Press Release: 7th International Meeting on Synthetic Biology Takes Fresh Look at Opportunities and Challenges

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Wednesday, 19 April 2017

You Say You Want a Revolution?

SB7.0, the Seventh International Meeting on Synthetic Biology, will take place 13-16 June 2017 at the National University of Singapore. The meeting is jointly organized by the BioBricks Foundation, SynBioBeta and the National University of Singapore.

“The field of synthetic biology has made significant technical progress since SB1.0 took place at MIT back in 2004,” said Drew Endy of Stanford University and the BioBricks Foundation. “Gene synthesis costs have been reduced 200-fold, all of Boolean logic has been realized across a diversity of organisms, and biosynthesis via 30 enzyme pathways is becoming routine,” he added.

But what’s missing, what’s next, and to what ends? Biology is central to all of human existence and nature. Synthetic biology is already being used to change or challenge almost every facet of today’s world from provisioning foods, fuels, medicines, and clothing, to enabling new modes of critical design, fashion and art. As our science and tools continue to evolve, everyone needs to work together to articulate what challenges, puzzles and problems must be addressed or avoided.

SB7.0 will allow the entire world to take a step back, look at the field as a whole and ask not only how the latest advancements better human life, but also what footprint our technologies leave on the planet. As the full potential of synthetic biology continues to develop, diverse communities must work together to ensure synthetic biology can benefit all people and the planet.

SB7.0 will enable participants to share and refine their own agendas while contributing to the world’s collective synthetic biology strategy. Presentations and discussions will feature leading academics, policymakers, entrepreneurs and civil society organizers from all over the world. “I am very excited to see the entire synthetic biology community gather under one roof in Singapore. The field has grown from strength to strength over the past 14 years, and now is the time to work together to chart our next decade’s course,” added John Cumbers, SynBioBeta founder.

“The three themes underlying SB7.0 are (i) all people and the planet, (ii) diversity with harmony and (iii) revolution,” stated Matthew Chang of the National University of Singapore. “We are looking forward to hosting significant and fruitful discussions at SB7.0. Everyone is welcome,” he added.

The organizers of SB7.0 are committed to enabling people from diverse backgrounds to come together. Alongside invited speakers, we have reserved several speaking slots on the plenary for unsolicited presentations. If you have an important idea which you would like to share, please register and apply. The organizers will work closely with the synthetic biology community to make sure as many voices as possible are included in the SB7.0 conference program, discussions and debates.

For more information on the conference, please visit http://sb7.info/. To get a press pass, please contact Ashley Kubis, Content Development Manager, by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you can reach out to the organizers through the website: http://synbiobeta.com/contact

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About the BioBricks Foundation

The BioBricks Foundation (BBF) is a public benefit organization working to ensure that the engineering of biology is conducted in an open and ethical manner to benefit all people and the planet. BBF works at many levels, including community building, creating platforms for sharing information and materials, facilitating open technical standards, and developing property rights frameworks which spur innovation.

Learn more online via www.biobricks.org

About SynBioBeta

SynBioBeta (SBB) is the leading community of entrepreneurs, investors, policy-makers and enthusiasts devoted to the responsible growth of the synthetic biology field. SynBioBeta hosts international synthetic biology conferences and events that bring the entire community together several times each year, giving anyone the opportunity to meet with the bright minds building and shaping the bioeconomy. SynBioBeta also offers a highly specialized weekly industry e-digest, news blog and educational courses, in addition to providing companies in the industry with opportunities for advertising, exhibition and sponsorships for promotion.

Learn more online via www.synbiobeta.com

About the National University of Singapore

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a publicly-funded autonomous university in Singapore. Founded in 1905, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher learning in Singapore. NUS was ranked as Asia's top university in both the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2016. NUS is also home to the Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI) program, formally established in 2014 as the focal research program for synthetic biology at the National University of Singapore.

Learn more online via www.syncti.org