Synthetic Biology, at the next B·Debate

The event, which will take place at CaixaForum Barcelona, is an initiative of Biocat and Obra Social "la Caixa" that aims to bridge the gap between the different positions and find applications for synthetic biology that meet society’s needs, such as the creation of artificial life to treat cancer, to create biofuels, or to eliminate waste.

The various approaches encompassed under synthetic biology, like designing gene and protein circuits from standard biological parts, developing synthetic genetic codes and creating artificial cells and organisms, will enrich the dialog led by Dr. Jordi Garcia Ojalvo, professor of Systems Biology at Pompeu Fabra University and scientific leader of this B·Debate.

The program for these sessions features several speakers including Wendell Lim, of the University of California (San Francisco), who investigates how to build cells with customized detection/action functions, like for example immune cells that can recognize and treat cancer cells. Steen Rasmussen, of the University of Southern Denmark, will speak about how to create a physical-chemical system with at least the capacity to self-reproduce and evolve. Mustafa Khammash, of ETH Zürich, will discuss the topic of cybergenetics and Timothy Lu, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will present some of the possibilities synthetic biology offers for improving human health and solving different problems in biomedicine, biotechnology and other fields. 

Additionally, Farren Isaacs of Yale University will speak about new technology in genomic engineering that allows scientists to make versatile modifications to the genome and will explain how these techniques are being used to obtain genetically re-coding organisms. And Ricard Solé, of Pompeu Fabra University, will discuss on the evolution of life on our planet and will defend the fact that synthetic biology can bring new perspectives and create new biological innovations. 

Further information: B·Debate