BMEBT Seminar Presentation by Dr. Jens K. Plassmeier-Conagen & MIT Affiliate
When: Friday,
October 30, 2015
2:00 PM
-
3:00 PM
Where: Textiles Building 101E
Description: ABSTRACT:
During the presentation the concept of Synthetic Biology will be introduced and a short history of this newer discipline will be presented. An overview of Synthetic Biology will be given along with an introduction of important terminology and the iGEM competition. The main part of the presentation will focus on two examples that will be discussed, the synthesis and implementation of a synthetic genome, and a successful industrial application of Synthetic Biology. The last part will focus on an ongoing project at MIT and an introduction to the industrial Synthetic Biology performed at Conagen.
BRIEF BIO:
Dr. Plassmeier is Director of Innovations at Conagen, Inc. and a Research Affiliate at MIT with expertise in molecular genetics and synthetic biology. He serves as the head of strain development, head of process development and head of platform technology. Dr. Plassmeier was previously a Research Scientist in the Department of Biology at MIT in the laboratory of Prof. Anthony Sinskey. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Bielefeld in Germany under the tutelage of Professor Dr. Albert Puehler, where he studied regulation of propionate metabolism in the industrially useful microorganism, Corynebacterium glutamicum. Dr. Plassmeier's recent project consisted of constructing a minimal genome organism using cutting-edge synthetic biology tools, where he served as coordinator for this project and is examining the production of amino acids, biofuels, biopolymers, and other value added products. Previously, he has served as a consultant for two up-and-coming biotechnology companies in the Cambridge, MA area and most recently served as a judge for the 2014 iGEM competition, held in Boston, MA.
During the presentation the concept of Synthetic Biology will be introduced and a short history of this newer discipline will be presented. An overview of Synthetic Biology will be given along with an introduction of important terminology and the iGEM competition. The main part of the presentation will focus on two examples that will be discussed, the synthesis and implementation of a synthetic genome, and a successful industrial application of Synthetic Biology. The last part will focus on an ongoing project at MIT and an introduction to the industrial Synthetic Biology performed at Conagen.
BRIEF BIO:
Dr. Plassmeier is Director of Innovations at Conagen, Inc. and a Research Affiliate at MIT with expertise in molecular genetics and synthetic biology. He serves as the head of strain development, head of process development and head of platform technology. Dr. Plassmeier was previously a Research Scientist in the Department of Biology at MIT in the laboratory of Prof. Anthony Sinskey. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Bielefeld in Germany under the tutelage of Professor Dr. Albert Puehler, where he studied regulation of propionate metabolism in the industrially useful microorganism, Corynebacterium glutamicum. Dr. Plassmeier's recent project consisted of constructing a minimal genome organism using cutting-edge synthetic biology tools, where he served as coordinator for this project and is examining the production of amino acids, biofuels, biopolymers, and other value added products. Previously, he has served as a consultant for two up-and-coming biotechnology companies in the Cambridge, MA area and most recently served as a judge for the 2014 iGEM competition, held in Boston, MA.
Contact: BMEBT Seminar Series
Topical Areas: University Community, Biology, Bioengineering, College of Engineering