Engineering Life: From Antibody Therapies to Synthetic Biology

Is the "In Silico" therapy design revolution truly the next chapter in biotech that leads to faster/better/cheaper therapies? Or is it just high-tech hype capatalizing on the recent explosion of all things "AI" and destined to end up in the trash heap with your old Google Glass? While “design” instead of “discover” promises a shortcut that is not only faster but better, to date the most life-changing antibody-based therapeutic breakthroughs haven't come from a line of code. Join us as we contemplate what going all-in on AI implies about the future of antibody drug discovery.

Genetics usually plays fair: offspring have a 50/50 chance of inheriting a specific gene from either parent. However, naturally occurring "selfish" genetic elements have found a way to cheat this system, ensuring they are passed on to nearly all offspring. Today, synthetic biology allows us to engineer these elements in the laboratory. By coupling specific traits to these selfish genes, we can ensure those traits hitchhike through a wild population over successive generations. This capability opens new pathways for engineering ecosystems by introducing modifications that benefit the species itself or human society. This talk explores the mechanics behind these genetic tools and looks at their potential real-world applications.