Genetically altered bacteria recreate predator-prey interaction

April 15, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI

A Duke University bioengineer has developed a living system using genetically altered bacteria that he believes can provide new insights into how the population levels of prey influence the levels of predators, and vice-versa.

The Duke experiment is an example of a synthetic gene circuit, where researchers load new “programming” into bacteria to make them perform new functions. Reprogrammed bacteria that mimic the development and differentiation of more complex organisms could see a wide variety of applications in medicine, environmental cleanup and biocomputing.

Source: Duke University news release