Technical Program
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| Start Time | End Time | |
| August 20, 2025 | All Central Standard Time | |
| Day 1 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 4:00 PM | Registration |
| 9:00 AM | 9:10 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chairs: Neha Kamat, Northwestern University & Michael Koepke, Lanzatech |
| 9:10 AM | 9:50 AM | KEYNOTE: Transitioning Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines with Cell-Free Technology from Clinical POC to Commercial Launch, Jeff Fairman, Vaxcyte |
| 9:50 AM | 11:10 AM | Session 1: Applied cell-free systems 1 |
| 9:50 AM | 9:55 AM | Introduction by Session Chairs: Dan Groff & Paul Freemont |
| 9:55 AM | 10:15 AM | Invited Speaker: From Lysates to Lipid Platforms: Engineering Functional Membrane Proteins with Cell-Free Systems, Matthew Coleman, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| 10:15 AM | 10:35 AM | Invited Speaker: The Merger of Cell-free Protein Synthesis with Bioelectronics Enables Study of Hard-to-Reach Organelle Ion Channel Proteins, Susan Daniel, Cornell University |
| 10:35 AM | 10:55 AM | Invited Speaker: Replication Cycle Reaction (RCR) and its applications, Masayuki Su'etsugu, Moderna Enzymatic |
| 10:55 AM | 11:10 AM | Selected Abstract: A Modular Cell-Free Protein Biosensor Platform Using Split T7 RNA Polymerase, Mark Styczynski, Georgia Institute of Technology |
| 11:10 AM | 11:40 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 11:40 AM | 12:55 PM | Session 2: Development and characterization of cell-free systems |
| 11:40 AM | 11:45 AM | Introduction by Session Chairs: Quentin Dudley & Ashty Karim |
| 11:45 AM | 12:05 PM | Invited Speaker: Characterizing transcription and translation dynamics in cell-free expression systems, Eugenia (Jane) Romantseva, NIST |
| 12:05 PM | 12:25 PM | Invited Speaker: Adaptive Evolution of Cell-Free Systems: PUREfrex® from Basic Research to Industrial Applications, Takashi Ebihara, GeneFrontier Corporation |
| 12:25 PM | 12:40 PM | Selected Abstract: Transcriptional and Translational fidelity of antibody drug conjugates produced in XpressCF+®, Jeffrey Hanson, Sutro Biopharma |
| 12:40 PM | 12:55 PM | Selected Abstract: A Genetic In Vitro System to Dissect and Engineer Membrane Protein Insertion and Translocation, Markus Meier, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology |
| 12:55 PM | 1:55 PM | Lunch |
| 1:55 PM | 2:40 PM | Panel Discussion 1: Reproducibility/Standards (Panelists: Eugenia (Jane) Romantseva (NIST), Paul Freemont, Takahashi Ebihara) Facilitated by Neha Kamat |
| 2:40 PM | 3:10 PM | Afternoon Coffee Break |
| 3:10 PM | 4:15 PM | Session 3: Cell-free systems for understanding biology |
| 3:10 PM | 3:15 PM | Introduction by Session Chairs: Kate Adamala & Susan Daniel |
| 3:15 PM | 3:35 PM | ALiCE: Cell-Free Reinvented, Jonathan Fauerbach, LenioBio GmbH |
| 3:35 PM | 3:55 PM | Invited Speaker: Yoshihiro Shimizu, RIKEN |
| 3:55 PM | 4:15 PM | Invited Speaker: In vitro directed evolution of membrane proteins, Tomoaki Matsuura, ELSI |
| 4:15 PM | 4:30 PM | Selected Abstract: Cell-Free Systems for Studying and Engineering Protein Nanomaterials, Carolyn E. Mills, University of California Santa Barbara |
| 4:30 PM | 5:30 PM | Poster Session 1 |
| Start Time | End Time | |
| August 21, 2025 | All Central Standard Time | |
| Day 2 | ||
| 8:30 AM | 3:00 PM | Registration |
| 9:00 AM | 9:05 AM | Day 2 Welcome By Chairs: Neha Kamat, Northwestern University & Michael Koepke, Lanzatech |
| 9:05 AM | 9:45 AM | KEYNOTE: A Novel Biological Platform for Carboxylic Acids Valorization Enabled by Redox Driving Forces, Han Li, UC Irvine |
| 9:45 AM | 10:15 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 10:15 AM | 11:30 AM | Session 4: Building with cell-free systems |
| 10:15 AM | 10:20 AM | Introduction by Session Chairs: Michael Jewett & Constance Bailey |
| 10:20 AM | 10:40 AM | Invited Speaker: Compartmentalization in cell-free: A platform for interrogating encapsulated metabolic pathway performance, Danielle Tullman-Ercek, Northwestern University |
| 10:40 AM | 11:00 AM | Invited Speaker: A Synthetic Cell Phage Cycle, Vincent Noireaux, University of Minnesota |
| 11:00 AM | 11:15 AM | Selected Abstract: Cell-Free Systems As a Chassis for Growing, Dividing Synthetic Cells, Kate Adamala, University of Minnesota |
| 11:15 AM | 11:30 AM | Selected Abstract: Cell-Free Systems Reveal Energy Flow and Spatial Dynamics in Mitotic Oscillations, Qiong Yang, University of Michigan |
| 11:30 AM | 12:30 PM | Lunch |
| 12:30 PM | 1:15 PM | Panel 2: Scaling-Out Cell-Free Systems, Government & Industry Perspective (Panelists: Nigel Mouncey, Peter Carr, Brandon Simmons-Rawls, Paul Opgenorth, & Luisa Gronenberg) Facilitated by Michael Köpke, Lazatech |
| 1:15 PM | 2:30 PM | Session 5: Cell-free systems and AI |
| 1:15 PM | 1:20 PM | Introduction by Session Chairs: Zach Sun, Sepia Bio & Luisa Gronenberg, Insempra |
| 1:20 PM | 1:40 PM | Invited Speaker: Generating large datasets for AI models of protein binding, activity and cell-free expression, Ron Gill, Adaptyv |
| 1:40 PM | 2:00 PM | Invited Speaker: Forward design of protein activities enabled by machine learning-guided cell-free systems, Ashty Karim, Northwestern University |
| 2:00 PM | 2:15 PM | Selected Abstract: Using Cell-Free Protein Synthesis to Characterize Plant Metabolic Enzymes, Quentin Dudley, Stanford University |
| 2:15 PM | 2:30 PM | Selected Abstract: Accurate Data-Driven Prediction of Absolute Protein Folding Stability in Small Domains, Gabriel Rocklin, Northwestern University |
| 2:30 PM | 3:00 PM | Afternoon Coffee Break |
| 3:00 PM | 4:20 PM | Session 6: Applied cell-free systems 2 |
| 3:00 PM | 3:05 PM | Introduction by Session Chairs: Gabriel Rocklin & Carolyn Mills |
| 3:05 PM | 3:25 PM | Invited Speaker: Cell-free biosensors: where have we gone and where do we need to go?, Julius Lucks, Northwestern University |
| 3:25 PM | 3:45 PM | Invited Speaker: Toward Distributed Biomanufacturing: Hardware and Cell-Free Systems for On-Demand Protein Production for Human Health, Keith Pardee, University of Toronto |
| 3:45 PM | 4:05 PM | Invited Speaker: Developing Strategies to Expand Synthetic Biology Applications for Natural Product Production in Cell Free Systems, Constance Bailey, The University of Sydney |
| 4:05 PM | 4:20 PM | Selected Abstract: Synthetic Biology for People and Planet Health, Michael Jewett, Stanford University |
| 4:20 PM | 4:30 PM | Closing Remarks by the chairs Neha Kamat, Northwestern University & Michael Koepke, Lanzatech |
| 4:30 PM | 5:30 PM | Poster Session 2 |
