Organizers The ERTC is funded by the CAS and the MPG Chair CAS - Shen Wenqing Director, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies, CAS Vice President of NSFC C H S I E N C E N SE IE Member of CAS A SC CA OF Professor of Shanghai Institute for Applied Physics DEMY Co-Chair CAS - Zhu Zhiyuan

Vice President, Shanghai Branch, CAS CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Professor of Shanghai Institute for Applied Physics Chair MPG - Gerhard Wegner MAX PLANCK SOCIETY CHINESE ACADEMY Director (em.) Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Hofgartenstraße 8 OF SCIENCES Former Vice President of MPG 80539 Munich, Germany 52, Sanlihe Road Steering Committee CAS P.O. Box 10 10 62 Beijing 100864, China Chen Xiaoya, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS Zhao Guoping, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS 80084 Munich, Germany www.cas.cn Deng Zixin, Shanghai Jiaotong University www.maxplanck.de Bai Linquan, Shanghai Jiaotong University Steering Committee MPG Nediljko Budisa, Technische Universität Berlin Regine Kahmann, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology Michael Mangold, VENUE Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies Eva-Kathrin Sinner, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research st Lotte Sogaard-Andersen, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 Exploratory Round Table Conference Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology Building 11, 319 Yue Yang Rd.Shanghai 200031, China Kai Sundmacher, Synthetic Biology Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Shanghai, October 19th to 21st, 2010 Fellows CAS A detailed map and the address of the venue will be available Yang Chen, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biologi- from Ms Panglung (email see below). cal Sciences, CAS Jiang Taijiao, Institute of Biophysics, CAS Zhu Xinguang, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS Fellows MPG Lars Merkel, Technische Universität Berlin Carlos Acevedo-Rocha, Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie Sascha Rollie, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Violeta Malinova, TechniData Labs, Bulgaria CAS Headquarters Beijing Pan Jiaofeng, Bureau of Planning and Strategy, CAS Lü Yonglong, Bureau of International Co-operation, CAS Zhang Feng, Bureau of Planning and Strategy, CAS Fang Qiang, Bureau of International Co-operation, CAS CAS Shanghai CONTACT Zhang Xu, Shanghai Branch, CAS Ms Xue Fang Zheng Limin, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies, CAS (Conference Office) ...... [email protected] Yang Zhenhua, Shanghai Branch, CAS Xue Fang, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies, CAS Phone: +86 21 6433 7978 Fa Guorong, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS Fax: +86 21 6433 7927 Wang Yaxian, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS Ms Fa Guorong ...... [email protected] MPG Administrative Headquarters Munich Dr . Barbara Spielmann ...... [email protected] Barbara Spielmann, Division for International Relations, Program Management China Dr . Christiane Walch-Solimena . . . . [email protected] Christiane Walch-Solimena – Scientific coordination Sabine Panglung, Division for International Relations Ms Sabine Panglung ...... [email protected] © Budisa, N. in Angewandte Chemie, 2004 Angewandte © Budisa, N. in ERTC on Synthetic Biology Invited Speakers

The term “synthetic biology” had been coined before its content was de- Plenary Speakers fined. The field covers a broad spectrum, from minimal life to artificial pho- Pamela A . SILVER, Harvard University, Boston, USA tosynthesis. It applies to systems and processes, however, which do not exist in nature as such. This is a common denominator in this highly inter- ZHAO Guoping, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS, China disciplinary field. Speakers

One can think of synthetic biology as engineering of biology: the applica- Frank ALLGÖWER, University of Stuttgart, Germany tion of engineering principles and methods to complex biological systems BAI Linquan, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China in order to understand, characterize and translate nature into synthetic ar- CHEN Guoqiang, Tsinghua University, China chitectures and functional entities. The perspective of translation is the fun- damental principle in synthetic biology and is applicable at all hierarchical Antoine DANCHIN, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France levels – from individual molecules through biochemical pathways towards Andrew ELLINGTON, The University of Texas at Austin, USA whole cells, tissues, organisms and ultimately populations. In essence, Martin FUSSENEGGER, ETH, Basel, Switzerland the idea of synthetic biology adds new perspectives as it is a rational and SIAS House GAO Fu, Institute of Microbiology, CAS, China systematic way to reconsider principles from nature. Thomas F . KNIGHT, MIT, Cambridge, USA Exploratory Round Table Conferences Quantification of biological phenomena is one of the consequences from of the Chinese Academy of Sciences the era of genomics and proteomics. Although structures have been re- LAI Luhua, Peking University, China and the Max Planck Society solved, pathways identified and quantities introduced into phenomenolog- LIN Zhanglin, Tsinghua University ical descriptions, biological systems are still fragile from many points of Exploratory Round Table Conferences or ERTC are a joint activity of the LIU Haiyan, University of Science and Technology of China, China view. It is the multidimensionality and complexity of organisation in biolog- Chinese Academy of the Sciences (CAS) and the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft LIU Wen, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, CAS, China ical systems which hinders the simple translation of biology into theoreti- (MPG) under the auspices of the Shanghai Institute of Advanced Sciences cal models, rational-based material synthesis and genetic engineering. Mohamed MARAHIEL, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany (SIAS). In essence, synthetic biology is about the translation of structural-func- Philippe MARLIERE, Isthmus SARL, Paris, France ERTC are intended to provide a platform for scientists of both MPG and tional principles from nature into rational-based synthetics of materials and Wolfgang MEIER, University of Basel, Switzerland CAS to exchange ideas and reflect on opportunities of newly emerging re- organisms. Sven PANKE, ETH, Basel, Switzerland search areas together with the respective international key players at an This ERTC aims for a critical review of the presently existing ideas, strat- early stage of these evolving fields. The main objective of the project is to QIN Chongjun, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS, China egies and aspirations of synthetic biology. The results of the ERTC will act as a seed towards establishing new topical areas as part of a priority- Thomas SCHEIBEL, University of Bayreuth, Germany serve as background for further consideration of CAS and MPG. setting process at the leading edge of science in the supporting organisa- Markus SCHMIDT, IDC, Vienna, Austria tions CAS and MPG. Moreover, the reports of the ERTC will be widely Petra SCHWILLE, University of Technology, Dresden, Germany communicated to both science policy makers as well as to the general sci- entific community. ERTC are to be held at Shanghai in the premises of Uwe B . SLEYTR, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, SIAS at least once a year. Austria MPG and CAS have maintained an exclusive partnership for over 30 years. Jörg STELLING, ETH, Basel, Switzerland The SIAS is an Institute of the CAS Shanghai Branch and was founded in David W . USSERY, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark 2001 with the support of the Max Planck Society as a hub for interdiscipli- WANG Jing, Institute of Psychology, CAS, China nary and international dialogue. WANG Xiao, Arizona State University, USA Each ERTC has a total duration of 3-6 months for preparation and follow- Jeffrey Tze Fei WONG, Hong Kong University. of Science & Technology, China up. The topic of the 1st ERTC meeting will be Synthetic Biology, including the following subthemes: YANG Minghuan, Beijing Genomics Institute, CAS, China • Methodology of synthetic biology ZENG Anping, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany • Chemical synthetic biology ZHAO Huimin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA • Synthetic cells and genomes © E. Sinner, MPI for Polymer Research ZHAO Liping, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China • Synthetic circuits and communities