Conference focuses on cellular engineering research

A conference on cellular engineering scheduled for Wednesday, May 10 will focus on campus research on the interface of engineering and biology, exploring topics such as protein engineering, cell and drug delivery, stem cell science and research, applied systems biology and metabolic engineering.

Hosted by the newly established Institute for Cellular Engineering (ICE), the conference in the Campus Center aims to create a forum for interdisciplinary discussions and foster relationships between university researchers and private sector partners. It will feature showcases on campus research facilities and intellectual property technology commercialization. Approximately 200 researchers representing government, industry, and academia are expected to attend.

“Cellular engineering is broadly defined as manipulating cells for a desired purpose, such as for engineering tissues or for cleaning up contaminated soils and waters,” says ICE director Susan Roberts, who will speak at the conference about applied systems biology and metabolic engineering. “These technologies could lead to individualized treatment for autoimmune diseases such as AIDS and rheumatoid arthritis or to efficient methods of making antibodies for fighting newly discovered pathogens,” she says.

The conference’s keynote speaker will be Anne Robinson of the University of Delaware, whose research focuses on understanding the fundamental interactions between molecules, both in isolation and in the complex environment of the cell.

This conference is supported through a grant from the UMass Amherst Research Leadership in Action Program and by the following sponsors: the UMass President's Office Science and Technology Initiatives Fund, MITRE Corporation, Genzyme, Blackstone Medical, Inc., Provenance Venture Partners, Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council, Regional Technology Corporation.

More Information

ICE website

April 25, 2006.