Biotechnology meets biomaterials

Environmental Microbiology meets Microbial Biotechnology

We would like to begin this editorial by paying a modest but sincere tribute to Professor Kenneth Timmis for his recent nomination as a member of the Royal Society of the United Kingdom. Kenneth Timmis has pioneered science fields related to plasmid replication, biodegradation, microbial ecology, biodiversity and most recently metagenomics. In addition, to these many relevant scientific contrib...

Microbial biotechnology meets environmental microbiology

Amir Aharoni, Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev (NIBN), Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel. The size of the microbial world is beyond our imagination. In last year’s crystal ball article, Tom Curtis compared the size of the microbial world to the size of the universe pointing out that the number of microorganisms in the world is billion...

Nanoparticles, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids: Biotechnology Meets Materials Science

Secrets of a covalent interaction for biomaterials and biotechnology: SpyTag and SpyCatcher.

SpyTag is a short peptide that forms an isopeptide bond upon encountering its protein partner SpyCatcher. This covalent peptide interaction is a simple and powerful tool for bioconjugation and extending what protein architectures are accessible. Here we review the origin and mechanism of SpyTag/SpyCatcher, focusing on recent innovative applications. Ligation of targeting-antibody with antigen p...

Nanosized biomaterials for regenerative medicine

This review discusses recent developments in the field of nanosized biomaterials and their use in tissue regeneration approaches. The aim is to provide an overview of the research focused on nanoparticle-based strategies to stimulate regeneration. In particular, nanoparticles improve the regenerative capabilities of biomaterials offering ways to control surface and mechanical properties. Moreov...