2021 Virtual International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop (mSBW)

Mammalian synthetic biology is the design of genetic devices that enables the study and control of biological processes in mammalian cells. Mammalian synthetic biology provides the tools and design strategies to accelerate the advancement of various therapies; therefore, many of the technologies being developed will be useful for eventual medical use in the long term.

The 2021 Virtual International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop (mSBW) will highlight the advances in the field and state-of-the-art technologies developed, as well as encouraging the participation of students in order to train a new generation of engineers. Funding for the conference will also support the attendance of underrepresented groups in engineering.

The goal of the 2021 Virtual International Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop (mSBW) is to congregate the community of scientists and engineers at various career stages working on mammalian synthetic biology to highlight new technological advances. The project will aim to integrate the engineering sciences with the life sciences, encouraging research and development in multidisciplinary areas, educating the next generation of young scientists, aiding translational science, and supporting cutting edge research to answer current and future challenges.

The workshop will emphasize novel computational tools/methods to aid in predicting and quantitatively studying system behavior. The advances in fundamental science, engineering techniques, and computation models will be critical for the development of medicinal products in the long term as it will be useful for improving understanding, monitoring, and treatment of disease.

The workshop will contain five technical sessions: (1) Foundational advances, (2) Applications in stem cells, (3) Immunotherapy and cell therapy, (4) Gene regulation, (5) Sensors and multi-input logic. The workshop will also host several Q&A discussions, networking breaks, as well as poster sessions that allow students to present their work. It is our hope that the various networking opportunities will give the attendees the ability to discuss the state-of-the-art technology being presented, and that the discussions will lead to potential collaborations that may accelerate development in the field.

The white paper that will be published will highlight the main points of the discussions, and allow for the broader scientific community to gain insight regarding the new advances discussed.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.