Wednesday, March 17

3:00 – 3:45 p.m. CST

ONLINE

SYTHETIC BIOLOGY (SB) IS ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING FIELDS OF RESEARCH FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.

SB offers powerful new ways to improve human health, build the global economy, manufacture sustainable materials, and address climate change. However, current access to SB-enabled breakthroughs is unequal, largely due to bottlenecks in infrastructure and education.

In his talk, Professor Michael Jewett, PhD, will describe his lab’s efforts to re-think the way we engineer biology using cell-free systems to address these bottlenecks. He will show how the ability to readily store, distribute, and activate low-cost, freeze-dried cell-free systems by simply adding water has opened new opportunities for on-demand biomanufacturing of vaccines for global health, point-of-care diagnostics for environmental safety, and education for SB literacy and citizenship.

By integrating cell-free systems with artificial intelligence (AI), he will also show the ability to accelerate the production of carbon-negative platform chemicals. Looking forward, advances in engineering tools and new knowledge underpinning the fundamental science of living matter will ensure that SB helps solve humanity’s most pressing challenges.

Jewett is the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence; Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University and a member of Chemistry of Life Processes Institute.

Audience Q&A to follow Professor Jewett’s talk