Save the date: SynCell2023 in May 22-24 2023, Minnesota USA
Check out SynCell2023SynCell2022
International Conference on Engineering Synthetic Cells and Organelles
18-20 May 2022 – The Hague (the Netherlands) and online
Aim of the Conference
SynCell2022 is an international conference that aims to bring together researchers worldwide to present and discuss the latest results in in bottom-up synthetic biology research. In addition, SynCell2022 also provides room to discuss future scientific and technological perspectives of research on synthetic cells and organelles, and the philosophical and ethical considerations that come with them.
The programme will feature plenary as well as parallel sessions with presentations and discussions, and poster sessions. Invited top scientists will give tutorials for young researchers, and technical sessions and talks for all attendees.
We will accommodate on-site participants, and welcome more participants online via live streams. We strive to make our conference accessible to researchers in countries or regions who may find it difficult to come to The Hague. Participants online will be able to follow the presentations via live streaming and to ask questions via chat. The recordings of the sessions will be available for a limited time after the symposium.
Online registrations closed
Registration to join SynCell2022 online is officially closed. Although online attendance of SynCell2022 is free of charge, we have a limited capacity for the live-streams. To ensure all registered participants can attend, we ask you not to share links for streaming with unregistered colleagues. Please contact us at SynCell2022@tudelft.nl if you want to join SynCell2022 online, so we can keep track of the number of participants, and adjust our capacity if necessary.
On-site registrations closed
On-site registration to join SynCell2022 is closed. However, there might still be a few spots available. Please contact us at SynCell2022@tudelft.nl if you are interested to join SynCell2022 in person.
Session Topics
- Applications in medicine: Drug delivery and hybrid cultures
- (Synthetic) cell components and organization
- Compartments and confiments
- Tools for SynCell research
- Cell division
- Communication and signalling
- Cell shape & size and the cytoskeleton
- Synthetic nucleoid and gene expression
- Philosophical, ethical and public debate
The above list are the specific topics of the sessions, based on the submitted abstracts.
Previous SynCell Conferences
Previous editions of SynCell symposia and conferences include SynCell2021, SynCell2020, SynCell2019, and BaSyC2018.
A look back at SynCell2022
SynCell2022, the International Conference on Engineering Synthetic Cells and Organelles conference is now over. During these three days, we had 123 participants on site and 294 online. It was great to see so many researchers from different disciplines come together and share their knowledge about synthetic cells.
Country of residence of the participants
How long will it take to build a cell and where will the first applications be? We asked several participants these questions in our video below, which also looks back at some of the highlights of the event.
Registration
SynCell2022 can be attended on-site or virtually. In both cases registration is mandatory, and it will be on a first-come first-served basis.
Registration fees
On-site Academia € 450
On-site PhD Student € 375
On-site Industry € 600
Virtual participant free
Deadline(s)
Abstract submission: April 5th [closed]
Registration (on-site): April 12th [closed: contact us if you are interested to join on-site]
Registration (virtual): May 10th [closed: contact us if you are interested to join online]
On-site Registration [closed]
On-site registration to join SynCell2022 is closed. However, there might still be a few spots available. Please contact us at SynCell2022@tudelft.nl if you are interested to join SynCell2022 in person.
To register for SynCell2022 conference as an on-site participant, use the button above or fill in this form.
After you registered you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for the payment of the registration fee and for submitting an abstract if you wish to do so.
Please notice that your place can only be confirmed after payment of the registration fee.
Type of payments accepted are international bank transfers (iDeal, Klarna, PayPal) and credit card payments.
No visa support letters will be issued until payment of the registration fee is confirmed.
On-site Registration Fees include admission, conference materials, COVID-19 safety measures, meals and coffee breaks. Participants are expected to book and pay their own accommodation and travel expenses.
Virtual Registration [closed]
Our aim is to make this conference as inclusive as possible, therefore no fee is requested for virtual attendees, however registration is compulsory.
Registration to join SynCell2022 online is officially closed. Although online attendance of SynCell2022 is free of charge, we have a limited capacity for the live-streams. To ensure all registered participants can attend, we ask you not to share links for streaming with unregistered colleagues. Please contact us at SynCell2022@tudelft.nl if you want to join SynCell2022 online, so we can keep track of the number of participants, and adjust our capacity if necessary.
Virtual Registration includes access to all the talks (live-streamed and, for a limited time, on demand) and the possibility to submit questions through a chat.
Cancellation policy
Payment of the (on-site) registration fee is required to confirm your place at SynCell2022. Cancellation of registration must be submitted per email (to syncell2022@tudelft.nl) and cancellation fees are dependent on the notice given:
- If cancellation occurs less than 7 days prior to the start of the event (thus after May 10th), the cancellation fee is 100% of the registration fee.
- If cancellation occurs between 7 days and 5 weeks prior to the start of the event (thus from April 13th until May 10th), the cancellation fee is 50% of the registration fee.
- If cancellation occurs before the on-site registration deadline (thus before April 13th), a full refund of the registration will be issued.
If payment has been made and a visa is not issued in time to travel to the Netherlands, the full registration fee will be reimbursed. In this case, the visa rejection letter or proof that the visa application process has been initiated on time is required before reimbursement is processed.
If payment has been made and on-site participation is cancelled due to unforeseeable changes in international COVID-19 travel restrictions and/or entry requirements, we will, on a case-by-case basis, consider requests for a full reimbursement of the on-site registration fees.
Invited Speakers
- Gijsje Koenderink, Delft University of Technology
- Hub Zwart, Erasmus University Rotterdam
- Jean-Christophe Baret, University of Bordeaux
- Kate Adamala, University of Minnesota
- Kristina Ganzinger, AMOLF, Amsterdam
- Marileen Dogterom, Delft University of Technology
- Noelle Aarts, Radboud University Nijmegen
- Paul Freemont, Imperial College, London
- Petra Schwille, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
- Samuel Sánchez Ordóñez, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona
- Seraphine Wegner, University of Münster
- Siddharth Deshpande, Wageningen University and Research
- Wallace Marshall, University of California, San Francisco
- Wilhelm Huck, Radboud University Nijmegen
The SynCell2022 Organizing Committee
- Kate Adamala – University of Minnesota
- Jacqueline De Lora – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Stuttgart
- Marileen Dogterom – Delft University of Technology
- Gabriel López – University of New Mexico
- Joachim Spatz – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Stuttgart
Contact
For any questions related to the SynCell2022 conference, you can contact us at SynCell2022@tudelft.nl
Programme
Below is the programme for SynCell2022, followed by a detailed programme of the parallel sessions. All times stated in the programme are in Central European Summer Time (CEST; UTC+2). You can find a time zone converter at this link.
The programme is planned based on the Europe/Amsterdam time zone. As many virtual participants are attending from around the world, we do our best to accommodate as many time zones as possible when creating the programme. Please note that all the talks and sessions are also available on-demand for a limited time.
Wednesday May 18th
| 09:00-15:30 | Registration |
|---|---|
| 10:00-10:45 | Tutorial: Microfluidics: an indispensable tool for building synthetic cells – Wilhelm Huck (Radboud University Nijmegen) |
| 10:45-11:15 | Break |
| 11:15-12:00 | Tutorial: Hacking the liposome formation – Kate Adamala (University of Minnesota) |
| 12:00-13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00-13:45 | Tutorial: Engineered soft interfaces in microfluidics: from the lab to industry – Jean-Christophe Baret (University of Bordeaux, CRPP) |
| 13:45-14:30 | Tutorial: Creating life in the laboratory? A dialectical approach to bottom-up biology – Hub Zwart (Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| 14:30-15:00 | Break |
| 15:00-15:15 | Opening of symposium |
| 15:15-16:00 | Invited talk: Cell division by design – Petra Schwille (Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry) |
| 16:00-16:15 | Break |
| 16:15-18:30 | Parallel sessions: 1. Applications in medicine: drug delivery and hybrid cultures 2. Synthetic cell components and organization |
| 18:30-20:00 | Dinner on site |
| 20:00-20:45 | Invited talk: Society and Synthetic Cells: discussions, dilemma’s and recommendations – Noelle Aarts (Radboud University Nijmegen) |
| 20:45-21:30 | Followed by panel/plenary discussion on ethical and societal impact of synthetic cells (led by Hub Zwart, Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| 21:30-21:45 | Closing of the day |
Thursday May 19th
| 09:00-10:30 | Poster session |
|---|---|
| 10:30-11:00 | Break |
| 11:00-11:45 | Invited talk: Hybrid Machines: Artificial systems powered by biological units – Samuel Sánchez Ordóñez (Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona) |
| 11:45-12:30 | Invited talk: State space approach to cell behavior and design – Wallace Marshall (University of California, San Francisco) |
| 12:30-13:30 | Lunch |
| 13:30-14:15 | Invited talk: Cell to cell signaling through light – Seraphine Wegner (University of Münster) |
| 14:15-15:00 | Invited talk: Exploring cell free lysates from non-model organisms for different applications – Paul Freemont (Imperial College, London) |
| 15:00-15:30 | Break |
| 15:30-18:15 | Parallel sessions: 1. Compartments and confinements 2. Tools for SynCell research 3. Cell division |
| 18:15-18:30 | Break |
| 18:30-20:00 | Dinner on site |
| 20:00-21:00 | Public talk on synthetic cell research: The promise of Synthetic Cells – Marileen Dogterom (Delft University of Technology) |
| 21:00-21:15 | Closing of the day |
Friday May 20th
| 09:00-10:30 | Networking session |
|---|---|
| 10:30-11:00 | Break |
| 11:00-12:30 | Technical Session: High-yield production of giant unilamellar vesicles for synthetic cell research 1. A new spin on making minimal cells – Kristina Ganzinger (AMOLF) 2. Towards synthetic cells capable of actin-driven cell division – Gijsje Koenderink (Delft University of Technology) 3. Bubble-blowing micromachines for designing synthetic cells – Siddharth Deshpande (Wageningen University and Research) |
| 12:30-13:30 | Lunch |
| 13:30-15:35 | Parallel sessions: 1. Cell communication and signalling 2. Cell shape & size and cytoskeleton 3. Synthetic nucleoid and gene expression |
| 15:35-16:00 | Break |
| 16:00-16:45 | Panel discussion on future directions and strategies for synthetic cell research |
| 17:00-17:15 | Closing the symposium |
Parallel programme
Below is a detailed programme of all parallel sessions.
Wednesday May 18th
| 16:15-18:30 | Session 1: Applications in medicine: drug delivery and hybrid cultures | Session 2: Synthetic cell components and organization |
| 16:15-16:35 | Temperature controlled release of in-situ synthesised proteins from synthetic cells – Razia Chowdhry | Programming selectivity at synthetic cell membranes – Dominik Söder |
| 16:35-16:55 | Bottom-up assembly of biomimetic cell-cell interaction modules using lipid-based synthetic cells – Martin Schröter | Toward the understanding of the pore forming mechanism of fibroblast grow factor 2: correlation of oligomeric self-assembly and functional dynamics – Alessandra Griffo |
| 16:55-17:15 | In vivo integration of synthetic cells in mice induce tissue angiogenesis through de-novo production of recombinant growth factors – Gal Chen | Two-photon 3D laser printing inside synthetic cells – Tobias Abele |
| 17:15-17:30 | Short break | |
| 17:30-17:50 | Membrane machines to interact with living matter – Cesar Rodriguez-Emmenegger | Printing and erasing of DNA-based photoresists inside synthetic cells – Tobias Walther |
| 17:50-18:10 | Synthetic tumour immune microenvironments – Oskar Staufer | Sustained ATP-feed in synthetic cells – Laura Heinen |
| 18:10-18:30 | Synthetic magnetic cells (syMcells): exploring forces during hybrid collective cell migration – Jacqueline De Lora | Single cell models – a framework for bottom-up cell design – Raivo Vilu |
Thursday May 19th
| 15:30-16:50 | Session 1: Compartments and confinements (I) | Session 2: Tools for SynCell research |
| 15:30-15:50 | Polymeric biomimetic multicompartment vesicles – Lucas Caire da Silva | Applications of polymer microgels in synthetic biology – Anika Kaufmann |
| 15:50-16:10 | Bacterial microcompartments follow substrate gradients by the mechanisms of stabilitaxis – Jan Steinkühler | An automated DNA-functionalized hydrogel photopatterning system for RNA gradient generation using localized transcription – Misha Rubanov |
| 16:10-16:30 | Assembly of synthetic organelles in shrinking lipid vesicles modulated by osmotic stress – Clémence Schvartzman | Incorporation of SMALPs into giant unilamellar vesicles by using droplet microfluidics – Jorik Waeterschoot |
| 16:30-16:50 | Programmable zwitterionic droplets as model of membraneless organelles – Umberto Capasso Palmiero | Quantitative acoustophoresis: a contact-free assay for the mechanical characterization of bioparticles – Vadim Bogatyr |
| 16:50-17:15 | Break | |
| 17:15-18:15 | Session 3: Compartments and confinements (II) | Session 4: Cell division |
| 17:15-17:35 | Light-responsive coacervates with non-enzymatic ligase activity – Nicolas Martin | Modeling area gain and loss during cytokinesis – Felix Frey |
| 17:35-17:55 | Minimal surfactant-free microfluidic setup for the generation of polymeric cell-like bioreactors – Tsvetomir Ivanov | Mimicking DNA segregation inside cell-sized confinement – Mai Tran |
| 17:55-18:15 | Actinosomes: condensate-templated proteinaceous confinements for engineering synthetic cells – Ketan Ganar | Module integrations in a synthetic cell: coupling DNA self-replication and phospholipid biosynthesis – Ana Restrepo Sierra |
Friday May 20th
| 13:30-15:35 | Session 1: Communication and signalling | Session 2: Cell shape & size and cytoskeleton | Session 3: Synthetic nucleoid and gene expression |
| 13:30-13:50 | Synthetic receptors and artificial signaling cascades as chemical chassis for cell mimicry – Alexander Zelikin | DisGUVery: image analysis of Giant Unilamellar Vesicles made easy – Lennard van Buren | Towards a minimal nucleoid in cell-like reactors – Ferdinand Greiss |
| 13:50-14:10 | Molecular cues trigger boolean response in programmable protocells – Ananya Mishra | Engineering membrane properties for GUV division and morphology control – Yannik Dreher | Molecular evolution of a synthetic DNA replicator – Christophe Danelon |
| 14:10-14:30 | Building environmentally-responsive synthetic cells for communication and delivery – James Hindley | Out-of-equilibrium shape fluctuations of a giant vesicle containing an active microtubule system – Alfredo Sciortino | Genetically encoded stoichiometry for cell-free expression of multifunctional protein systems – Mathieu Morel |
| 14:30-14:45 | Short break | ||
| 14:45-15:05 | Signal transduction across lipid bilayers using tools of chemistry – Andreas Pedersen | Reconstitution of actin dynamic steady state in cell-sized confined environments – Alexandra Colin | The Role of incoherent feedback loops in gene circuit design – Ramez Daniel |
| 15:05-15:25 | Vesicle induced receptor sequestration (VIRS): A universal mechanism for protein presentation by extracellular vesicles? – Jochen Hernandez Bücher | Exploring the potential of septins for synthetic cell division – Gerard Castro-Linares | Gene expression from genomic DNA in E. coli cell-free expression platform – Andrei Sakai |
| 15:25-15:45 | Selective transmembrane signalling in synthetic tissues – Sheung Hei Ng | Rational engineering of DNA cytoskeletons for synthetic cells – Kevin Jahnke | Transducing light energy into chemical energy toward the implementation of photo-artificial simplified-autotroph protocells – Fabio Mavelli |
Abstract submission is closed
We have reviewed the submitted abstracts, and presenters were notified of the outcome by April 11th.
Oral presentations
Oral presentation are limited to 20 minutes (15min for the talk + 5min for questions). Also, all talks will be live-streamed and available on-demand for a limited time for registered (online) participants.
Poster presentations
Poster boards will be A0-sized and orientated vertically. We ask presenters to put up their poster at the beginning of the conference and leave it until the end, to encourage scientific discussions and exchange of ideas.
Abstract requirements
Only registered participants attending the on-site event are eligible to submit an abstract. Abstracts will not be accepted from virtual participants.
Title: the title should not exceed 20 words.
Authors and Affiliations: please fill in the author’s details as requested in the online form. The compulsory details are: first name, last name, organization name (affiliation or company), country and email.
Presentation Types: when submitting your abstract, you can apply for an oral or poster presentation. A selection process will take place with the results announced 2-3 weeks after the abstract submission deadline.
Abstract length: the abstract cannot exceed 1750 characters (including spaces).
Practical information
On-site Participation
Conference Venue
The conference will take place at the The Hague Marriott Hotel , address: Johan de Wittlaan 30, The Hague (view map). The Hague Marriott Hotel is located in The Hague between the beach and the city centre, and is only a 30 minutes’ drive from two international airports. In addition, you can reach The Hague Central Station from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport within 30 minutes by train.
Limited parking is available at the conference venue for €25 per day. Alternatively, one can park a car at the parking garage of World Forum (which is a 5 minute walk) at a similar rate.
COVID-19 regulations
We will adhere to the Dutch COVID-19 rules and regulations that apply by May 18th. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result could be required for on-site attendance. When traveling from outside the EU/Schengen area, additional rules might be applicable. Please see the Dutch COVID-19 terms and conditions for more detailed information, and keep checking what requirements apply during your journey.
Traveling to the Conference venue
Travel from Schiphol Airport to The Hague: there is a train station at Schiphol Airport. You can take a direct train to The Hague Central Station, or to The Hague Hollands Spoor (HS) station. A train ride from Schiphol to The Hague takes about 30-40 minutes. Train tickets can be purchased at the Schiphol Airport train station and cost around €10. A taxi ride from Schiphol to The Hague will take approximately forty minutes and costs around €100.
Travel from the train station to the conference venue: from The Hague Central Station, you can take Tram 16 (in the direction of Den Haag Statenkwartier) or Bus 28 (in the direction of Den Haag Zuiderstrand). In both cases, the ride takes about 15min and you get off at the stop ‘Statenplein’ to walk 5min towards Marriott Hotel.
From The Hague Hollands Spoor station, you can take Tram 16 (in the direction of Den Haag Statenwartier, passing The Hague Central station) or Tram 1 (in the direction of Scheveningen Noord). When taking Tram 1, get off at the stop ‘Adriaan Goekooplaan’ and walk 10 minutes to Marriott Hotel.
You can use this website to plan all your travels by public transport in The Netherlands.
Accommodations
Participants are expected to book and pay their own accommodation. There are plenty of hotels nearby the conference venue (The Hague Marriott Hotel). A limited number of rooms are also available at the The Hague Marriott Hotel at a discounted rate, via this link.
Virtual Participation
Guidelines
- Please do not broadcast the conference to unregistered participants.
- Please do not capture, transmit or redistribute data presented at the meeting.
- You are encouraged to tweet and post (#SynCell2022) about the event. Tweet unless the speaker specifically says otherwise, but be mindful of unpublished data.
How to ask questions at the conference
More information about the virtual conference platform and how to ask questions will be shared ahead of the conference.
Time zone
The programme is planned based on the Europe/Amsterdam (CET) time zone, unless otherwise stated. As many virtual participants are attending from around the world, we do our best to accommodate as many time zones as possible when creating the programme. Please note that all the talks and sessions will also available on demand for a limited time.
You can find a time zone converter at this link.
Contact
For any questions related to the SynCell2022 conference, you can contact us at SynCell2022@tudelft.nl
Become a Sponsor of SynCell2022
As a sponsor, you will be able to communicate your company’s or institution’s technologies and advancements. You will be able to reach up to approximately 200 world leading researchers and students on-site – and even more online! – in the area of synthetic cell research and technology, while also joining in the conversations that will shape the future of this emerging research area.
Sponsorship options include recognition on website and programme leaflet, an advertorial on the programme leaflet and a small exhibit table or banner at the conference.
Contact us for more information at SynCell2022@tudelft.nl
The Hague City Information
Although Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, the Dutch government is situated in The Hague, as well as the ‘working palace’ of the King. The city has a prominent place in both Europe and the world, and you can visit The Hague monuments such as the Binnenhof, Noordeinde Palace, and the Peace Palace.
The Hague is also the largest city by the sea in the Netherlands. With a coastline that stretches no less than 11 km, wide sandy beaches, beautiful dune areas and buzzing beach bars, it is a great place to experience. The beach is not to be missed if you enjoy to lounge on the beach on a sunny day, taste some fresh fish (like raw herring), or if you like to go ‘uitwaaien’ (typical Dutch saying for ‘getting some fresh air’). You can get to the beach from the city centre or the conference venue within 15 minutes.
Even at a rainy day, you will not get bored, because of the potential to soak up much culture in The Hague. There are several museums where you can spend a lot of hours, such as the Mauritshuis (a beautiful house with a permanent collection including Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and Rembrandt’s The anatomy lesson by Dr. Niolaes Tulp), the Louwman Museum (a unique museum for automobiles), Panorama Mesdag (an impressive cylindrical panorama painting, about 14m high and with a circumference of 120m), Museum Voorlinden (a private museum for modern and contemporary art), Escher in the Palace (exhibiting work of Dutch graphic artist Escher in a former Palace), and many more.
Our conference venue (The Hague Marriott Hotel) is located on walking distance from the Kunstmuseum Den Haag (known for its collection of works by painters of the Hague School, Mondrian, Picasso, Van Doesburg, Monet and Toorop), the Museon (a popular science museum including collections on geology, biology, and history), the Omniversum (an unique movie theatre with a screen 4500 times larger than an ordinary TV) and the Photo Museum The Hague.
For more information on experiences or places to visit in The Hague, click here.
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