CPSC PhD summer course 2016: SYNBIOSYS

On 15-19 August 2016 Copenhagen Plant Science Centre organizes the PhD summer course Synthetic Biology: From pro- to eukaryotic Systems – SYNBIOSYS (4 ECTS) on Frederiksberg Campus.

  

Synthetic biology is the engineering of biology: the deliberate (re)design and construction of novel biological and biologically based parts, devices and systems to perform new functions for useful purposes, that draws on principles elucidated from biology and engineering.

In this context prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms like bacteria (e.g. B. subtilis or E.coli), yeast, microalgae or plants are interesting since they hold the promise for truly sustainable production of high-value compounds like pharmaceutical, commodity chemicals or even fuels.

Traditionally the organisms of choice for synthetic biology have been E. coli and yeast. However, in the future synthetic biology in plant science will have a great potential both for redirecting and engineering of new biosynthetic pathways as well as for improving yield of our crop plants.

Scientific content of the course:

  1. Choice of organisms (chassis): (cyano-) bacteria (E.coli, Synechocystis), yeast, algae, higher plants (chloroplasts).
  2. The parts: Promoters for regulated expression, transcript and protein stabilization and modifications, vectors, neutral integration, DNA synthesis, flip elements for on-off gene expression regulation.
  3. Cloning and high-through-put methodologies: cloning methods, gene stacking, gene replacements, genome editing.
  4. Bioreactors: types (closed, open ponds, etc.), designs of growth regimes (continuous versus batch), harvesting methods and product recovery.
  5. Downstream processing:  product extraction, stabilization and quality control
  6. Ethics in synthetic biology.
  7. Safety and regulations.
  8. Intellectual property rights (IPR).

Lecturers

  • Dominique Loque, Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), USA
  • Remy Chait, Institute of Science and Technology, Austria
  • Thomas Lahaye, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tuebingen, Germany
  • Jørgen Hansen, Managing Director, Evolva, DK
  • Lecturers from Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences: Agnieszka Janina Zygadlo Nielsen, Fernando Geu-Flores, Mathias Pribil, Peter Ulvskov, Poul Erik Jensen, Stephan Wenkel and Sebastian Marquardt.

Time: 15-19 August 2016.

Place: University of Copenhagen
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Thorvaldsensvej 40
1871 Frederiksberg C
Denmark.

Price: 1500 DKK

For further information please contact:
Lene Rasmussen, centre coordinator at Copenhagen Plant Science Centre:lras@plen.ku.dk

Mathias Pribil, Young Investigator at Copenhagen Plant Science Centre:pribil@plen.ku.dk