Cell-free Macromolecular Synthesis

Yuan Lu  is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, China. After receiving B.S. (2004) and Ph.D. (2009) in chemical engineering from Tsinghua University, China, Dr Lu received postdoctoral training from Johns Hopkins University (2009-2010) and Stanford University (2010-2014), USA. He was a project researcher from 2014 to 2016 at the University of Tokyo, Japan. The central paradigm of Dr Lu’s research is using interdisciplinary approaches in engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science to manipulate biomolecules and complex biological systems. The main focus lies on developing and applying synthetic biology and other cutting-edge technologies to engineer nucleic acids, proteins, pathways, and networks for addressing most daunting challenges in human health.

Michael Jewett  Michael Jewett is a Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Dr. Jewett received his PhD in 2005 at Stanford University, completed postdoctoral studies at the Center for Microbial Biotechnology in Denmark and the Harvard Medical School, and was a guest professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). He is the recipient of the NIH Pathway to Independence Award, David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and a Finalist for the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, among others. He is the co-founder of SwiftScale Biologics, Stemloop, Inc., Pearl Bio, Design Pharmaceuticals, and Gauntlet Bio. Jewett is a Fellow of AIMBE, AAAS, and NAI.

Jewett's lab focuses on advancing synthetic biology research in support of planet and societal health. The key idea is to make biology easier to engineer. They develop data-driven, multiplexed methods to elucidate fundamental principles about how the living world works and use knowledge from these insights to create cell-free biotechnologies for transforming bioengineering applications in health, manufacturing, sustainability, and education.