Robby Schetlick
Mr. Ippolito
AP Biology
12/15/17
University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine. "Synthetic protein packages its own genetic material and evolves: Computationally designed protein assemblies are advancing research in synthetic life and in targeted drug delivery." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 December 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171214092311.htm>.
Researchers at the University of Washington recently succeeded in making a synthetic protein “package,” the first ever, found only in their laboratories. As one researcher named Lajoie described it, “‘ We designed synthetic nucleocapsids from scratch based on two completely unrelated proteins...without having to use existing cells as a template.” These “Nucleocapsids” are a reference to viruses with enclosed nucleic acids, traditionally used for medical purposes to inject things into cells using a virus as a transport vessel. Their breakthrough is a superior product however, because specific regions of the capsid were redesigned using computation design programs to have the interior “electrostatically capture RNA.” They simulated evolving the capsule to optimize it for their purposes, and in a way created a form of artificial life, even though it cannot reproduce on its own. The scientists hope to continue their research in the form of testing on animal cells and eventually life animals for delivery of cargo, likely medicine, directly into cells.
This scientific accomplishment has the potential to have a large impact on society. This breakthrough satisfies a need in the current medicine techniques to safely deliver medicine into cells without the risks of being infected with a virus. This technology could be improved upon and eventually used for many other medicinal applications. Maybe nanotechnology to deliver medicine, for example. Additionally, the evolution simulation could also have an interesting impact on society, as it has proven to be successful in assisting the construction of new life. Using the technology, we could simulate the evolution and development of new lifeforms and then build them, which has unlimited potential to create lifeforms of all sizes. This is a large step in the direction of humanity one day becoming masters of our own evolution.
The article by sciencedaily is a very well written and strong article. Even though it is a lengthy article compared to many others on the site, the authors did provide a compact summary which is effective at covering the main points of the article. Another strength were the photos implemented smoothly into the article, when enhance the reading experience and lighten the strain of only reading blocks of text. Quotes are used sparingly in the article, and have a clear purpose. The one improvement I would suggest to the author of the article would be to reorganize the article be to in a more chronological order. The article starts in medias res, (the middle of the story) and then backtracks to the beginning to explain the purpose of their findings. It is not an organizational strategy that works in a scientific report because it can confuse the reader, in my opinion.
Jack Kochansky
ReplyDeleteAP Biology EF Even
Mr. Ippolito
27 December 2017
Synthetic protein packages its own genetic material and evolves: Computationally designed protein assemblies are advancing research in synthetic life and in targeted drug delivery.
By The University of Washington Health Sciences Department
Reviewed by Robby Schetlick
University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine. "Synthetic protein packages its own genetic material and evolves: Computationally designed protein assemblies are advancing research in synthetic life and in targeted drug delivery." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 December 2017. .
In this current events assignment, Robby did a very good job covering most of the important parts of a good review. First of all, he chose a very relevant article that has a lot to do with biology and is important because biotechnology is one of the most important fields of science in our modern world. Second, in his relevance paragraph, he effectively discusses the potential for these nucleocapsids to be used for genetic editing and other forms of artificial selection. By connecting it to the potential for humans to even tweak our own genetic destiny, he really highlights the potential for this technology to revolutionize medicine and the world entire. Finally, Robby has a concise yet thorough critique paragraph. He effectively discusses the positives of the article (the strong summary and the useful pictures) while also recommending real improvements (the structural organization of the article). By doing this, he shows a real understanding of the article that makes his review very strong and effective.
At the same time, however, there were a few areas in which Robby could have improved his current events review. For example, a few phrases and sentences were a bit difficult to understand, a problem he could have assuaged by reading through his writing to smooth out these errors. This was a small issue, however, and it did not take away much from the overall quality of the piece. Another area in which Robby could have improved was in his summary paragraph. He did effectively talk about certain parts of the discoveries, but it would have been even better if he had gone into more detail about how this technology actually works. I had some difficulty wrapping my mind around the mechanics of nucleocapsids, and a little more information would have strengthened the review. Overall, though, it was a very effective current event.
I have always been very interested in biotechnology, and every new breakthrough is a significant step forward for us. Of course, we need to be very careful in the application of this technology, especially when it comes to human DNA, but studies like this show new ways that we can use the tools around us to solve real-world medical problems and other concerns. I never knew, for example, that viruses could be edited and used as tools for the delivery of genetic information into humans and other species to deal with genetic disorders or other problems. By learning this, I now have a better understanding of our already far-reaching genetic editing capabilities, and it will only grow.