Feb 9, 2022
Scientists create a global repository for cell engineering
Posted by Jose Ruben Rodriguez Fuentes in categories: bioengineering, genetics
A cloud-based repository that creates a digital fingerprint of engineered microorganisms has been successfully trialed.
An international team led by Newcastle University has launched CellRepo, a species and strain database that uses cell barcodes to monitor and track engineered organisms. Reported in a new study in the journal Nature Communications, the database keeps track and organizes the digital data produced during cell engineering. It also molecularly links that data to the associated living samples.
Available globally, this resource supports international collaboration and has significant safety advantages, such as limiting the impact of deliberately or accidentally released genetically modified microorganisms by enabling faster tracing of organisms lab of origin and design details.