Kate Adamala
@KateAdamala
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Life as we don't know it: building biology from scratch with synthetic cells.
Joined March 2015
Today I’m joining 30+ colleagues in taking an unusual step: calling for a halt to a line of research I was excited about, the long-term effort to build “mirror life”. We’re sharing our findings in a @ScienceMagazine paper: https://t.co/B4eXp46K84 1/6
science.org
Broad discussion is needed to chart a path forward
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Very happy to share my @buildacell seminar ! 😎 Thank you very much @KateAdamala for hosting me ! Build-a-Cell seminar Simone Giaveri : Toward self-sustaining minimal cells The video link is below 🎥⬇️ https://t.co/QAl6Y22glA via @YouTube
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I’m thrilled to announce that the application for the 2025 edition of our @medialab and global synthetic biology course, “How to Grow (Almost) Anything” is now open! Application link in thread 👇
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We just published a big report at @AsimovPress about the dangers from mirrored life. It accompanies an article that just came out in @ScienceMagazine. I hope you'll check it out!
The Dangers of Mirrored Life 🦠 In a Science article published today, 30+ scientists call on the broader community to confront the serious risks of creating "mirrored" lifeforms. They lay out their case in a compelling, 300-page technical report. Check out our Special Report🔻
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Ultimately, my opinion is just that. My coauthors and I are calling for a global discussion amongst researchers of all stripes, to include policy and legal experts, but also members of the public. We will be holding meetings next year – watch this: https://t.co/aJ2MxJowgf 6/6
mbdialogues.org
The Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund (MBDF) supports broad science-focused discussions to advance the conversation on mirror biology.
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Some lines aren’t crossed for a reason. We don't experiment with live smallpox or do tests with nuclear weapons. In my opinion, creating mirror life belongs in this same category of unacceptable risk. 5/6
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If mirror bacteria ever started growing outside a lab, they could be very hard to stop. Our immune systems wouldn't detect them well. Natural predators would struggle to attack them. The risk to human and ecological health seems unprecedented. https://t.co/IRamfP49DA 4/6
the-scientist.com
Synthetic biologists make artificial cells, but the creation of mirror bacteria isn't worth the risk.
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As part of an amazing group of researchers from many fields, I helped to produce an in-depth analysis of potential risks that mirror bacteria could pose. The Science paper comes with modest 300pager technical report https://t.co/0uJJGlRgdk 3/6
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I sometimes work with "mirror molecules", mirror images of nature's building blocks. They can make useful drugs and biotech tools, and, in the long run, I and others were hoping to assemble mirror molecules to create living ‘mirror bacteria’. I changed my mind. 2/3
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New publication!🥳Our cell-free expression (CFE) system derived from JCVI-syn3A cells is now functional. We hope it can serve as a new platform for synthetic biologists. Thanks to all collaborators involved @KateAdamala and @JCVenterInst! 🔖 https://t.co/nnvxGnI0Vu
pubs.acs.org
Cell-free expression (CFE) systems are fundamental to reconstituting metabolic pathways in vitro toward the construction of a synthetic cell. Although an Escherichia coli-based CFE system is well-e...
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That's a wrap! Awesome #US visit starting w/#SynCell2023 (impeccably organized @KateAdamala) #Minneapolis, visiting Larry Wackett @UMNews & @AristildeLab @NorthwesternU #Chicago discussing work @LabNikel & collaborations—thank you all (also @GoldytheGopher) for an amazing time!
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I had an amazing time collaborating with incredibly beautiful people from all over the world 🤩 Thanks to all the @buildacell group! #buildacell #SynCell2023 #bioengineering #biotech
Today's @buildacell Workshop 10 is extremely productive, with energy carried over from #SynCell2023. Working groups are producing papers and frameworks on different important community problems. #synbio #bioengineering #biotech #biotchnology
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Just wrapped up the #SynCell2023 Conference! What an incredible mind-blowing journey it has been! 🌟Huge shoutout to the organiser, particularly @KateAdamala, for putting together an incredible event. 👏🏻 Can’t wait for the next one! 🙌🏻 #ScienceCommunity
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Today's @buildacell Workshop 10 is extremely productive, with energy carried over from #SynCell2023. Working groups are producing papers and frameworks on different important community problems. #synbio #bioengineering #biotech #biotchnology
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Last day of #SynCell2023, we were joined by a special guest, an example of #bioengineering that went horribly right: Goldy the Gopher came to learn how to build synthetic cells. He also helped us with poster prize ceremony. @BaSyCresearch #biotech
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How to make a cell? From the man that did it. #SynCell2023 keynote by John Glass from @JCVenterInst showing the process of making a Mycoplasma based synthetic cell. #biotech #bioengineering @BaSyCresearch
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Awesome morning @syncell2023 with @KateAdamala Paul Freemont and John Glass, design-build-test-learn in synthetic cells. @SynCellEU @JCVenterInst @PaulFreemont
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Final day of #SynCell2023 with keynote by @PaulFreemont from @IC_CSynBio @imperialsynbio Giving us a blueprint for contructing a synthetic cell. There's remarkably little involved in actually staying alive, a trackable engineering problem. #synbio #bioengineering #biotech
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A #SynCell2023 talk about useful things we can do with cell-free systems by @SebastianMaerkl of the @MaerklLab: cheaper PURE systems, chemoststs and other useful #bioengineering tricks. @BaSyCresearch #synbio
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Day 2 of #SynCell2023 opened by @DoraTang5 talking about synthetic cell toolkits. Fascinating talk about investing general principles of life to rebuild it. @BaSyCresearch @buildacell @BaCSouthAmerica #bioengineering #synbio
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