Trends in Biotech September highlights

On September 2, Trends in Biotechnology used X to spotlight its September issue and direct readers to the journal’s latest table of contents. The issue, listed by ScienceDirect as Volume 44, Issue 9, bundles reviews and commentaries across industrial biotechnology, cell therapy and genome editing. The post called out gas-grown biomass, CAR-NK therapy and genome editing as headline themes, and the linked issue page shows the September package is now live for readers and subscribers. ### What exactly did the journal post? Trends in Biotechnology said on September 2 that its September issue highlights span “gas-grown biomass, CAR-NK therapy and genome editing,” according to the social post referenced in the briefing. ScienceDirect’s issue page confirms the journal’s September release is Volume 44, Issue 9. The journal describes itself as a monthly publication focused on “innovative applications of biology as useful technologies,” with coverage ranging from human health to renewable energy, food and agriculture. (sciencedirect.com) That scope matches the mix of topics surfaced in the September issue. ### Why is gas-grown biomass in the same issue as cancer cell therapy? One September review focuses on food production from air using gas precision fermentation with hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria, or HOBs. (sciencedirect.com) Cell Press says those microbes can convert atmospheric carbon dioxide and green hydrogen into biomass through gas fermentation, and the article frames the approach as a food-grade single-cell protein platform with low land and water use. (sciencedirect.com) A separate Trends in Biotechnology article on thermophilic microbes in syngas fermentation describes parallel work on gas-based biomanufacturing, including efforts to expand feedstocks from biomass and waste-generated syngas and to improve engineered microbes for broader product output. Together, those papers show why the issue groups sustainable production methods under the same umbrella as medical biotechnology: the journal covers both industrial and therapeutic applications. (cell.com) ### What does the CAR-NK review say is changing in cell therapy? A September-linked review on CAR-NK cell therapy describes the field as an emerging cancer treatment that aims to combine the tumor-targeting design of chimeric antigen receptors with the innate killing capacity of natural killer cells. The article says CAR-NK approaches may offer advantages over CAR-T therapy, including lower risks of cytokine release syndrome and graft-versus-host disease. (cell.com) The same review says preclinical and clinical studies have shown “promising” antitumor activity, while also outlining manufacturing, persistence and tumor-microenvironment challenges that still need to be addressed. That places the article squarely in the journal’s review format: it is not announcing a single trial result, but surveying where the field stands. ### Which genome-editing angles are being emphasized? (cell.com) A Trends in Biotechnology review on “third-generation” gene-editing technologies says CRISPR-Cas systems remain the most widely used tools, but newer platforms are being developed to address limitations such as sequence constraints and delivery issues. The review points to applications that already extend from edited crops to approved human therapeutics, including Casgevy. (cell.com) Another Trends in Biotechnology article on AI and genome editing says data-driven methods are being used to improve editing design and prediction, adding a computational layer to the journal’s broader genome-editing coverage. The September issue highlight therefore appears to point readers not just to CRISPR as a category, but to the next generation of editing tools and optimization methods. ### Where can readers find the full package? (cell.com) ScienceDirect lists the September release as Trends in Biotechnology Volume 44, Issue 9 and serves the issue table of contents. Cell Press hosts article pages and abstracts for individual reviews, including the CAR-NK and gas-grown food articles surfaced in the issue highlights. As of September 2, the journal’s social post was directing readers to that issue package. (cell.com) Subscriber access and article-level abstract pages are the next stop for anyone following the topics named in the post. (sciencedirect.com)