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Brewing up synthetic yeast
Yeast with synthetic genomes could be very useful for medicinal chemists and drug companies
US scientists have taken the first tentative steps towards a synthetic yeast genome. They're not planning to bake bread or brew beer with their new artificial life form but the work could expand the toolbox with which researchers can manipulate DNA. The approach might be used to introduce genetic diversity into the genome for selection experiments.
It might also provide clues to human genetics given that yeast cells are more closely related to our own molecular biology than they are to other microbes. Ultimately, the development of such synthetic genomes might allow researchers to create artificial organisms that can produce specific chemicals, such as drugs or even polymers. More...
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/September/14091102.asp
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