Barrick Lab :: UT Austin

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<div style="float: right; margin:0px 5px 0px 10px;"><a href="%WIKIHOMEURL%/%WEB%/FormerFrontPageImages"><img style="border-color: black;  border-style: solid; border-width: 2px;" width=270 height=270  src="%PUBURL%/%WEB%/FrontPageImages/coffee_bean_coli.png"></a><br><div align=center><b>Flying Spaghetti Monster meet synthetic<br>biology? Caffeine-addicted <i>E. coli</i><br>[[http://cafepress.com/barricklab][&laquo;Support the Barrick lab coffee fund&raquo;]]</b></div></div>
We are broadly interested in understanding evolution as a creative force. We primarily use experiments with microorganisms and molecules to watch evolution as it happens. We are especially interested in how the potential for adaptive evolution (evolvability) can itself evolve due to mutations that alter mutation rates and genetic interactions. We use molecular systems biology approaches to unravel the dynamics of genetic trajectories and diversity in these laboratory populations, including developing tools for analyzing next-generation DNA sequencing data. We are also beginning to use synthetic biology approaches to manipulate the evolutionary potential of microorganisms by giving them access to new chemical building blocks and routes for genetic change. Our eventual goals are to use what we learn in these model systems to better control evolutionary processes to produce desirable biotechnology solutions and to anticipate and frustrate the evolution of pathogenic microbes and cancers.

Read more about our current [[ResearchInterests][%ICON{tip}% Research Interests]]
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<img src="%PUBURL%/%WEB%/WebLeftBar/beacon_icon.png"> *July 2013:* Graduate student Mike Hammerling's work featured in  [[http://beacon-center.org/blog/2013/07/22/beacon-researchers-at-work-expanding-the-genetic-code/][BEACON blog post]].
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<img src="%PUBURL%/%WEB%/WebLeftBar/oww_icon.png"> *June 2013:* Postdoc Dr. Dan Deatherage's work featured in IDT's _DECODED_ newsletter. [[https://www.idtdna.com/pages/decoded/decoded-articles/your-research/decoded/2013/06/28/target-enrichment-identifies-mutations-that-confer-fitness-effects][Article Link]]
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%ICON{persons}% *June 2013:* Postdoc Dr. Colin Brown joins the lab.
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%ICON{changes}% *May 2013:* Graduate students Michael Hammerling and Brian Renda pass their Part B Exams and are admitted to candidacy.
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%ICON{persons}% *April 2013:* Graduate student Gabriel Suarez and postdoc Dr. Dennis Mishler join the lab.
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<img src="%PUBURL%/%WEB%/WebLeftBar/coffee_icon.png"> *March 2013:* Paper describing "addicted" _E. coli_ that can be used for decaffeination and measuring the caffeine content of beverages paper published in <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/sb4000146"><i>ACS Synthetic Biology</i></a>. [[http://voicerussia.com/radio_broadcast/72430379/111907796.html][Radio Interview]] | [[http://www.slate.com/blogs/trending/2013/04/01/caffeine_addiction_bacteria_study_shows_chemical_dependence_possible_in.html][Slate Video]] | [[http://quo.mx/2013/04/01/pragmatas/para-que-hacer-a-bacteria-adicta-al-cafe][En Español]]
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[[%WIKIHOMEURL%/%WEB%/OldNews][Archived news items &raquo;]]
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Topic revision: r90 - 2013-08-25 - JeffreyBarrick