11-Mar-2024
Workshop Alert

12th Build-a-Cell Workshop hosted at J. Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla

The workshop will take place March 29, 2024 with registration closing March 19

J. Criag Venter Institute is hosting the 12th Build-a-Cell Workshop March 29, 2024 at its campus in La Jolla, California. The purpose of the workshop is to synergize research in the synthetic cell community. This includes both efforts to make non-living synthetic cells as well as efforts to construct the first living synthetic cell entirely out of non-living parts. Build-a-Cell workshops are held twice yearly, free, and include breakfast and lunch.

Event cost: free
Registration deadline: March 19, 2024
Workshop website | registration form

The meeting follows an unconventional format where the entire group meets at the beginning and end but breaks up into working groups for the majority of the meeting, with a poster session after lunch. Working groups vary and new ones often formed. Some working groups at the meeting may include:

LifeOS roadmap

  • Building an operating system for life.

Interlab group

  • A list of potential components/subsystems that have already been demonstrated in isolation butand could be potentially integrated together in a “synthetic cell” to demonstrate some interesting function. Outputs are diagrams showing the components and some made-up graphs showing what we think we could demonstrate.

PURE that makes PURE/better translation group

  • Self-replicating cell free in vitro translation systems, making and upgrading cell-free protein expression extracts.
  • Expected outcome: white paper review? list of problems that need to be solved to obtain self-replicating PURE

In silico cell group

  • Software for modelling and simulation of synthetic cell metabolism, transport, signaling, and circuits.
  • Expected outcome: list of available codes and protocols, list of needs for inputs and wishes for outputs, start dedicated Git.
  • Put together a v0.1 simulation of a synthetic cell that has whatever functionality we can muster.

Questions group

  • What are the big questions for the synthetic cell field. How will the world respond to humans making living cells. Why make synthetic cells.

Communications group

  • Creating a set of (freely shareable) slides that can be used by anyone to introduce, explain, and advocate for building cells.

Essential genes group

  • Essential genes of known and unknown function - minimal gene list for cell or for different kinds of cells.