Q&As

Following the publication of AlphaFold2 and RoseTTAFold in 2021, the field of protein structure prediction has moved quickly to incorporate these advances into protein engineering.

A group of experts reflects on what was learned from the first human transplants of genetically engineered pig organs and what the future of xenotransplantation may hold.

Even though only a few labs around the world have the means to engineer a purely synthetic virus, debate on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 has resurfaced concerns about the risks and benefits of synthetic virology.

Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg reveals what prompted her to go from diagnostic feces to ‘l’eau de leucadendron’ in a collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks.

With the first readouts of trials of antibodies against COVID-19 appearing and others coming thick and fast, Nature Biotechnology asked a group of experts to comment on the challenges and timelines for these products.

Nature Biotechnology convenes a group of experts to provide their insights into SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in development.

A discussion of the ethical issues associated with decoding and modulating brain function.

Accounting for errors arising from different high-throughput sequencing platforms and those arising from the approaches used to call variants are at the center of a controversy in RNA editing.

Ten experts discuss innovations needed to analyze the millions of genomes soon to be sequenced.

Plant scientist Roger Beachy has joined the Obama administration to lead the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the new research funding arm of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Beachy, whose research led to the first transgenic crop, was previously the long-time head of the not-for-profit Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis. Emily Waltz talks to Beachy about his plans for the new agency.

Steve Reed believes the organization he has founded has the potential to radically increase the developing world's access to vaccines for neglected diseases. The efforts of the Seattle-based Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), which operates as a not-for-profit biotech company, may start to pay off during the H1N1 'swine' flu pandemic. IDRI developed an adjuvant to boost the effectiveness and supplies of flu vaccines and is making the technology available to vaccine manufacturers in developing nations. Charlotte Schubert talks to Reed about how IDRI, a 90-person operation with a $19 million annual budget, could have such a big impact.