UCI Podcast: Directed evolution research at UC Irvine

Chang Liu, UC Irvine professor of biomedical engineering, is a leader in the field of directed evolution, an effort to train genes to evolve in a laboratory in order to perform desired functions. Through this method of gene engineering, researchers hope to create new biological substances for use in pharmaceuticals and as cheaper and more environmentally responsible industrial catalysts. The work is also helping the scientific community build genetic knowledge for the benefit of bioengineering. Liu's research group has a new paper out in the journal Science in which they discuss improvements to their OrthoRep gene evolution platform. The system allows mutations to happen a million times faster than natural evolutionary time frames. In this episode of the UCI Podcast, speaks with UC Irvine communicator Brian Bell about the findings detailed in the paper. Musical accompaniment to this podcast episode is Bach’s E Major Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2, played by Professor Liu.