For our May BBI International Webinar, we are delighted to be joined by Dr Elizabeth Strychalski, Group Leader of the Cellular Engineering Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Living measurement systems and minimal cells for engineering biology
Measurement tools made from biological parts - living measurement systems - offer a compelling opportunity to better control and engineer biological systems in a way that takes full advantage of naturally-evolved biology and human capabilities for engineering living systems. First, Elizabeth will briefly summarize efforts at the National Institute of Science and Technology to build living measurement systems. These include improved directed evolution workflows for engineering protein sensors, cellular computation using continuously transcribed RNA strand displacement circuits, and measurement assurance for engineering biology chassis. Second, she will take up a deeper consideration of genomically minimal cells, whose creation represents a tour de force of modern biology. A review of the underlying capabilities leading to the minimal cell offers suggestions for further optimization and future possibilities for other types of minimized cells. Despite its relatively well-understood genome, the minimal cell retains genes of unknown function. Absent a comprehensive understanding of the role of every gene in the minimal cell, opportunities remain to bridge genotype and phenotype using physical models for insight into gene function and to inform forward engineering.
Elizabeth Strychalski founded and leads the Cellular Engineering Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the national metrology institute of the United States. The Cellular Engineering Group provides a foundation of high-quality measurement tools and methods to support the design and control of biological function for applications of engineering biology. Her Group participates in many community groups, such as Build a Cell, SBOL, Global Biofoundry Alliance, and the Engineering Biology Research Consortium. She also served as a Program Manager in the Biological Technologies Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where she managed a portfolio to aggressively advance experimental and theoretical research at the interface of synthetic biology, control engineering, nanobiotechnology, and fluidic devices. She is the recipient of numerous awards, such as the University of Rochester’s Harry W. Fullbright Prize and Janet Howell Clark Award, a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associateship, and the Maryland Academy of Sciences Young Scientist Award.
Zoom: https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/91263606299
Slido: #862710
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- Remember there can be a slight lag, so the seminar may move at a slower pace.
- If you notice any major issues please email k.sedgley@bristol.ac.uk or wayne.powell@bristol.ac.uk - we would also love your feedback post seminar.