OUR RESEARCH

Bioscience and Bioengineering

Who We Are

Our bioscience experts — leading researchers in immunology, genomics, synthetic biology, biotechnology and biomaterials — partner with academia, industry and other institutions to foster innovation. Meet a few of the people who work in bioscience and bioengineering:

 

Feliza Bourguet
Biosciences and Biotechnology Division
Thomas Desautels
Computational Engineering Division
Crystal Jaing
Biological Science and Security Program
Dante Ricci
Biosciences and Biotechnology Division
Carlos Valdez
Forensic Science Center
Allison Yorita
She/Her
Implantables Microsystems Group

Our Latest News

Our Current Projects

We take on the entire life cycle of biological challenges — from awareness to prevention, preparedness to detection and response to recovery — to develop innovative solutions across a range of missions.

 

This illustration depicts lanmodulin, a small protein which is a bio-sourced alternative to extract, purify and recycle rare earth elements from various sources, including electronic waste.

 

Sustainable Biomining of Rare Earth Elements

We are exploring environmentally friendly biomining techniques that can efficiently extract, purify and recycle rare-earth elements (REEs) — critical minerals that play an essential role in clean energy and defense technologies. LLNL scientists developed a protein-based biomaterial that enables REE extraction and separation from non-traditional feedstocks, such as end-of-life consumer electronics. They continue exploring ways to increase the technique’s efficiency, providing a sustainable, low-cost alternative to conventional, solvent-based REE separation methods.

 

Illustration depicting new compound (cyan) bound in human oncogenic KRAS.

 

Cancer Drug Developed Using LLNL Supercomputers in Clinical Trials ​

LLNL bioscientists collaborated with BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics and a National Cancer Institute research lab to accelerate development of a new cancer medication using LLNL supercomputers and artificial intelligence tools. Scientists leveraged LLNL’s expertise in small-molecule research and the Lab’s unique drug discovery platform to model thousands of compounds in silico and focus on just 850 compounds for synthesis — making it possible for the drug to reach human trials in record time.

 

A 3D rendering of an antibody.

 

Designing Antibodies with Artificial Intelligence and Supercomputing

With new viruses emerging all the time, finding the right antibodies to combat those that are life threatening is profoundly difficult. With greater than 10^40 antibody combinations, even the fastest super computers in the world can't evaluate each one. But recent advances in artificial intelligence and biocomputational models are revolutionizing drug development. GUIDE — the Generalized Unconstrained Intelligent Drug Engineering program — has had success in discovering new drug products with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

 

Our Facilities, Centers and Institutes

The Laboratory is home to several state-of-the-art facilities and centers to help researchers tackle the hardest and most complex biosecurity and bioscience challenges.

 

Related Organizations

World-class science takes teamwork. Explore the organizations that contribute to our research in bioscience and bioengineering by clicking the images below.

 

Join Our Team

We offer opportunities in a variety of fields, not just science and technology. We are home to a diverse staff of professionals that includes administrators, researchers, creatives, supply chain staff, health services workers and more. Visit our careers page to learn more about the different career paths we offer and find the one that speaks to you. Make your mark on the world!