James Collins

Synthetic Biology: Life Redesigned

James J. Collins
Institute for Medical Engineering & Science
Department of Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard;
Wyss Institute, Harvard University

Abstract:
Synthetic biology is bringing together engineers, physicists and
biologists to model, design and construct biological circuits out of
proteins, genes and other bits of DNA, and to use these circuits to
rewire and reprogram organisms.  These re-engineered organisms are
going to change our lives in the coming years, leading to cheaper
drugs, rapid diagnostic tests, and synthetic probiotics to treat
infections and a range of complex diseases.  In this talk, we
highlight recent efforts to create synthetic gene networks and
programmable cells, and discuss a variety of synthetic biology
applications in biotechnology and biomedicine.

Bio:
Jim Collins is the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science
and Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT, as well as a Member of
the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology Faculty. He is also a
Core Founding Faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically
Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, and an Institute Member of
the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He is one of the founders of
the field of synthetic biology, and his research group is currently
focused on using synthetic biology to create next-generation
diagnostics and therapeutics. Professor Collins' patented technologies
have been licensed by over 25 biotech, pharma and medical devices
companies, and he is the scientific co-founder of Synlogic, Senti
Biosciences, Sherlock Biosciences and Cellarity, as well as Phare Bio,
a non-profit focused on AI-driven antibiotic discovery. He has
received numerous awards and honors, including a MacArthur "Genius"
Award and the Dickson Prize in Medicine, and he is an elected member
of all three national academies - the National Academy of Sciences,
the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of
Medicine.