Invitation:

Industry Workshop on Synthetic Biology – November 03, 2009 in Cambridge Virulence Factor Information Repository (VIREP) and Code of Conduct

November 03, 2009 in Camebridge, MA  (USA)

You are cordially invited to a workshop on Synthetic Biology organized by the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California Berkeley, and IASB. The focus of the workshop will be the finalization of a Code of Conduct for providers of DNA synthesis services and the future development and application of the Virulence Factor Information Repository – VIREP.

The workshop will focus on tangible results for the improved biosecurity of DNA synthesis services. We aim to create a roadmap for the implementation of a reference standard for screening software. This effort will be tightly coordinated with the future development of VIREP.

VIREP is intended to be a unified database for information on virulence factors aggregated from academic research as well as from screening programs of synthetic biology companies. The database will facilitate the step from an organism-centric view of biosecurity to a gene-centric view. It will enable technology providers to screen for risk-associated sequences in a much more efficient way, avoiding a large number of false positive hits, and it will be a valuable tool for research on virulence as well as for machine learning algorithms for the identification of biosecurity threats.

Objectives of the workshop are:

  • Create a roadmap for the implementation of industry standard screening software
  • Use this roadmap to better coordinate current software development efforts and to create a focus for funding
  • Discuss and improve the VIREP database which will form the basis for the compilation of more specific reference lists for DNA sequence screening
  • Finalize the Code of Conduct with the approval of all participating industry players
  • Discuss and reach agreement on company contributions of virulence data and other curation services to VIREP
  • Discuss ground rules for virulence data sharing project (VIREP) and organize governance for same.

The workshop will take place on November 03, 2009 in Cambridge (MA). This is one day after the iGEM Jamboree at MIT. The exact location and agenda will be announced in September. In the meantime, if you are interested in participating, please send an email to info@ia-sb.eu and note this date in your scheduler. We will put you on a mailing list for the workshop and will send you further details as soon as possible.