Microbial Engineering and Fermentation

Synthetic Biology and Genome Engineering

Synthetic biology and genome engineering are reshaping the frontiers of biotechnology, enabling unprecedented control over biological systems. Breakthroughs in next-generation sequencing and DNA synthesis have dramatically accelerated cellular prototyping, compressed development timelines, and generated vast biochemical datasets. These advances are driving innovation across therapeutic development, disease diagnostics, sustainable biomanufacturing (including biofuels, biochemicals, and biomaterials), and environmental bioremediation.

This session will highlight cutting-edge research and technological developments in synthetic biology and genome engineering. Topics will include, but are not limited to:

De novo genome design
Multiplex genome editing
Genetic and metabolic engineering of non-model organisms and industrial hosts
Transcriptional and translational reprogramming
Genetic circuit design and biosensors
Tool development for genome manipulation and analysis
We invite researchers and practitioners to share their latest findings, methodologies, applications, and case studies, with an emphasis on translational impact and real-world implementation.

Engineering Microbes and Microbial Communities

This session will highlight advances in engineering microbes and microbial consortia for bioproduction, health, agriculture, environmental, and other applications. We invite contributions that apply synthetic biology, systems biology, metabolic engineering, and microbiome design to create microbes or microbial communities with enhanced or novel functions. We especially encourage submissions that link microbial design to fermentation performance, process development, and manufacturability. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: design and application of synthetic gene circuits and pathways; metabolic modeling and flux analysis; microbial strain engineering and pathway optimization; engineering microbial co-cultures or consortia; microbial biosensors and their applications; and case studies of microbial fermentation, process development, and scale-up. Submissions that integrate new experimental or computational technologies in these areas are especially welcome.

Metabolic Engineering and Natural Products

Metabolic Engineering and Natural Products topics of interest:

1. Next generation synthetic biology (novel organisms/cell-free production) and bioengineering (CRISPR/prime editing)
2. Microbial bioprocessing for scalable and efficient production
3. Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning in metabolic engineered cells via control strategies and data management
4. Genomic medicine (RNA/cell based/microbiome)
   Recent advancements in metabolic engineering, precise gene editing techniques, and affordable next-generation sequencing (NGS) are poised to revolutionize biomanufacturing. Natural products, chemicals with complex structures and unique biological activities, have immense value across therapeutic and industrial domains. Metabolic engineering enables the sustainable production of high-value natural products, chemicals and therapeutics that are otherwise difficult or expensive to obtain through traditional chemical synthesis. It also facilitates the discovery of novel compounds by enabling activating cryptic biosynthetic pathways. Innovations in this theme aim to improve biomanufacturing efficiency, reduce variability in product quality, and enable targeted quality by design, thereby ultimately benefiting diverse patient populations.
   During this session, speakers will highlight several key areas such as: