Bioengineers, researchers, scientists, and industry leaders will survey the use of synthetic biology to address global challenges at the 2023 Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution, and Design (SEED) Conference. The event takes place May 30–June 2, at the Hilton Los Angeles and University City Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
Organized by the Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) — a technical subsidiary of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) — the SEED Conference presents the latest intelligence in the field, covering synthetic biology from its foundations to its commercial applications. The conference’s expert-led sessions incorporate perspectives and strategies from research institutions and industry — highlighting synthetic biology’s applications in medicine, agriculture, and other sectors.
According to Mikhail G. Shapiro, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Medical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology and Chair of the 2023 SEED Conference, the conference is unique in that it presents the breadth of synthetic biology in a single conference — integrating engineering at the levels of molecules, genes and cells. Elaborating on the program, Shapiro says, “this year we will expand into multicellular engineering, which is an emerging frontier of synbio. We will also highlight the roles that molecular and genetic engineering approaches are starting to play in the nervous system. And, we will spotlight the increasing roles of computation and machine learning in our field.”
With the conference bringing together synthetic biology’s thought leaders, Shapiro encourages newcomers and experienced researchers alike to take part in the event. Reflecting on his experience at past conferences, he adds “each time I’ve attended the SEED Conference, I’ve experienced an ‘aha’ moment about something from an adjacent area that has influenced the work in our lab.”
Synthetic biology involves the engineering of organisms to instill those organizations with new properties, permitting new and useful applications in medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, and other areas. Topics at the 2023 SEED Conference chart the field’s latest developments, which will be elaborated in sessions devoted to synthetic neurobiology; biomolecules; multicellular and organ-scale engineering; engineered biomedicines; synthetic biology for climate and environment sustainability; microbiome engineering for health, food, and the environment; computing and big-data applications in synthetic biology; engineered living materials; and more.
The Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution and Design (SEED) Conference is one event in a roster of SBE specialty conferences that cover topics of interest to chemical and biochemical engineers in the biotechnology space. Complete program and registration information for the SEED Conference is available at https://synbioconference.org/2023.
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About AIChE: AIChE is a professional society of more than 60,000 members in more than 110 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontier of chemical engineering research in such areas as nanotechnology, sustainability, hydrogen fuels, biological and environmental engineering, and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.
About SBE: Established in 2004, the Society for Biological Engineering is a technological community for engineers and applied scientists integrating biology with engineering. Members of SBE come from a broad spectrum of industries and disciplines and share in SBE’s mission of realizing the benefits of bioprocessing, biomedical, and biomolecular applications. http://www.aiche.org/sbe.