Conference Programme

Synthetic biology for a sustainable future

SynbiTECH 2023 - 5-6 December 2023 – IET London

Our rich conference agenda features a fantastic line up of speakers who will debate how synbio can tackle the challenges of climate change, the opportunities that AI is creating for accelerating progress in medicine, and how investors view the sector.

These unmissable two days of inspiring talks, passionate debate, insightful questions and illuminating ideas from leading speakers and audience members will ensure that everyone leaves SynbiTECH 2023 better informed and able to take the synbio revolution forward.

Plus, with ample networking opportunities each day, this London-based synthetic biology meeting is the perfect opportunity to connect with future collaborators and industry enablers.

Day One
Networking/Refreshments 09:00 – 09:15

Welcome

George Freeman - UK Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Lord David Willetts - Previous Minister of State for Universities and Science

Professors Richard Kitney and Paul Freemont -  Co-Directors, SynbiCITE

Keynote 09:15 – 09:35

Keynote

Sir Brian Hoskins - Grantham Institute 

Panel discussions 09:50 – 10:35

Panel Discussion: BioSecurity

Professor Petra Oyston - Synthetic Biology Lead at Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Networking/Refreshments 10:35 – 11:00

Coffee Break

Keynote 11:00 – 12:30

Company Reviews

  • Dr Orr Yarkoni – Founder and CEO of Colorifix 
  • Dr Gustaf Hemberg – Founder and CEO of Scindo 
  • Dr Matthew Duchars – CEO of Chain Biotechnology
  • Professor Anne Osbourn, OBE FRS NAS – Group Leader at the John Innes Center /  HotHouse Therapeutics 
  • Dr James Field – Founder and CEO of LabGenius 
Networking/Refreshments 12:30 – 13:30

Lunch

Panel discussions 13:30 – 14:15

Panel Discussion: Engineering and Global Community (Climate Change)

Presentations 14:15 – 14:45

Plenary

Professor Regina Birner, Chair of Social and Institutional Change in Agricultural Development at the University of Hohenheim, Germany

Panel discussions 14:45 – 15:30

Panel Discussion: Women in SynBio

  • Fiona Mischel (Chair) –  Director of International Outreach at Synbiobeta
  • Professor Anne Osbourn, OBE FRS NAS – Group Leader at the John Innes Center /  HotHouse Therapeutics 
  • Professor Susan Rosser – Director of the Edinburgh Mammalian Synthetic Biology Research Centre 
  • Dr Izzy Webb – Head of Engineering Biology and Strategy at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 
Networking/Refreshments 15:30 – 16:00

Tea Break

Panel discussions 16:00 – 16:30

Panel Discussion: AI and Machine Learning

  • Dr Leonard Wossnig – Chief Technology Officer at LabGenius 
  • Professor Guy-Bart Stan - Co-Director of the Imperial Centre of Excellence for Synthetic Biology; Deputy Director of the Imperial-Manchester-UCL Centre for Doctoral Training in BioDesign Engineering
  • Dr Per Greisen - VP of Computational Drug Design at BioMap

 

Presentations 16:30 – 17:45

Company Presentations: (10 mins)

  • Dr Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro – Cofounder of Ublii 
  • Dr Ben Reeve  - Cofounder of Modern Synthesis 
  • Dr Miroslav Gasparek – CEO and Cofounder of Sensible Bio
  • Dr Matthew Cummings  - Cofounder of CC Bio
  • Professor Natalio Krasnogor  - Founder and CTO of Gitlife
  • Dr James McDonald  - CTO of Solena Materials
Panel discussions 17:45 – 18:15

Synbio Unplugged

Networking/Refreshments 18:15 – 20:00

Drinks and Networking

Day Two
Keynote 08:30 – 09:10

Keynote

Dr Mary Maxon – Executive Director of Biofutures, Schmidt Futures

Keynote 09:10 – 09:30

Plenary

Colin McCraken – CEO of Evonetix

Keynote 09:30 – 10:00

Plenary:

Professor Nigel Scrutton – Professor and Director of the EPSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub and the BBSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre 'SYNBIOCHEM'

Panel discussions 10:00 – 10:45

Panel Discussion: Big Pharma and Regenerative Medicine

David Tew (Chair) – Senior Scientific Director at GSK

Networking/Refreshments 10:45 – 11:15

Coffee Break

Presentations 11:15 – 12:30

Company Reviews: (15 mins)

  • Dr Livija Deban – Chief Scientific Officer at Prokarium 
  • Dr Arne Scheu – Cofounder and CEO of LiliumX (Valink) 
  • Dr Rachel Shaw – CEO, Director & Cofounder of Eden Bio 
  • Cai Linton – CEO at Multus Media 
  • Dr Cian Duggan – CEO and Cofounder of Resurrect Bio
Networking/Refreshments 12:30 – 13:30

Lunch

Panel discussions 13:30 – 14:15

Panel Discussion: High Impact Investment Opportunities in Synthetic Biology

Presentations 14:15 – 15:45

Plenary session: EBRC (10mins)

Networking/Refreshments 15:45 – 16:15

Tea Break

Panel discussions 16:15 – 17:00

Synbio Unplugged: 

In conversation with Professor Dame Angela Mclean – Government Chief Scientific Advisor 

Networking / Refreshments
Panel discussions
Presentations
Keynote