Organized by:

Victor de Lorenzo, National Center of Biotechnology, CSIC

Pablo I. Nikel, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain)

Guo-Qiang Chen, Tsinghua University

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Motivation and opportunity. Contemporary Synthetic Biology (SynBio) and Metabolic Engineering focus on designing new biological systems to address fundamental biological questions and developing biotechnologically relevant solutions. A key aspect of this process is selecting the appropriate chassis, the biological platform on which engineering efforts are applied. Among the various available chassis, the genus Pseudomonas, particularly the species P. putida, has emerged as an ideal platform for leveraging SynBio’s conceptual and technological advancements. Because of its frequent habitats (soil polluted with industrial waste), this species offers an optimal context for designing effective biocatalysts capable of executing complex chemical reactions and deliver novel, new-to-nature properties. The proposed hands-on course will be the first of its kind, offering selected participants training in cutting-edge SynBio-based technologies specifically designed for this microorganism.

Principal themes and objectives. The agenda of this Course involves exploration of methodological interfaces between Molecular Biology and Engineering in order to generate P. putida strains with predefined physical and biochemical properties. The intensive schedule includes formal lectures by top experts in the field, discussions, poster sessions, and an exhaustive experimental program. Students will be exposed to the basics of SynBio while exploring its projection in both fundamental research and frontline biotechnology applications using Pseudomonas as the platform to this end. The program will embrace two daily lectures on some of the hottest topics in Pseudomonas-related SynBio combined with 5 experiments (see below) that cover a range of genetic engineering challenges and techniques. The laboratory work will employ exclusively P. putida, while the lectures will also deal with other Pseudomonas and related species and will encompass also a diversity of topics beyond, including Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of the cognate technologies.

Participants. The course is aimed at PhD students and early post-doctoral researchers who are entering the field of Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering of Pseudomonas, and it is limited to 20 participants. We aim to have a gender balance as well as a larger geographical distribution, including young researchers from various continents. This will allow us to ensure a broad distribution of knowledge gained on this Course. All places in the Course will be distributed according to a selection process based on information collected upon registration covering the following issues: [i] Relevance of the candidates’ research interests and demonstration that the candidate is currently performing a successful research, [ii] Expectations for this Course and an explanation of how the gained expertise will enable the applicant to pursue new research directions. Participants are expected to come from the fields of Molecular Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Engineering. The selection will ensure a balance between the various specialties for assembling typically interdisciplinary teams to run the various experiments on which the course will be based.

Course dynamics. The Course will start with a lecture on Sunday evening Sept 7, followed by a breaking the ice activity and welcome drinks. Organizers are expected to facilitate networking through dedicated activities during the meeting. These will include, but not be limited to, poster sessions, joint meals, meet the speaker sessions and flash talks. Creative ideas regarding the facilitation/promotion of networking will welcomed on the fly. All participants (students and speakers/instructors) will be accommodated together and will have all meals together; this will facilitate interaction and networking. Speakers will be asked to stay in Suzhou for at least 2-3 days and be available for Course attendants. Students will be organized in 5 teams who will work in close partnership. The program will include poster sessions with some snacks and short presentations every day. In addition, there will be group activities and discussions throughout the course. Students, speakers and trainers will have a group activity (e.g. guided visit to the historical Suzhou), which will also facilitate their interactions.

The practical work will involve 5 experiments each run by a different team and performed in parallel. They will involve some of the latest SynBio-based technologies for Pseudomonas, so students become familiar with the newest tools in the field. The participants will be divided on day 2 in 5 teams of 4 each. Individual teams will be assigned one instructor of the list above, who will supervise the work of each group through the duration of the Course. Our concept is using similar SynBio technologies per team, whereby each of them examines a different question or addresses a different design challenge, but each team can cross-talk with the other at the methodological level. The five practical projects during this course are the following: [i] Inactivation of a whole regulatory network (2-component systems and the cyclic-di-GMP-regulon), [ii] Biopainting of solid surfaces with engineered bacterial epithelia, [iii] Development of an odor-pleasant Pseudomonas i.e. inactivation of S-related routes an implantation of limonene and menthol pathways, [iv] Optimization of biosynthetic pathways via growth-coupling and [v] Optogenetic control of bacterial growth. In addition to these laboratory activities, students will have one evening a practical exercise in Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of SynBio which will rotate around the viewing of movie clips from BioFiction, the International Synthetic Biology Film Festival (http://bio-fiction.com).

Expected outcomes. The main benefits for students attending this Biotechnology course include [i] Hands-on experience with cutting-edge SynBio technologies, which will be highly valuable for their future research and professional work in the academy and the biotech industry, [ii] Exposure to interdisciplinary research, encouraging students to collaborate across disciplines, enhancing their problem-solving abilities, [iii] International networking opportunities, as they will have ample opportunities to interplay with top experts and peers, [iv] Introduction to creative biotechnological applications such as biocatalysts, biopainting and morphological design as tokens current trends and future directions. [v] Awareness of Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of SynBio enhancing their critical thinking about wider aspects of their work, and [vi] Development of teamwork and leadership skills, preparing students for interdisciplinary collaborations in their future careers.

2025 FACULTY ROSTER

Ludmilla Aristilde, Northwestern University

Lars Blank, RWTH Aachen University

Guo-Qiang Chen, Tsinghua University

Victor de Lorenzo, National Center of Biotechnology, CSIC

Alain Filloux, Nanyang Technological University

Susanne Häussler, Helmholtz Centre for Infection

Pablo I. Nikel, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain)

Aindrila Mukhopadhyay, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Prashant Phale, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Auxi Prieto, Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Margarita Salas, CSIC

Andrea Smania, National University of Cordoba

Hongzhi Tang, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

2025 TRAINERS ROSTER

Ekaterina Kozaeva, Stanford University

Esteban Martínez, National Center of Biotechnology, CSIC

Bin Lai, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ Leipzig)

Daniel Volke, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain)

Emil Ørsted Christensen, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain)

2025 PRICING (INCLUDING TUITION, BOARD AND LODGING): TBD

No payment is due until the selection decisions are made, but any applicant requiring financial support (i.e. stipends) should make that request in written form during the online application. The admissions process is need-blind, your financial situation will not be considered before admission decisions are made.