Biomanufacturing

Can beer yeast be used to create THC and CBD?

December 31, 2019
Scientists are using yeasts to manufacture cannabis compounds.

Peidong Yang and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners announce research partnership

August 19, 2022
In a new partnership, The Peidong Yang research group will work with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) to develop technology that will convert air into sugar.

David Schaffer: Research that takes risks must be supported

August 22, 2022

David Schaffer

Bakar Fellows Program Director and UC Berkeley professor David Schaffer reflects on the reasons why he sees Berkeley as a leader in world-changing research, innovation and entrepreneurship. (UC Berkeley photo by Mark Joseph Hanson)

The Berkeley Changemaker is a Berkeley News series highlighting innovative members of the campus community engaged in work and research that...

Bacteria for blastoff: Using microbes to make supercharged new rocket fuel

July 1, 2022

Illustration of rocket fuel from bacteria

Scientists turned to an oddball bacterial molecule that looks like a jaw full of sharp teeth to create a new type of fuel that could be used for all types of vehicles, including rockets. (Credit: Jenny Nuss/Berkeley Lab)

Converting petroleum into fuels involves crude chemistry first invented by humans in the 1800s. Meanwhile, bacteria have been...

Print, recycle, repeat: Scientists demonstrate a biodegradable printed circuit

September 1, 2022

A Berkeley Lab-led research team has developed a fully recyclable and biodegradable printed circuit. The research could divert wearable devices and other flexible electronics from landfill, and mitigate the health and environmental hazards posed by heavy metal waste. (Credit: Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab)

According to the United Nations, less than a quarter of all U.S. electronic waste gets recycled. In 2021 alone, global e-waste surged at 57.4 million tons, and only 17.4% of that was...

Yeast produce low-cost, high-quality cannabinoids

February 27, 2019
UC Berkeley synthetic biologists have engineered brewer’s yeast to produce marijuana’s main ingredients—mind-altering THC and non-psychoactive CBD.

An adjuvant made in yeast could lower vaccine cost and boost availability

May 8, 2024
Biosynthesis in yeast produces a cheaper immune-boosting ingredient of many vaccines.

Summer intern Arjun Garapaty designs microfluidic device

September 9, 2022

Arjun Garapaty at MRI Global

Arjun Garapaty during his summer internship at MRIGlobal. Photo courtesy of MRIGlobal.

Arjun Garapaty thinks big. It wasn’t that long ago that he earned a perfect score on his ACT test… as a sophomore in high school. Now a sophomore at University of California,...

Making Renewable, Infinitely Recyclable Plastics Using Bacteria

July 27, 2023
Scientists engineered microbes to make the ingredients for recyclable plastics – replacing finite, polluting petrochemicals with sustainable alternatives.

Sanjay Kumar named QB3-Berkeley director

September 5, 2022

Sanjay Kumar

Professor Kumar photographed at UC Berkeley. (Photo Annie Lin)

This week UC Berkeley’s office for the Vice Chancellor for Research announced that Professor Sanjay Kumar has been selected to serve as the next director of the...