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。这一概念的核心借鉴了跨学科和生物工程的设计原则，使创造“合成”或杂交生物系统具有前所未有的力量和效率。最终，设想从头开始-自下而上的方法-细胞组件，隔间甚至细胞，以创建用作分子规模工厂的活体设备，检测化学武器的传感器，清理污染物的设备，诊断疾病，提供疫苗，从水和阳光中产生氢气，或者创造新的混合材料。其他正在进行的努力-自上而下的方法-最终目标相同，专注于用简单的基因组简化和遗传重编程现有细胞。因此，这一新兴领域具有巨大的科学、技术和经济潜力以及下游影响。然而，尽管最近在这方面取得了一些进展，合成生物学仍处于起步阶段，知识高度分散和稀缺，面临着许多严重的科学，技术和社会挑战。这第一个关于合成生物学的GRC将为各个领域的从业者提供一个深入的讨论论坛，特别关注自上而下与自下而上的方法，旨在重建和重新编程生命。智力优势：本次会议旨在促进深入讨论，以确定挑战，潜力和陷阱，并为该领域的未来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，更长的会议和大量的时间专门用于讨论，而不是在“传统”会议上举行的一系列演讲，有利于建立这样的基础。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：在确保最高的科学质量和地位的同时，会议计划的制定是为了促进既定研究人员和未来研究人员在职业生涯的早期阶段之间的互动。此外，受邀演讲者和与会者在性别、地理/大陆、种族和专业知识方面都取得了很好的平衡。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，并与该领域的领导人交流思想。本次会议的合议气氛，与程序化的讨论会，以及在下午和晚上的非正式聚会的机会，为来自不同学科的科学家提供了一个论坛，集思广益，并促进跨学科的合作在各个研究领域的代表。因此，本次会议将巩固从业人员和研究课题的新兴领域，承诺巨大的科学，经济和社会影响的临界质量。

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.