By programming cells with short lengths of synthetic DNA on their surfaces, scientists at the Molecular Foundry control how different cell types bind together to form complex artificial microtissues for potential uses in medicine and in medical and biological research.

“Aldehyde tags” invented by Berkeley Lab scientists are used to label proteins in bacterial recombinant-DNA systems — and now in proteins that can only be expressed by mammalian recombinant-DNA systems. While some recombinant drugs like insulin are made in bacterial systems, most have to be produced by mammalian cells. Aldehyde tags direct chemical modifications to specific sites on proteins, including monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutics important in the pharmaceutical industry.

A compound synthesized for the first time by Berkeley Lab scientists could help to push nanotechnology out of the lab and into faster electronic devices, more powerful sensors, and other advanced technologies. The scientists developed a hoop-shaped chain of benzene molecules that had eluded synthesis, despite numerous efforts, since it was theorized more than 70 years ago.

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed nanosized crystals that light up on command, a feat that could allow researchers to more easily observe individual proteins as they move inside cells. The tiny beacons could lead to a better understanding of cellular function and many diseases.

Why not let the smallest devices build themselves? Berkeley Lab scientists are developing easier ways to synthesize ever-more sophisticated nanoscale machines. Their work could lead to faster, more powerful computers and improved ways of converting sunlight to electricity.

Imagine highly accurate sensors capable of operating in harsh environments, and disease-targeting pharmaceuticals that last much longer than today’s therapies. It could happen, thanks to a nanosized synthetic polymer bundle that can fold in half and trap a zinc molecule between its jaws, a first-of-its-kind feat that mimics how proteins conduct life’s vital functions.

Contact: Dan Krotz, (510) 486-4019
There’s a new building block in the nanoscience tool box. Scientists at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry used a recently discovered, donut-shaped protein to build customizable nanotubes that can be lengthened, shortened, or sealed at both ends to form capsules.
Although still in the early investigational stage, these tailorable nanotubes could someday [...]

Contact: Lynn Yarris (510) 486-5375
BERKELEY, CA — The project management team behind the design and construction of the Molecular Foundry, a national nanoscience research facility at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has won the prestigious “Secretary of Energy’s Excellence in Acquisition Award,” given by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for demonstrating “exceptional [...]

Media Contact: Dan Krotz, dakrotz@lbl.gov, (510) 486-4019

BERKELEY, CA — The Molecular Foundry, a nanotechnology research facility located at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has received a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification. This is the first gold certification awarded to a building in [...]

Contact: Lynn Yarris (510) 486-5375, lcyarris@lbl.gov

BERKELEY, CA — Traditionally, a foundry has been a place where molded objects are made. The term comes from “founding,” the act of pouring a liquid material into a mold and allowing it to solidify. Since the introduction of industrial foundries in the 17th century, the shape and size of [...]