Elibio Rech

Elibio Rech, a molecular engineer, geneticist, Researcher at EMBRAPA, and Director of the National Institute of Science and Technology in Synthetic Biology, developed gene transfer technologies to produce commercial genetically modified plant products. Aim to contribute to the design, construction, and engineering of synthetic genomes, cell-free protein expression, and building cell and synthetic genetic circuits, combining top-down and bottom-up approaches within the synergies and intersections of the recombinant DNA technology for synthetic domestication of specific traits from biodiversity.

Security Considerations at the Intersection of Engineering Biology and Artificial Intelligence

Publication Date: November 2023

This white paper describes three areas at the intersection of engineering biology and artificial intelligence that may yield significant security concerns: de novo biological design, closed-loop autonomous laboratories, and natural language Large Language Models. It describes each area, identifies potential security concerns, and offers ideas for the potential mitigation of those concerns, ultimately calling for an international forum to continually address this evolving issue.

NIST RFI on Implementation of US National Standards Strategy

Publication Date: November 2023

EBRC’s response to the request by NIST to support the Implementation of the United States Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET). With a focus on engineering biology technologies, we provide critical considerations for engaging private sector stakeholders in transparent, equitable, and accessible standards development activities.

Building a Robust Bioeconomy Workforce: A Policy Approach to Bridging the Gap in Undergraduate Experiential Learning

Publication Date: October 2023 | Originally published in Journal of Science Policy & Governance

This publication addresses the importance of hands-on learning and training opportunities in engineering biology education and workforce development, with information and recommendations sourced from EBRC Industry and Academic members.

Introduction to Engineering Biology: A Conceptual Framework for Teaching Synthetic Biology

Publication Date: June 2023 | Originally published in ACS Synthetic Biology

This publication is a companion piece to our Introduction to Engineering Biology curriculum module that was created and released in 2022.

Theresa Loveless

Theresa Loveless received her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from UCSF, where she studied the molecular biology of DNA replication and the DNA damage response. As a postdoctoral researcher in synthetic biology, in the laboratory of Chang Liu at UC Irvine, she made DNA recorders, synthetic biology tools that transform transient events in a cell’s life into durable changes in a small “recording” region of the cell’s genome. Theresa just started her independent laboratory in the Department of BioSciences at Rice University. The goal of the lab is to make DNA recorders that document the activation history of many signaling pathways in parallel, in physiological settings, over the whole timescale of developmental processes. These recorders will make it possible to study how transient events that are experienced heterogeneously across populations of cells affect the later behavior of each cell. Theresa is a Leading Edge Fellow and a MOSAIC K99/R00 Scholar.