PACE for speed
Researchers at Harvard University have developed an in vivo platform for the directed evolution of proteins and other macromolecules that could work faster and require less labor than traditional methods of directed evolution.1 The researchers are using their method, dubbed PACE (phage-assisted continuous evolution), to discover improved variants of existing proteins and macromolecules that could be used to manipulate genes or modify gene products.
Directed evolution is a process for engineering proteins that works by introducing selective pressures that favor mutations conferring desired properties. Each round of evolution has a mutation, selection and amplification step and usually takes a few days due to the time required to complete each step...