Session Area Descriptions

Synthetic Gene Regulation Approaches

Synthetic biology approaches to understand and control gene expression. These include regulation of chromatin, transcription, RNA processing, and protein production. They also include tools to perturb these processes, such as synthetic gene regulatory proteins (transcription factors, RNA binding proteins), synthetic DNA regulatory sequences (promoters, transcriptional enhancers, silencers, and terminators), and synthetic RNA control elements.

Synthetic Biology for Therapeutics

New designs and engineering of biomolecular circuits for therapeutic applications and clinical translation. These include engineered nucleic acids, proteins, cells or designs for living therapeutics and drug delivery systems. For example engineered immune cells, programmable mRNA therapeutics.

Developmental, Multicellular, and Regenerative Systems

Novel approaches to programming cell fate,and engineering multicellular communities for understanding cell-fate transitions including in developement and cancer. This will include organoids, reprogramming, and technologies to build and assemble cells.

Foundational Technologies

Tools to build the next generation of synthetic systems from molecules to cells.

Scalable Technologies and Artificial Intelligence

High-throughput measurements of DNA, RNA and protein functions and computational approaches to large-scale synthetic biology.

Synthetic Biology for Cancer

As specific mutations induce oncogenesis, synthetic biology tools can help understand the cascade of molecular events as cells transition into cancers. This session will feature tools to build models and study systems in the context of cancer.