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Technical Program
To view the full program and abstracts please CLICK HERE
| Start Time | End Time | |
| June 23, 2025 | All Central Daylight Time (CDT) | |
| Day 1 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Registration + Badge Pick Up |
| 9:00 AM | 9:15 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chair: Jeffrey Tabor, Rice University |
| 9:15 AM | 10:15 AM | KEYNOTE: From benchtop to breweries: Transforming essential medicine supply chains via whole-cell synthetic biochemistry, Christina Smolke, Stanford/Antheia Inc |
| 10:15 AM | 10:45 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 10:45 AM | 12:10 PM | Session 1: Biomanufacturing for Sustainability Session Chairs: Tara Karimi, Cemvita & Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, Arizona State University |
| 10:45 AM | 10:50 AM | Session Introduction by Session Chairs: Tara Karimi, Cemvita & Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, Arizona State University |
| 10:50 AM | 11:15 AM | Invited Speaker: Scale-up: a transformative phase for a product and company, Muriel Dewilde, Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant |
| 11:15 AM | 11:40 AM | Invited Speaker: Synthetic biology tools for bioenergy-relevant microbes, Carrie Eckert, ORNL |
| 11:40 AM | 11:55 AM | Selected Abstract: Developing Cutting-Edge Toolkits to Harness the Power of Non-Conventional Yeast Maudiozyma Bulderi for Sustainable Lactic Acid Production, Reem Swidah, The University of Manchester |
| 11:55 AM | 12:10 PM | Selected Abstract: Engineering Non-Model Microbes for Upcycling Plastic Waste on Earth and for Space Exploration, Tae Seok Moon, J. Craig Venter Institute |
| 12:10 PM | 1:10 PM | Lunch & Beckman Coulter & Twist Biosciences Sponsored Panel Moderated by Jeff Tabor, Rice University: Commercializing Synthetic Biology: How Our Technology and Research Are Being Applied in the Real World |
| 12:10 PM | 12:25 PM | Attendees Grab Lunch |
| 12:25 PM | 12:40 PM | Sponsored Talk: Tools to Drive DBTL Efficiently, De-Risk Scale-Up, and Prioritize High-Quality Data. Enabling smarter biomanufacturing decisions through automation, precision, and robust data integrity. Maria Savino, Beckman Coulter |
| 12:40 PM | 12:55 PM | Sponsored Talk: DN/Ai. How Gene Synthesis is evolving to support the new AI driven biotech industry, Esteban Toro, Twist Biosciences |
| 12:55 PM | 1:10 PM | Q&A Discussion |
| 1:10 PM | 2:35 PM | Session 2: Automation for Synthetic Biology; Session Chairs: Emma Chory, Duke University & Michael Clear, Schmidt Sciences |
| 1:10 PM | 1:15 PM | Session Introduction by Session Chairs: Emma Chory, Duke University & Michael Clear, Schmidt Sciences |
| 1:15 PM | 1:40 PM | Invited Speaker: Arvind Ramanathan, Argonne National Lab |
| 1:40 PM | 2:05 PM | Invited Speaker: Emma Chory, Duke University |
| 2:05 PM | 2:20 PM | Selected Abstract: Toehold VISTA: A Versatile Approach to Decipher Programmable RNA Sensor-Target Interactions Facilitated By an Automated Riboregulator Assembly Pipeline, James Robson, Boston University |
| 2:20 PM | 2:35 PM | Selected Abstract: Machine Learning Guided Ultra-High Throughput Characterization of Entire Genetic Design Spaces in Mammalian Cells, Kshitij Rai, Rice University |
| 2:35 PM | 2:50 PM | Selected Abstract: An Automated Workflow for Designing Modular and Tunable Molecular Biosensors Using Aptamer-Regulated Transcription, Heonjoon Lee, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine |
| 2:50 PM | 3:20 PM | Afternoon Coffee Break |
| 3:20 PM | 3:45 PM | Lightning Talks Moderated by Tara Karimi, Cemvita |
| 3:20 PM | 3:25 PM | Lightning Talk: Adaptive Laboratory Evolution and Metabolic Engineering of Cupriavidus Necator for Sustainable Microbial Protein Production, Eric C. Holmes, National Renewable Energy Laboratory |
| 3:25 PM | 3:30 PM | Lightning Talk: Functional Plasticity of HCO3– uptake and CO2 Fixation in Cupriavidus Necator H16, Justin Panich, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| 3:30 PM | 3:35 PM | Lightning Talk: Evolution Guided Tolerance Engineering of Pseudomonas Putida for Production of the Sustainable Drop-in Biofuel Isoprenol, Aparajitha Srinivasan, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab |
| 3:35 PM | 3:40 PM | Lightning Talk: Microfluidic DNA Data Storage Architecture with Multiplexed Random Access and Dynamic File Management, Muhammad Hassan Raza, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University |
| 3:40 PM | 3:45 PM | Lightning Talk: A Bioelectrochemical Crossbar Architecture Screening Platform (BiCASP) for Screening of Quinones Using Lactiplantibacillus Plantarum, Hasika Suresh, Tufts University |
| 3:45 PM | 3:50 PM | Introduction to Rice University's Cocktail Reception by Caleb Bashor |
| 3:50 PM | 4:50 PM | Cocktail Reception Sponsored by Rice University + Poster Session 1 |
| Start Time | End Time | |
| June 24, 2025 | All Central Daylight Time (CDT) | |
| Day 2 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Registration + Badge Pick Up |
| 9:00 AM | 9:05 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chair: Jeffrey Tabor, Rice University |
| 9:05 AM | 10:05 AM | KEYNOTE: Synthetic biology for people and planet health, Michael Jewett, Stanford University |
| 10:05 AM | 10:35 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 10:35 AM | 12:00 PM | Session 3: Molecular Engineering and Evolution; Session Chair: Katie Galloway, MIT |
| 10:35 AM | 10:40 AM | Introduction to Session by Session Chair: Katie Galloway, MIT |
| 10:40 AM | 11:05 AM | Invited Speaker: Alexandre Zanghellini, Arzeda |
| 11:05 AM | 11:30 AM | Invited Speaker: High-Resolution and Programmable RNA-in and RNA-out Genetic Circuit in Living Mammalian Cells, Chunbo Lou, Chinese Academy of Science |
| 11:30 AM | 11:45 AM | Selected Abstract: High-Throughput Domain Insertion Libraries to Engineer Allosteric Splicing Ribozymes for Modular Broad-Host Range Genetic Control, Genetic Recordings, and Biosensing, August Staubus, Rice University |
| 11:45 AM | 12:00 PM | Selected Abstract: Advancing Vaccine Innovation: Development of a High-Throughput Protein Engineering Platform for Virus-like Particles, Chunyu Wu, Merck & Co., Inc. |
| 12:00 PM | 12:15 PM | Selected Abstract: Systematic Design of Genetic Systems for Non-Model Microbes of Clinical and Biotechnological Relevance, Christopher. D Johnston, UT MD Anderson |
| 12:15 PM | 1:15 PM | Lunch |
| 12:15 PM | 12:45 PM | Attendees Grab Lunch |
| 12:45 PM | 1:15 PM | Introduction to NIH/NIBIB and funding opportunities in Synthetic Biology, Jermont Chen, NIH/NIBIB |
| 1:15 PM | 2:40 PM | Session 4: Building With Biology; Session Chairs: Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, Arizona State University & Keith Keitz, University of Texas |
| 1:15 PM | 1:20 PM | Introduction by Session Chair: Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, Arizona State University & Keith Keitz, University of Texas |
| 1:20 PM | 1:45 PM | Invited Speaker: Solving the Grand Challenge of Tumor-Specific Therapies with Logic-Gated Cells, Timothy Lu, MIT |
| 1:45 PM | 2:10 PM | Invited Speaker: Building a Sustainable Biomanufacturing Platform, Harish Nagarajan, Genomatica |
| 2:10 PM | 2:25 PM | Selected Abstract: Phase Separation for Designing Synthetic Gene Circuits Robust to Host Context, Xiaojun Tian, Arizona State University |
| 2:25 PM | 2:40 PM | Selected Abstract: Intercellular DNA Communication for Bio-Computation in Synthetic Bacterial Consortia, Manish Kushwaha, INRAe, University of Paris Saclay |
| 2:40 PM | 3:10 PM | Afternoon Coffee Break |
| 3:10 PM | 3:40 PM | Lightning Talks Moderated By Jeffrey Tabor, Rice University |
| 3:10 PM | 3:15 PM | Lightning Talk: Engineering Multi-Layered Post-Transcriptional Synthetic Gene Circuits with Sponge RNAs for Novel Control of Gene Expression in E. coli, Scott Stacey, University of Oxford |
| 3:15 PM | 3:20 PM | Lightning Talk: Engineering Pattern Formation in Bacteria, Jung Hun Park, University of Lausanne |
| 3:20 PM | 3:25 PM | Lightning Talk: High-Throughput In Vivo DNA Engineering By Bacterial Conjugation, Po-Hsiang Hung, BacStitch DNA, Inc., Stanford University |
| 3:25 PM | 3:30 PM | Lightning Talk: Engineering ligand-Binding Receptor for Establishing Synthetic Symbiosis between Non-Host Plants and Ectomycorrhizal Fungi, Ruchika Rajput, Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
| 3:30 PM | 3:35 PM | Lightning Talk: Increasing the Stability of Trans-Splicing Ribozymes That Activate Protein Translation for Community-Level Programming., David L. Gillett, Rice University |
| 3:35 PM | 3:40 PM | Lightning Talk: Highly Parallelized Detection of Compounds with Whole-Cell Microbial Biosensors Integrated in Microfluidic Device, Hann Tu, Northeastern University |
| 3:40 PM | 4:40 PM | Poster Session 2 |
| Start Time | End Time | |
| June 25, 2025 | All Central Daylight Time (CDT) | |
| Day 3 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Registration + Badge Pick Up |
| 9:00 AM | 9:05 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chair: Jeffrey Tabor, Rice University |
| 9:05 AM | 10:05 AM | KEYNOTE: Orthogonal biomanufacturing using acyl-CoA elongation biochemistries, Ramon Gonzales, Mojia Biotech |
| 10:05 AM | 10:35 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 10:35 AM | 12:00 PM | Session 5: Environmental Synthetic Biology; Session Chairs: Keith Keitz, University of Texas & Michael Clear, Schmidt Sciences |
| 10:35 AM | 10:40 AM | Session Introduction by Session Chairs: Keith Keitz, University of Texas & Michael Clear, Schmidt Sciences |
| 10:40 AM | 11:05 AM | Invited Speaker: Cecilia Martinez-Gomez, UC Berkeley |
| 11:05 AM | 11:30 AM | Invited Speaker: Reimagining Forest Pathology: Leveraging Synthetic Biology to Combat Fungal Invasions, Joanna Tannous, Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
| 11:30 AM | 11:45 AM | Selected Abstract: Synthetic Microbial Co-Cultures for Modular Bioelectronic Sensing in Diverse Environments, Siliang Li, Rice University |
| 11:45 AM | 12:00 PM | Selected Abstract: Discovery of Natural Competence Enables Genetic Engineering of a Bee Gut Symbiont, A H M Zuberi Ashraf, The University of Texas at Austin |
| 12:00 PM | 12:15 PM | A Synthetic Platform for Multiplex Screening of Cell-Cell Communication between Soil Fungi, Giovanni Schiesaro, Technical University of Denmark |
| 12:15 PM | 1:15 PM | Lunch |
| 1:15 PM | 2:40 PM | Session 6: Plant Synthetic Biology; Session Chair: Gozde Demirer, Caltech |
| 1:15 PM | 1:20 PM | Session Introduction by Session Chair: Gozde Demirer, Caltech |
| 1:20 PM | 1:45 PM | Invited Speaker: Jennifer Brophy, Stanford University |
| 1:45 PM | 2:10 PM | Invited Speaker: Using Cell-Free Prototyping and Plant Genome Engineering to Produce Plant-Based Metabolites, Quentin Dudley, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| 2:10 PM | 2:25 PM | Selected Abstract: Plant and Yeast Bioengineering Unveils Glycosyl Hydrolases for Soluble Fiber Production, Talia Jacobson, University of Florida |
| 2:25 PM | 2:40 PM | Selected Abstract: Continuous Directed Evolution of Soybean (Glycine max) Sbpase, Ignacio Sparrow Munoz, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign |
| 2:40 PM | 2:55 PM | Selected Abstract: Extracellular contractile injection systems to deliver functional proteins to plant cells, Mark Legendre, Caltech |
| 2:55 PM | 3:25 PM | Afternoon Coffee Break |
| 3:25 PM | 4:25 PM | Session 7: Synthetic Biology for Cell and Gene Therapy; Session Chairs: Tara Deans, Georgia Tech & Junghae Suh, Biogen |
| 3:25 PM | 3:30 PM | Session Introduction by Session Chairs: Tara Deans, Georgia Tech & Junghae Suh, Biogen |
| 3:30 PM | 3:55 PM | Invited Speaker: Caleb Bashor, Rice University |
| 3:55 PM | 4:10 PM | Selected Abstract: Transfer: Programmable Macromolecule Delivery Via Engineered Trogocytosis, Xinyi Chen, Stanford University |
| 4:10 PM | 4:25 PM | Selected Abstract: Monitoring In Vivo Transcription with Synthetic Serum Markers, Sho Watanabe, Rice University |
| 4:25 PM | 4:40 PM | Selected Abstract: Autoimmune Disease Management through IL-23 Responsive Cell Sensors, Gabriela Garza, University of Michigan |
| 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | Lightining Talks Moderated By Gozde Demirer, Caltech |
| 4:40 PM | 4:45 PM | Lightning Talk: A Comprehensive Platform for Pathway Analysis, Omics Integration, and Data-Driven Design, Peter Karp, SRI International |
| 4:45 PM | 4:50 PM | Lightning Talk: Sequence Display-Enabled Machine Learning for Protein Evolution, Linqi Cheng, Rice University |
| 4:50 PM | 4:55 PM | Lightning Talk: Deep Learning-Guided De Novo Design of RNA Translational Control Elements in Human Cells, Nayoung Kim, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard |
| 4:55 PM | 5:00 PM | Lightning Talk: Empowering Synthetic Biology with Biocyc: A Comprehensive Platform for Pathway Analysis, Omics Integration, and Data-Driven Design, Ron Caspi, SRI International |
| 5:00 PM | 5:05 PM | Lightning Talk: Resource Efficient Enzyme Engineering Using Functionally Interpretable Latent Representations Coupled with Bayesian Optimization, Ayaan Hossain, Tessera Therapeutics |
| 5:05 PM | 5:10 PM | Lightning Talk: Application of a Fully Synthetic Golden Gate Assembly System to the Rapid and Flexible Engineering of Opportunistic Human Pathogen Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Phage Phikmv, Gregory J. S. Lohman, New England Biolabs, Inc. |
| 5:10 PM | 6:10 PM | Poster Session 3 |
| Start Time | End Time | |
| June 26, 2025 | All Central Daylight Time (CDT) | |
| Day 4 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Registration + Badge Pick Up |
| 9:00 AM | 9:05 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chairs: Jeffrey Tabor, Rice University |
| 9:05 AM | 10:05 AM | KEYNOTE: Building a Biofoundry to Accelerate Biotechnology from Extreme & Exceptional Microorganisms, Michelle O'Malley, UCSB |
| 10:05 AM | 10:35 AM | ACS SynBio Young Innovator Award: Making and Breaking Proteins: New Tools for Cell Biology and Cellular Engineering, John Ngo, Boston University |
| 10:35 AM | 11:05 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 11:05 AM | 12:30 PM | Session 8: AI and Computation for Synthetic Biology; Session Chairs: Jeffrey Tabor, Rice University & Emma Chory, Duke University |
| 11:05 AM | 11:10 AM | Session Intrudction by Session Chairs: Jeffrey Tabor, Rice University & Emma Chory, Duke University |
| 11:10 AM | 11:35 AM | Invited Speaker: Genetic Systems Calculator: Automated Many-Model Design of Complex Genetic Systems & Libraries, Howard Salis, Pennsylvania State University |
| 11:35 AM | 12:00 PM | Invited Speaker: Lingchong You, Duke University |
| 12:00 PM | 12:15 PM | Selected Abstract: Machine Learning-Driven Exploration of Cell-Free Composition to Maximize RNA Production and Model Gene Expression Dynamics, Olivier Borkowski, INRAE Micalis Institute |
| 12:15 PM | 12:30 PM | Selected Abstract: Declarative Bioengineering Platform for the Simplification of Composing Physics and Deep Learning-Based Workflows, Zachary Martinez, California Institute of Technology |
| 12:30 PM | 12:45 PM | Selected Abstract: Dual-Scale Dynamic Models Render Synthetic Circuit Dyanmics across Growth Stages, Chelsea Hu, Texas A&M University |
| 12:45 PM | 12:55 PM | Closing Remarks from Chairs: Jeffrey Tabor, Rice University |
