Life Redesigned: The Emergence of Synthetic Biology

Departments: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Time: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Type: Seminar Series
Presenter: James J. Collins; Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science and Biological Engineering, MIT; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University; Core Founding Faculty Member, Wyss Institute, Harvard University
Room/Office:
Location:
Davies Auditorium
15 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
United States
See map: Google Maps

Victor M. Tyler Distinguished Lectureship in Engineering

"Life Redesigned: The Emergence of Synthetic Biology"

James J. Collins
Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science and Biological Engineering, MIT
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University
Core Founding Faculty Member, Wyss Institute, Harvard University 

James J. Collins is a pioneering researcher in the emerging fields of synthetic biology and systems biology, with a particular focus on antibiotic action, bacterial defense mechanisms, and the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Working at the intersection of engineering, mathematics, and biology, his patented technologies have been licensed by over 25 biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical devices companies, including Sample6 Technologies, Synlogic, and EnBiotix.

Collins's notable scientific innovations range from his recent discovery that all classes of bactericidal antibiotics induce a common cell death pathway to his earlier creation of one of the first synthetic genetic circuits—a "toggle switch" of gene expression promoters and inhibitors, with applications for inexpensive drugs, rapid diagnostic tests, and synthetic probiotics that treat infections and complex diseases. Most recently, Collins has focused on the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the invention of supplements that could enhance the efficacy of existing antibiotics.

Much of Collins's research has centered on how biological signals can be degraded or counterintuitively enhanced by noise, producing heightened sensory function and motor control. For example, one of his inventions used subtle random vibrations in footpads to enhance the nervous system's stimuli sensitivity, a foundation discovery for treating diabetic neuropathy, restoring brain function following a stroke, and improving elderly balance.

Collins is the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science and Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT, a Core Founding Faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, and an Institute Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. His numerous awards and honors include a Rhodes Scholarship, MacArthur Genius Fellowship, NIH Director's Pioneer Award, and elections to the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors.

April 22, 2015
4:00 p.m.
Davies Auditorium
15 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT
Reception to follow

The lectureship is named in honor of Victor M. Tyler, B.A. '51 and M.E. '58, founder of Concord Computing Corporation and a leader in the development of electronic commerce technologies. His entrepreneurial acumen has provided financial institutions nationwide with ATM processing, debit card processing, access to a national debit network, and deposit risk management.