, Biotechnology
and Quantitative Biomedical Research. The institute, a partnership
with UC San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz, is one of three new
California Institutes for Science and Innovation. The centers
were selected by Gov. Gray Davis to help maintain California's
leading role in science and technology.
The
research projects UC Berkeley is undertaking include:
Building
Bio-MEMS (Bio-Microelectronic Mechanical Systems)
Dorian
Liepmann, associate professor of bioengineering, and Luke
Lee, assistant professor in bioengineering, are building miniature
machines that can be implanted in the body to perform a variety
of functions such as delivering medications, detecting diseases
and possibly even acting as surgical devices. Trained in the
science of fluid mechanics, Liepmann is working through the
challenges of how to mix infinitesimally small amounts of
liquid in a device no bigger than a thumbnail. Using the same
technology that produced the computer chip, Liepmann and his
UC Berkeley colleagues hope someday to mass produce these
devices, providing inexpensive ways to continuously deliver
drugs and diagnose diseases.
Engineering
New Tissues
Kevin
Healy, associate professor in the departments of bioengineering
and materials science and engineering, applies his training
in chemical engineering to the goal of building synthetic
materials that mimic those found in the human body. His goal
is to make synthetic implants that integrate with the body
and are not rejected. Healy's biomimetic materials can actively
direct the behavior of mammalian cells to promote the growth
of cells into bodily tissues. The materials may even be used
to create tiny devices that could some day restore movement
to paralyzed limbs or create effective prosthetic devices.
Making
Models of the Cell
Adam
Arkin, assistant professor of bioengineering and chemistry,
aims to understand the biochemical processes in the cells
via the nexus of computer science and molecular biology. Arkin
is designing computer models that simulate the workings of
complex cellular processes, keeping track of vital cellular
activities like gene expression, cellular division and metabolism.
To track the numerous biochemical processes that compose living
systems, Arkin and his colleagues are developing a computer
program they call BioSPICE, named for the UC Berkeley-created
SPICE simulation program widely used by computer scientists
to evaluate computer circuits. Arkin is also an assistant
investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a
researcher in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's
physical biosciences division.
Using
Bioinformatics to Decode Disease-Causing Genes
Richard
Karp, professor of computer science, has a long history of
using computers and mathematical algorithms to understand
how genes and living cells work. A widely recognized leader
in the application of computing to biotechnology, Karp worked
on algorithms to mine the data generated by the human genome
project. Now, he is turning his attention to analyzing data
from DNA chips, tiny devices that can measure the activity
of thousands of genes simultaneously. He has discovered a
new way to quickly scan DNA chips for genes of interest to
researchers. Knowing which genes are expressed can lead to
personalized drugs or better diagnostic tools for prostate
cancer.
Discovering
What Drives Biological Motors
Carlos
Bustamante, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology,
is collaborating with professor of molecular and cell biology
Eva Nogales to use cutting-edge technologies to study tiny
biological machines inside the cell. Using moving parts made
from molecules, these machines perform a variety of tasks
including copying DNA and reading the genetic code so that
proteins can be made. To examine these machines, Bustamante's
toolbox includes atomic force microscopy, where a tiny tip
is dragged over the molecular motor to feel its contours the
way a record player needle feels the grooves of a vinyl record.
He also uses fluorescent dyes to track the movement of single
molecules as well as optical tweezers, a laser-driven device
capable of picking up individual molecules. Nogales and Bustamante
are working to integrate these techniques with cryo-electron
microscopy to obtain highly detailed three-dimensional models
of the motor's structure. Both scientists are researchers
in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory's physical biosciences division.
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