Abstract

Professor Ron Weiss (MIT) introduces the design and implementation of synthetic gene circuits in mammalian systems, exploring the potential of this approach in regenerative medicine and stem cell engineering. The talk and dialogue will be followed by a wine reception and delicious finger buffet.

Professor Ron Weiss (MIT) is a pioneer of synthetic biology and is currently Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT in the Department of Biological Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The Weiss lab uses computer engineering principles of abstraction, composition, and interface specifications to program cells with sensors and actuators precisely controlled by analog and digital logic circuitry encoded in synthetic gene networks. These circuits can be used to control the behaviour of individual and aggregated cells and from early work in bacteria, the lab has more recently explored transcriptional regulation in mammalian cells. Professor Weiss’s research has traced a journey from genetic parts to modules and is now devising therapeutic systems that more reliably direct stem cells to create new tissues. This work aims to move towards replacing the cells lost to disease or injury, pushing the frontiers of the nascent field of synthetic morphogenesis. In this talk, we will explore the potential of synthetic biology as an approach in regenerative medicine and stem cell engineering.

The talk and dialogue will be followed by a wine reception and delicious finger buffet.

Registration: £10/£5

This event is organised by the Synthetic Biology Strategic Research Initiative as part of our Michaelmas Term 2016 SynBio Forum. For more events please visit:

http://www.synbio.cam.ac.uk/events/forum

Please use this link to book attendance