Conference: Gordon Conference on Synthetic Biology: (Re-constructing and Re-programming Life at Mount Snow Resort, Vermont

概述：合成生物学的追求既是设计和制造自然界中不存在的生物组件和系统，也是重新设计和制造已经存在的生物系统。这一概念的核心是利用跨学科和生物工程设计原则，以前所未有的力量和效率创造“合成”或杂交生物系统。最终，它被设想从自下而上的方法建立起来--细胞组件、隔间甚至细胞，以创造用于分子规模工厂的活设备，用于检测化学武器的传感器，用于清理污染物、诊断疾病、提供疫苗的设备，以及从水和阳光中生产氢气，或者创造新型混合材料。其他正在进行的努力--自上而下的方法--最终的目标是完全相同的，专注于简化现有细胞，并用简单基因组对现有细胞进行基因重新编程。因此，这一新兴领域具有巨大的科学、技术和经济潜力以及对下游的影响。然而，尽管最近在这方面取得了一些进展，合成生物学仍处于初级阶段，知识高度分散和稀缺，并面临着许多严峻的科学、技术和社会挑战。这个关于合成生物学的第一次GRC将在不同领域的从业者之间提供一个深入的讨论论坛，特别关注旨在重建和重新编程生活的自上而下与自下而上的方法。学术价值：本次会议旨在促进深入讨论，以查明挑战、潜力和陷阱，并为该领域未来的发展和巩固奠定基础，以实现设想的、雄心勃勃的目标。由于来自许多不同领域的科学家之间缺乏共同语言，因此，为了建立这样的基础，人们倾向于举行更长时间的会议，用大量时间进行讨论，而不是在“传统的”会议上进行一系列的陈述。因此，会议计划旨在促进这些雄心勃勃的目标。更广泛的影响：在确保最高科学质量和地位的同时，制定会议计划是为了促进老牌研究人员和职业生涯早期阶段的新秀研究人员之间的互动。此外，受邀演讲者和与会者在性别、地域/大洲、族裔和专长方面都取得了良好的平衡。此外，本次会议将为初级科学家和研究生提供机会，以海报形式展示他们的工作，并与该领域的领导者交流想法。这次会议气氛热烈，有计划的讨论会议以及在下午和晚上举行非正式聚会的机会，为来自不同学科的科学家提供了集思广益和促进所代表的不同研究领域的跨学科合作的论坛。因此，这次会议将巩固一个有望产生巨大科学、经济和社会影响的新兴领域的大量从业者和研究课题。

Overview: The pursuit of synthetic biology is both the design and fabrication of biological components and systems that do not exist in the natural world, as well as the re-design and fabrication of already existing biological systems. The core of this concept draws on cross-disciplinary and biological engineering design principles to enable the creation of "synthetic" or hybrid biological systems with unprecedented power and efficiency. Eventually, it is envisioned to build up from scratch - bottom-up approaches - cellular components, compartments and even cells to create living devices for use as molecular-scale factories, sensors to detect chemical weapons, devices to clean up pollutants, diagnose diseases, deliver vaccines, and produce hydrogen from water and sunlight, or to create novel, hybrid materials. Other on-going efforts - top-down approaches - with ultimately the very same goals, focus on simplifying and genetically reprogramming existing cells with simple genomes. Thus, this emerging field has tremendous scientific, technological and economical potential and downstream impacts. However, regardless of a number of recent advances in this regard, Synthetic Biology is as yet in its infancy, with knowledge highly scattered and scarce, and facing many serious scientific, technological and societal challenges ahead. This first GRC on Synthetic Biology will provide an in-depth discussion forum among practitioners of the various fields, with particular focus on top-down vs. bottom-up approaches aimed at re-constructing and re-programming life. Intellectual Merit: This conference seeks to foster in-depth discussions to pinpoint the challenges, potential and pitfalls, and to lay the foundation for future developments and consolidation of the field towards fulfilling the envisaged, ambitious goals. Because of the lack of a common language among the scientists from the many different fields involved, longer meetings with large blocks of time dedicated to discussions, rather than series of presentations held at "traditional" conferences, are favored for establishing such a foundation. The conference program was thus designed to promote these ambitious goals. Broader Impacts : While ensuring the highest scientific quality and standing, the conference program was developed to promote the interaction between established researchers and the up-and-coming investigators at the earlier stages of their careers. Furthermore, both the invited speakers and attendees balance well in terms of gender, geography/continents, ethnicities and expertise. In addition, this conference will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. The collegial atmosphere of this conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides a forum for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm and to promote cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented. Thus, this conference will consolidate a critical mass of practitioners and research topics in an emerging field that promises tremendous scientific, economic and societal impacts.