Synthetic Biology for Human Health

RCC Study Group

Co-Chairs: Víctor J. Cid (Professor of Microbiology, Complutense University, Faculty of Pharmacy); Charles L. Evavold (Early Independence Fellow; Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard Medical School); Jonathan C. Kagan (Marian R. Neutra Professor of Pediatrics; Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital) 

Both basic research and the production of a new generation of biopharmaceuticals, from vaccines to drugs, benefit from the growing field of Synthetic Biology (SynBio). The engineering of lymphoid cells from patients, such as human chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T-cells, or the integration of heterologous genes or full pathways in a microbial chassis are paradigmatic examples. Antimicrobial, immunomodulating, or oncolytic therapies are in the research pipeline or already in clinical trials. Our study group sets bridges between microbial models, such as yeast, and those based on higher cells and tissues, aiming to involve Scientists from both sides of the Atlantic in an open and creative think tank for discovery.