"Accelerated Evolution: Harnessing a New E. coli Strain for Gene Modification"

Researchers at Cambridge have developed a synthetic DNA replication system in E. coli that allows for rapid and risk-free generation of genetic mutations, accelerating evolution of specific genes. This system, inspired by nature, uses an error-prone DNA replication enzyme to spur rapid evolution while leaving the organism's essential genes unaffected. The researchers successfully demonstrated the system's ability to evolve new functions, such as antibiotic resistance and increased fluorescence in a gene encoding green fluorescent protein. This approach could have significant implications for developing enzymes and proteins with applications in research, medicine, and industry.