Plant Engineering in the Synthetic Biology Era

Research in plant metabolism has advanced rapidly since the advent of molecular biology, and has accelerated with the arrival of the omics/big data era. Engineering based on this research has huge potential to contribute to the global bioeconomy by generating green production platforms for feedstocks and fuels, developing new drugs, and improving food quality. However, actual engineering progress – particularly in commercial terms – has been slow and modest. Projects have usually involved inserting just one or a few transgenes of natural origin into a plant genome, selecting integration events, analyzing outcomes, and – in the best cases – rounds of iteration to address remaining constraints. In many other cases, transgenes had no effects, or unexpected/undesired ones.

The design-build-test-learn cycle – the essence of engineering – is poised to turn much faster now that the synthetic biology era is here. Synthetic biology extends the metabolic engineering toolbox by adopting programming concepts such as standardization and modularity, by designing pathways and products that may not exist in nature, and by exploiting computational simulation and DNA writing. Synthetic biology is thus driving a transition to multifaceted engineering of plant metabolism, necessitating an unprecedented level of exchange between multiple academic "silos".

This GRC will therefore bring together leaders from plant and microbial engineering, synthetic biology, and computational biochemistry, as well as funding agencies. The program will: (i) Highlight how synthetic biology can repurpose metabolism; (ii) Present cutting-edge engineering and discovery research from the health and biobased economy sectors; (iii) Consider plants versus microbes as "chassis organisms"; and (iv) Discuss synthetic biology-enabled engineering from industry and government perspectives. Poster sessions will catalyze interaction between junior and senior researchers. Short talks will be selected from poster abstracts. The conference's collegial atmosphere, deep discussion sessions, and informal gatherings will provide a unique forum for cross-disciplinary networking and forge relationships supporting career development.