Biotechnology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Quantitative and sensitive methods for the detection of pseudouridine (Ψ) have been lacking. Now, a method termed 2-bromoacrylamide-assisted cyclization sequencing (BACS) has been developed that enables the accurate quantification of Ψ stoichiometry, precise identification of Ψ positions and robust detection of densely modified Ψ sites.

If a cell can diversify its own genome, this can be advantageous in the face of changing environmental conditions. Bacteria have been found that can alter encoded proteins by using the trick of sequence inversion inside genes.

Redesigning mRNA with chemo-topological strategies improves its stability and translation efficiency, paving the way for more effective mRNA therapeutics.

T cell activation is a process that requires extra nutrients, which could be difficult to source from the tumor microenvironment in competition with tumor cells. Here authors increase the metabolic fitness of CAR-T cells by stable overexpression of the glucose transporter GLUT1, which allows them to increase their glucose intake and enhances their antitumour function.

Medical microrobots are emerging as cutting-edge technologies in gynaecological healthcare and reproductive medicine, offering novel, non-invasive therapeutic and diagnostic solutions. Here, we discuss their development in the field and the challenges and opportunities in translating the technology from the laboratory to clinical practice.

Quantitative and sensitive methods for the detection of pseudouridine (Ψ) have been lacking. Now, a method termed 2-bromoacrylamide-assisted cyclization sequencing (BACS) has been developed that enables the accurate quantification of Ψ stoichiometry, precise identification of Ψ positions and robust detection of densely modified Ψ sites.

The adoption of microfluidics was fundamental to the development of cost-effective, high-throughput DNA sequencing. As the field progresses towards multi-omics, Lambert et al. reflect on the key concepts underlying microfluidics and how resulting engineering advances at the microscale drove the evolution of genomic sequencing.

The establishment of a global bioeconomy will be driven by advances in synthetic biology, bioengineering tools and artificial intelligence. However, achieving a net-zero bioeconomy requires overcoming technological, regulatory and societal challenges to disrupt the current fossil-fuel-based model and place nature at the centre of decision-making.