INM hosts the 4th International Conference on Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) from September 18 to 20. Join the ELM community here!
Natural living materials grow following information stored in their genetic code. They also undergo continuous and autonomous re-modeling in response to external factors and adapt their performance to new solicitations. Such properties are desirable in many technical materials, but they are difficult to realize with non-living matter. The Fourth International Conference on Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) will gather the communities of material science, synthetic biology, biotechnology, and biophysics interested in programming and creating materials with life-like capabilities.
Engineered Living Materials open new avenues for resource-efficient fabrication of high-performance materials, and envision materials with unprecedented property combinations like integrated multifunctionality, adaptability, resilience, or evolvability. But how can materials be designed to allow sustained cellular survival and function? How can synthetic biology tools be interfaced with materials? How can processing technologies be made compatible with living cells? Which parameters and methods are required to characterize the dynamic behavior of ELMs? What are the requirements for the standardized scale-up of ELM production? What are the potential risks and mitigation strategies for the responsible application of ELMs in the future? New answers to these fundamental questions and many examples of new and functional ELMs are expected.
The program will also contain representatives from industry, regulatory agencies, and funding bodies to discuss the technical and environmental benefits and expected challenges of a functional marriage of non-living matter and living organisms.