Events

  • 2019 Roadmap Assessment Workshop – Host Engineering

    Please join us at a virtual workshop to assess the Host Engineering: Host and Consortia Engineering technical theme of Engineering Biology.

    Thursday, June 10, 2021
    11:00am – 2:00pm Eastern | 8:00am – 11:00am Pacific
    AgendaRegister Here

    This workshop will draw upon our survey results to assess technical progress in the context of the research milestones predicted in Engineering Biology, the 2019 EBRC technical research roadmap. This information will shape a narrative of the most pressing needs and challenges still facing engineering biology over the next decade.

    The workshop will inventory the degree of completion for each milestone, discuss technical and nontechnical barriers inhibiting progress, highlight new directions and avenues of research, and review social science dimensions associated with the development of technical goals. This will come in the form of a published report that will be adapted for public viewing.

    These virtual writing workshops for each technical theme (3 hours each) are focused on drafting and revising the assessment. They are organized as followed:

    • Introduction of the assessment, including the purpose, timing, and impact;
    • Brainstorming, informed by the results of our surveys, of the degree of completion for each research milestone, technical and nontechnical barriers inhibiting progress, and social science dimensions associated with the development of technical goals. We’ll also discuss new avenues and directions of research unanticipated by the roadmap;
    • Drafting and revising summaries of each of the above components.

    The report will be invaluable to policymakers and funders to understand the continued challenges faced by our researchers; to researchers to learn the critical research gaps preventing engineering biology progression; and for our EBRC community to assess the utility of our roadmaps.

    Hosted by James Carothers (UW) and Ute Galm (Zymergen)

  • 2019 Roadmap Assessment Workshop – Engineering DNA

    Please join us at a virtual workshop to assess the Engineering DNA: Gene Editing, Synthesis, and Assembly technical theme of Engineering Biology.

    Thursday, June 3, 2021
    2:00pm – 5:00pm Eastern | 11:00am – 2:00pm Pacific
    Agenda

    Registration for this event is now closed. For more information, please contact helix@ebrc.org.

    This workshop will draw upon our survey results to assess technical progress in the context of the research milestones predicted in Engineering Biology, the 2019 EBRC technical research roadmap. This information will shape a narrative of the most pressing needs and challenges still facing engineering biology over the next decade.

    The workshop will inventory the degree of completion for each milestone, discuss technical and nontechnical barriers inhibiting progress, highlight new directions and avenues of research, and review social science dimensions associated with the development of technical goals. This will come in the form of a published report that will be adapted for public viewing.

    These virtual writing workshops for each technical theme (3 hours each) are focused on drafting and revising the assessment. They are organized as followed:

    • Introduction of the assessment, including the purpose, timing, and impact;
    • Brainstorming, informed by the results of our surveys, of the degree of completion for each research milestone, technical and nontechnical barriers inhibiting progress, and social science dimensions associated with the development of technical goals. We’ll also discuss new avenues and directions of research unanticipated by the roadmap;
    • Drafting and revising summaries of each of the above components.

    The report will be invaluable to policymakers and funders to understand the continued challenges faced by our researchers; to researchers to learn the critical research gaps preventing engineering biology progression; and for our EBRC community to assess the utility of our roadmaps.

    Hosted by Rebecca Nugent (Twist Bioscience) and Howard Salis (Penn State)

  • 2019 Roadmap Assessment Workshop – Biomolecular Engineering

    Please join us at a virtual workshop to assess the Biomolecular Engineering: Biomolecule, Pathway, and Circuit Engineering technical theme of Engineering Biology.

    Tuesday, June 8, 2021
    11:00am – 2:00pm Eastern | 8:00am – 11:00pm Pacific
    Agenda

    Registration for this event is now closed. For more information, please contact helix@ebrc.org.

    This workshop will draw upon our survey results to assess technical progress in the context of the research milestones predicted in Engineering Biology, the 2019 EBRC technical research roadmap. This information will shape a narrative of the most pressing needs and challenges still facing engineering biology over the next decade.

    The workshop will inventory the degree of completion for each milestone, discuss technical and nontechnical barriers inhibiting progress, highlight new directions and avenues of research, and review social science dimensions associated with the development of technical goals. This will come in the form of a published report that will be adapted for public viewing.

    These virtual writing workshops for each technical theme (3 hours each) are focused on drafting and revising the assessment. They are organized as followed:

    • Introduction of the assessment, including the purpose, timing, and impact;
    • Brainstorming, informed by the results of our surveys, of the degree of completion for each research milestone, technical and nontechnical barriers inhibiting progress, and social science dimensions associated with the development of technical goals. We’ll also discuss new avenues and directions of research unanticipated by the roadmap;
    • Drafting and revising summaries of each of the above components.

    The report will be invaluable to policymakers and funders to understand the continued challenges faced by our researchers; to researchers to learn the critical research gaps preventing engineering biology progression; and for our EBRC community to assess the utility of our roadmaps.

    Hosted by Chang Liu (UC Irvine) and Jesse Zalatan (UW)

  • EBRC Seminar Series – May 21, 2021 (4:00 PM ET)

    Please join us for an exciting seminar on May 21, 2021, from 4-5:00 PM ET. This is the final seminar in the 2021 EBRC Seminar Series.

    Speaker abstracts are below. The seminar is open to all, so please feel free to share this information with your colleagues.

    The seminar will be held on Zoom using the following link for all sessions:
    Zoom link: https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/97626552307?pwd=alVlS3dXM0lZYklYeE9zVXljWUI0UT09
    Meeting ID: 976 2655 2307
    Passcode: EBRC2021

     

    “Sequence-function analysis helps identify multiple pathways to enhance Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase (PAL) activity”

    Nikhil Unni Nair (Tufts University)

    Phenylalanine ammonia-lyases (PALs) non-oxidatively deaminate L-phenylalanine to trans-cinnamic acid (tCA) and are widely found associated with secondary metabolism in plants, bacteria, and fungi. Biocatalytic applications for natural product and fine chemical synthesis has driven the discovery, expression, characterization, and engineering of PALs. More recently, development of PALs for phenylketonuria (PKU) management and cancer therapy has further increased interest in engineering this class of enzymes. While there is a general understanding of how residues in the substrate-binding pocket contribute to specificity and turnover, led by rational mutagenesis studies, there is generally a poor understanding of how distal residues affect function. In general, outcomes from directed evolution can identify distal hotspots but there have only been two such studies with this enzyme. The first study resulted in modest improvement in activity whereas the other, conducted by us, identified residues within the active site only. Deep mutational scanning (DMS) can identify functional hotspots, and when coupled with directed
    evolution can accelerate engineering campaigns, although there are few examples of this approach. Further, DMS can provide a comprehensive map of sequence–function relationships to explore the protein fitness landscapes, uncover functionally relevant sites, improve molecular energy functions, and identify beneficial combinations of mutations for protein engineering. Though extensive body of research exists on function, structure, mechanism of PAL, a systematic study exploring the sequence-function space has not been attempted.

    Previously, we developed a growth-coupled enrichment for rapid screening of high-activity variants of AvPAL* (used to formulate the PKU drug Pegvaliase®) in E. coli. After a single round of directed evolution using this growth-coupled enrichment, we identified 2 active site mutations improved kcat < 2-fold. However, the sequence-function fitness landscape of AvPAL* remains to be explored. In this study, we achieve several outcomes. First, we obtained the detailed sequence-function landscape of PAL, to date, using DMS, identifying >60 mutational hotspots. Next, we picked seven sites for comprehensive single and multi-site saturation mutagenesis and we identified multi-site mutations with ~2.5-fold improvement in the kcat (and >3-fold increase in catalytic efficiency). We then explored the epistatic effect of these mutations, uncovering positive, neutral, and negative interactions among distal and proximal sites. Finally, to understand the mechanistic role of key mutations in hyperactive variants, we performed modelling studies and concluded that there are multiple pathways to enhance PAL catalytic activity, including, decreased root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) of substrate in the active site, greater proximity of the substrate to catalytic residues, and facilitated diffusion of the substrate to the active site, among others. In summary, this study significantly advances basic and applied enzymology of PALs, a heretofore understudied class of enzymes with a wide array of applications.

     

    Development of a yeast-based assay for bioavailable phosphorous
    Heather Shepherd (University of Notre Dame)

    Preventing eutrophication of inland freshwater ecosystems requires quantifying the phosphorous (P) content of the streams and rivers that feed them. Typical methods for measuring P assess soluble reactive P (SRP) or total P (TP) and require expensive analytical techniques that produce hazardous waste. Here we present a novel method for measuring the more relevant bioavailable P (BAP); this assay utilizes the growth of familiar baker’s yeast, avoids production of hazardous waste, and reduces cost relative to measurements of SRP and TP. The yeast BAP (yBAP) assay takes advantage of the observation that yeast density at saturating growth increases linearly with provided P. We show that this relationship can be used to measure P in freshwater in concentration ranges relevant to eutrophication. In addition, we measured yBAP in water containing known amount of fertilizer and in samples from agricultural waterways. We observed that the majority of yBAP values were between those obtained from standard SRP and TP measurements, demonstrating that the assay is compatible with real-world settings. The cost-effective and nonhazardous nature of the yeast-based assay suggests that it could have utility in a range of settings, offering added insight to identify water systems at risk of eutrophication from excess phosphorus.

     

    Engineering alternative degradation tags for synthetic circuits
    Prajakta Jadhav (South Dakota State University)

    The goal in synthetic biology is to build robust synthetic circuits in bacteria that are dynamic, highly regulated, and result in a unified response. In the last 20 years, the synthetic biology field has effectively leveraged transcriptional (RNA production) and translational (protein production) controls. However, protein degradation plays an important role in determining the half-life of proteins and regulating biological systems. Amino acid degradation tags are exploited to avoid a reliance on cell division for protein dilution and to build dynamic circuits. The most leveraged
    degradation tag in E. coli is the ssrA-tag, which is an 11-amino acid sequence that primarily target proteins for degradation by the ClpXP proteolytic system. However, the use of the ssrA-tag limits scalability and complexity especially in synthetic oscillators in bacteria due to itsmultiple proteolytic target recognition signals. Our goal is to build orthogonal oscillators that utilize degradation tags targeting to multiple proteases with no crosstalk. In this study, we aremodifying the ssrA-tag to change the substrate affinity and degradation rate and produce new
    synthetic oscillators. We hypothesize that changing the degradation rate can alter the output signal of the oscillator. We have tailored the ssrA-tag to reduce crosstalk between proteolytic systems to increase robustness and developed a variety of degradation tags. While many of these tags exhibited decreased or no change in degradation rates, two depicted significant increase. We further tested interesting candidates for crosstalk between proteolytic systems and identified a tag that display minimum to no crosstalk with other proteolytic systems. We aim to build and compare the output signals of different oscillators with novel tags in batch cultures and at the single-cell level. The design and implementation of these novel degradation tags will enable development of biological building blocks for increased complexity in synthetic circuits.

  • EBRC Seminar Series – May 13, 2021 (2:00 PM ET)

    Please join us for an exciting seminar on May 13, 2021, from 2-3:30 PM ET. This is the second of three seminars in the 2021 EBRC Seminar Series.

    Speaker abstracts are below. The seminar is open to all, so please feel free to share this information with your colleagues.

    The seminar will be held on Zoom using the following link for all sessions:
    Zoom link: https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/97626552307?pwd=alVlS3dXM0lZYklYeE9zVXljWUI0UT09
    Meeting ID: 976 2655 2307
    Passcode: EBRC2021

     

    TBD
    Aindrila Mukhopadhyay (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)

    TBD

     

    “Non-canonical crRNAs derived from host transcripts enable multiplexable RNA detection by Cas9”
    Chunlei Jiao (Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research)

    CRISPR nucleases are guided by CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) that are naturally derived from CRISPR arrays. Here, we discovered that crRNAs could derive from cellular transcripts outside of the CRISPR-Cas locus in Campylobacter jejuni, and we exploit this discovery to achieve a novel means of multiplexed RNA detection. The discovery came from sequencing RNAs that preferentially bound to the Cas9 in C. jejuni (CjeCas9), revealing an unexpected set of RNAs that shared a motif complementary to the anti-repeat of the system’s tracrRNA. The size and composition of these bound RNAs resembled that of crRNAs, indicating that the full-length version of these RNAs base pair with the anti-repeat portion of the tracrRNA and undergo processing to form crRNA-like RNAs. We call these processed RNAs non-canonical crRNAs (ncrRNAs). Using a cell-free transcription-translation (TXTL) system, we found that some ncrRNAs could drive efficient and sequence-specific DNA cleavage by CjeCas9 and its natural tracrRNA. Given the known sequence flexibility within the repeat:anti-repeat stem for single- guide RNAs, we hypothesized that the anti-repeat portion of the tracRNA could be reprogrammed to convert any RNA-of-interest into a functional ncrRNA that guides Cas9 to its DNA target. Using DNA cleavage assays in TXTL and in E. coli, we found that reprogrammed
    tracrRNAs(Rptrs) designed to pair with different regions of an mRNA yielded efficient DNA cleavage not only for the CjeCas9 but also for the S. pyogenes Cas9 and the Streptococcus thermophilus CRISPR1 Cas9. Finally, based on the capability of Rptrs to link any RNA-of-interest to sequence-specific DNA cleavage, we established a multiplexed RNA diagnostic platform called LEOPARD (Leveraging Engineered tracrRNAs and On-target DNAs for PArallel RNA Detection). With LEOPARD, we achieved multiplexed detection of RNAs from different viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in one reaction. We further distinguished SARS-CoV-2 and its D614G variant with single-nucleotide specificity in patient samples. These findings establish a previously unknown source of crRNAs and demonstrate the practical utility of LEOPARD for detecting numerous biomarkers in one test.

     

    “Developing a mathematical framework for controlling complex biological systems”
    Marcella Gomez (UC Santa Cruz)

    In this talk, we refer to the achievement of an intended and predicted response in a biological system as controlling biology. Such efforts are often guided by classical mechanistic models from first principles. The level of complexity of these systems makes it extremely difficult to develop mechanistic models that can account for all possible interactions and predict biological response. To overcome these challenges, we propose to move away from first principal methods and instead identify key leverage points in the targeted biological pathways that can be directly up or down regulated by external signaling molecules. These molecules can be controlled by a feedback algorithm and delivered in situ by a bioelectronic device. In recent work, we successfully implemented feedback control on human‐induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to regulate the cell’s resting potential known to affect cell physiology and functions such as proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis, as well as cell–cell communication and large‐scale morphogenesis. This was achieved without use of a model nor training data. We further outline an approach to extend the method to more complex biological systems. In particular, we consider the task of accelerating wound healing.

     

    “The Promoter Calculator – A Sequence-to-Function Biophysical Model of Transcriptional Initiation for Sigma70 Promoters with Any Sequence”
    Travis La Fleur (Penn State)

    Engineering synthetic promoters with precision control has remained a challenge due to our inability to predict how a promoter’s sequence and DNA context controls its function and mRNA output. Here, we developed an accurate sequence-to-function model of transcriptional initiation that enables the automated design of synthetic promoters and the a priori prediction of cryptic promoters within natural systems – both of which are needed to advance Synthetic Biology towards genome-scale functional design. To do this, we combined oligopool synthesis, library-
    based cloning, and next-generation sequencing to construct and characterize 14,206 rationally designed sigma70 promoters in vitro. Measurements include transcriptional start site frequencies and overall mRNA levels. This approach enables highly-parallel characterization of constitutive promoter activity without confounding factors such as unintentional transcriptional regulation, non-sigma70 activity, and mRNA decay. These measurements, in combination with machine learning, were used to parameterize a thermodynamic model quantifying the
    interactions controlling transcription rate. For demonstration, the “Promoter Calculator” was used to accomplish three major tasks – accurate prediction of thousands of sigma70 promoters across various conditions, the de novo design of novel sigma70 promoters, and the identification of cryptic promoters internal to a genetic circuit. 4,350 highly non-repetitive promoters and 6,165 genome-integrated promoters characterized in vivo were accurately predicted by the model with Spearman Rank-Order Coefficients of .68 and .78, respectively. Promoters designed de novo using the Promoter Calculator were characterized in vivo exhibiting a 683-fold range in expression resulting in a Pearson Correlation Coefficient of .85. The Promoter Calculator was used to analyze a genetic circuit containing 11 circuit promoters and 29 cryptic promoters. The model identified 29 sigma70 promoters out of 40 observed promoters (72.5% accurate), including 10/11 circuit promoters and 19/29 cryptic promoters. The Promoter Calculator facilitates context-aware, rational promoter design without relying on a fixed table of pre-characterized sequences while serving as a powerful tool in promoter identification.

  • EBRC Seminar Series – May 4, 2021 (3:00 PM ET)

    Please join us for an exciting seminar on May 4, 2021, from 3-4:00 PM ET. This is the first of three seminars in the 2021 EBRC Seminar Series.

    Speaker abstracts are below. The seminar is open to all, so please feel free to share this information with your colleagues.

    The seminar will be held on Zoom using the following link for all sessions:
    Zoom link: https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/97626552307?pwd=alVlS3dXM0lZYklYeE9zVXljWUI0UT09
    Meeting ID: 976 2655 2307
    Passcode: EBRC2021

     

    “Engineering multilevel CRISPR-based kill-switches for probiotic Escherichia coli“
    Austin Rottinghaus (Washington University in St. Louis)

    Probiotic microbes have become an effective framework for diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. However, there are safety concerns associated with using genetically engineered organisms for medical applications. Probiotic microbes have the potential to evolve growth advantages over natural microbes and characteristics that are harmful to the host or to the outside environment. To mitigate these concerns, we engineered the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 to survive only when and where it is needed using CRISPR-based kill-switches (CRISPRks). We first designed a CRISPRks that induces cell death by expressing Cas9 and genome-targeting guide RNAs in response to the chemical inducer anhydrotetracycline. This design allows cell killing to occur while the microbe is in the gut in response to oral administration of the chemical. We optimized the efficiency and stability of the CRISPRks by combining four genomic Cas9 expression cassettes with three plasmid-based guide RNA expression cassettes, removing the antibiotic dependence for maintenance of the guide RNA plasmid, and knocking out genes involved in DNA recombination and mutagenesis. Using this optimized circuit in vitro, we achieved more than a 9-log reduction in cell number and demonstrated genetic stability for up to 28 days of continuous growth. This high killing efficiency was maintained in vivo, where we achieved complete elimination of the probiotic 24 hours after oral administration of the inducer. This is the first time on-demand elimination of an engineered microbe has been demonstrated in
    vivo. We next modified our chemically inducible-CRISPRks to also induce cell death in response to ambient temperatures below 33’C. This two-input design induces cell killing either in response to oral administration of the chemical or when the microbe is excreted from the body in response to the reduced environmental temperature. This two-input circuit achieved more than a 9-log and 7-log reduction in cell number in vitro after exposure to the chemical inducer and temperature downshift, respectively. Future directions will include incorporating the CRISPRks in microbes engineered to diagnose and treat diverse medical conditions. Our CRISPRks strategy provides a template for future microbial biocontainment circuits. The sensor and killing mechanism employed in the kill-switch are well characterized and functional in many microbes, allowing the CRISPRks design to be broadly utilized. In addition, the temperature-sensing module can be easily replaced with sensors that recognize alternative signals, allowing comparable kill-switches to be created for applications beyond medicine.

     

    “Substrate-Activated Expression of a Biosynthetic Pathway in Escherichia coli”
    Cynthia Ni (MIT)

    Microbial production leverages endogenous and heterologous enzymes to produce value-added chemicals. Overexpression of the genes encoding pathway enzymes can impose a metabolic burden to the host. There are many approaches to alleviating this burden, including using chemical inducers, such as IPTG, to delay expression, expressing genes from stationary phase promoters, or using feedback controllers that activate expression in response to a pathway intermediate. We developed a substrate-activated, feed-forward expression control strategy in which the necessary substrate of the pathway doubles as the inducer of heterologous pathway gene expression. We demonstrated this strategy on a D-glyceric acid pathway that utilizes galacturonate as a feed substrate. A galacturonate-responsive transcription factor was used to construct a galacturonate responsive biosensor. We constructed variants of the biosensor and selected the best performer through fluorescence characterization. The selected biosensor variant was used to control the heterologous gene expression of the D-glyceric acid biosynthetic pathway. We confirmed that expression was induced in presence of the substrate through qRT-PCR.

    Production via substrate-induction with our expression control circuit was comparable to IPTG- controlled induction and significantly outperformed constitutive expression. Our work demonstrates that substrate-activated pathway expression is an attractive control strategy for microbial production.

     

    “Robust direct digital-to-biological data storage in living cells”
    Sung Sun Yim (Columbia University)

    DNA has been the predominant information storage medium for biology and holds great promise as a next-generation high-density data medium in the digital era. Currently, the vast majority of DNA-based data storage approaches rely on in vitro DNA synthesis. As such, there are limited methods to encode digital data into the chromosomes of living cells in a single step. In this talk, I will describe a new electrogenetic framework for direct storage of digital data in living cells using an engineered redox-responsive CRISPR adaptation system. We demonstrated multiplex data encoding into barcoded cell populations to yield meaningful information storage and capacity up to 72 bits, which can be maintained over many generations in natural open environments. In addition, I will share our recent effort on directed evolution of CRISPR adaptation machineries to improve data storage capacity and port the system into other bacteria, thus enabling new applications of DNA-based cellular recording.

  • EBRC Virtual Seminar Series 2021

    Please join us for an exciting seminar series highlighting research advancing the field. Seminars are open to all, so please feel free to share this information with your colleagues.

    Seminars will be held on Zoom using the following link for all sessions:
    Zoom link: https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/97626552307?pwd=alVlS3dXM0lZYklYeE9zVXljWUI0UT09
    Meeting ID: 976 2655 2307
    Passcode: EBRC2021

    EBRC SEMINAR SERIES – MAY 4, 2021 (3:00 PM ET)

    Click here for more information, including abstracts (when available).

    Engineering multilevel CRISPR-based kill-switches for probiotic Escherichia coli
    Austin Rottinghaus (Washington University in St. Louis)

    Substrate-Activated Expression of a Biosynthetic Pathway in Escherichia coli
    Cynthia Ni (MIT)

    Robust direct digital-to-biological data storage in living cells
    Sung Sun Yim (Columbia University)

     

    EBRC SEMINAR SERIES – MAY 13, 2021 (2:00 PM ET)

    Click here for more information, including abstracts (when available).

    TBD
    Aindrila Mukhopadhyay (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)

    “Non-canonical crRNAs derived from host transcripts enable multiplexable RNA detection by Cas9”
    Chunlei Jiao (Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research)

    “Developing a mathematical framework for controlling complex biological systems”
    Marcella Gomez (UC Santa Cruz)

    “The Promoter Calculator – A Sequence-to-Function Biophysical Model of Transcriptional Initiation for Sigma70 Promoters with Any Sequence”
    Travis La Fleur (Penn State)

     

    EBRC SEMINAR SERIES – MAY 21, 2021 (4:00 PM ET)

    Click here for more information, including abstracts (when available).

    Sequence-function analysis helps identify multiple pathways to enhance Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase (PAL) activity
    Nikhil Unni Nair (Tufts University)

    Development of a yeast-based assay for bioavailable phosphorous
    Heather Shepherd (University of Notre Dame)

    Engineering alternative degradation tags for synthetic circuits
    Prajakta Jadhav (South Dakota State University)

  • [VIRTUAL] EBRC 2021 Annual Meeting

    The EBRC Annual Meeting is an opportunity for the EBRC community to come together to engage on matters important to advancing our field, present and discuss your latest research, and continue to build relationships with your colleagues throughout academia, industry, and government. This virtual meeting will feature sessions on research, EBRC’s work in our focus areas, and a panel discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

    The meeting will be held virtually over three days: April 23 and 26-27, 2021. VIEW THE FULL AGENDA HERE.

    • Friday, Apr 23 (3:00-6:00pm ET) will kick off with a presentation and discussion of EBRC’s new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Action Plan, followed by a poster session/social mixer in EBRC’s Gather Town.
    • Monday, Apr 26 (11:00am-2:00pm ET) will include updates on EBRC’s efforts across the focus areas and membership, followed by oral presentations and posters or a keynote address.
    • Tuesday, Apr 27 (11:00am-2:00pm ET) will continue the oral presentations and end where we started, with a panel on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
    • Following the meeting, EBRC will host a short seminar series to further spotlight research advancing the field. Seminars will be held at 3:00 pm ET May 4; 2:00 pm ET May 13; and 4:00 pm ET May 21.

    Registration is now open to all EBRC members and affiliates (including EBRC Student & Postdoc Association members). The deadline to register is April 21.

    Zoom and Gather Town will be used to hold this virtual event.

     

  • Malice Analysis at Rice University

    Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. The workshop is targeted to graduate students and postdocs, but we welcome others in engineering biology to attend. This technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participants’ research. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

    Wednesday, April 28, 2021

    10:00AM – 1:30PM Pacific Time, 1:00 – 4:30 Eastern Time

    Register Here

    Malice Analysis: Rice University is being hosted by Rice faculty to better build and support a local security community in the Houston area. However, all are welcome to register. Contact Helix@ebrc.org, if you’re interested in hosting a virtual Malice Analysis workshop for your institution.

    This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

  • Malice Analysis at University of California, Berkeley

    Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. The workshop is targeted to graduate students and postdocs, but we welcome others in engineering biology to attend. This technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participants’ research. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

    Thursday April 29, 2021

    9:00AM – 12:30PM Pacific Time, 12:00 – 3:30PM Eastern Time

    Register Here

    Malice Analysis: UC Berkeley is being hosted by UC Berkeley faculty to better build and support a local security community in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, all are welcome to register. Contact Helix@ebrc.org, if you’re interested in hosting a virtual Malice Analysis workshop for your institution.

    This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

  • Malice Analysis at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. The workshop is targeted to graduate students and postdocs, but we welcome others in engineering biology to attend. This technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participants’ research. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

    Wednesday May 5, 2021

    10:00AM – 1:30PM Pacific Time, 1:00 – 4:30PM Eastern Time

    Register Here

    Malice Analysis: MIT is being hosted by MIT faculty to better build and support a local security community in the Boston area. However, all are welcome to register. Contact Helix@ebrc.org, if you’re interested in hosting a virtual Malice Analysis workshop for your institution.

    This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

  • EBRC SPA Government and Science Policy Virtual Career Panel and Networking Session

    EBRC SPA Government and Science Policy Virtual Career Panel and Networking Session

    Date: Thursday, October 15, 2020
    Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm EDT/ 10:00am – 11:am PDT

    Register Here

    The EBRC Student and Postdoc Association (SPA) is hosting a virtual Government and Science Policy career panel and networking session to provide graduate students and postdocs with insights into government and policy careers, with an emphasis on how to enter this space from a science PhD background. This event will consist of a 30 min moderated Q&A panel followed by an optional 30 min networking session. Participants will indicate whether they would like to attend the networking session portion of the event and rank their networking session panelist preference on the registration form. The networking session will be capped on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority given to existing Student and Postdoc Association members. If you are interested in joining the EBRC SPA, please find the application form here.  If you elect to participate in the networking session, you will be notified in the days leading up to the event regarding which panelist’s networking session you will be attending (space permitting).

     

  • Virtual Workshops – Technical Roadmap For Materials Science + Engineering Biology

    EBRC – with support from the Division of Materials Research at NSF – invites you to contribute to a 20-year technical research roadmap for the convergence of materials science and engineering biology.

    The roadmap is currently in the final drafting stage and we need experts to help continue to define and describe an ambitious future for basic research and development at the intersection of materials science and synthetic/engineering biology. At a time like this, we believe that it is more important than ever for scientists to help guide policymakers and funding agencies in how to best support scientific research, and technical roadmaps are a highly-impactful way to do that.

    Registration is by invitation only, but anyone interested in attending should email eaurand@ebrc.org for more information.

    Friday, October 16 | 11:00am – 2:00pm Eastern / 8:00am – 11:00am Pacific (Registration deadline: October 9)

    Registration has closed – please contact eaurand@ebrc.org for more information

     

    Tuesday, October 20 | 2:00pm – 5:00pm Eastern / 11:00am – 2:00pm Pacific (Registration deadline: October 13)

    Registration has closed – please contact eaurand@ebrc.org for more information

     

    Monday, October 26 | 12:00pm – 3:00pm Eastern / 9:00am – 12:00pm Pacific (Registration deadline: October 19)

    Registration has closed – please contact eaurand@ebrc.org for more information

     

    These virtual writing workshops (3 hours each) are focused on drafting and revising the roadmap. Workshops are organized as follows:

    • Introduction of workshop participants and the current status of the roadmap;
    • Drafting and revising of the roadmap’s technical themes (with a focus on processing, properties, and performance of materials from engineering biology). This includes describing the current state-of-the-art science and engineering and envisioning aggressive milestones for technical achievements that will contribute to the next generation of bio-inspired, bio-enabled, and living materials; and,
    • Brainstorming ambitious and inspiring applications of these new materials and technologies and the technical achievements that will contribute to their realization.

    A detailed agenda, participant instructions, and Zoom videoconferencing links will be emailed to registrants prior to each workshop.

     

  • EBRC Fall 2020 Retreat

    EBRC’s council retreat is by invitation only.

    REGISTRATION

    Virtual Online Event

    REGISTER

    MEETING OVERVIEW

    You must register to attend the EBRC Fall 2020 Council Retreat.

    The agenda will be distributed and posted online here when ready. Please use the timeline below for planning purposes.
    Thursday, October 8, 2020:  8:00 AM – 2:00 PM PDT
    Friday, October 9, 2020:       8:00 AM – Noon PDT

  • Malice Analysis: September 2020 Virtual Workshops

    EBRC is hosting several Malice Analysis Workshops during the month of September to train researchers to critically evaluate the security implications of their research. Pick the workshop time and date that fits your schedule and join us!

  • EBRC Malice Analysis (Virtual) Workshop: September 23, 2020

    Register Here

    Biology is easier than ever to engineer. While almost all synthetic biologists will use the tools of engineering biology / synthetic biology to understand the world around us and make it a better place, we need to recognize that malicious actors can also use these tools to generate harmful organisms or products. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The EBRC is holding an interactive virtual workshop to train graduate students and postdocs to assess their own work for potentially malicious utility. We’ll discuss what to do if you identify a potential security issue in your own research or that of your colleagues.

  • EBRC Malice Analysis (Virtual) Workshop: September 21, 2020

    Register Here

    Biology is easier than ever to engineer. While almost all synthetic biologists will use the tools of engineering biology / synthetic biology to understand the world around us and make it a better place, we need to recognize that malicious actors can also use these tools to generate harmful organisms or products. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The EBRC is holding an interactive virtual workshop to train graduate students and postdocs to assess their own work for potentially malicious utility. We’ll discuss what to do if you identify a potential security issue in your own research or that of your colleagues.

  • EBRC Malice Analysis (Virtual) Workshop: September 18, 2020

    Register Here

    Biology is easier than ever to engineer. While almost all synthetic biologists will use the tools of engineering biology / synthetic biology to understand the world around us and make it a better place, we need to recognize that malicious actors can also use these tools to generate harmful organisms or products. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The EBRC is holding an interactive virtual workshop to train graduate students and postdocs to assess their own work for potentially malicious utility. We’ll discuss what to do if you identify a potential security issue in your own research or that of your colleagues.

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