Summer Schools

PURPOSE

Recent advances in biology, chemistry, computing and engineering have brought us close to the point where it will be possible to build artificial living cells. This is the theme of “Blueprint for an Artificial Cell”, a multidisciplinary summer school, organized by the European Center for Living Technology with funding from the European PACE project. The school will provide tutorials to familiarize participants with relevant concepts and techniques from outside their own fields of specialization, offer them with an up to date vision of the “state of the art”, expose them to advanced research, described by leaders in the field, and make them aware of the key research challenges that still need to be answered.

PROGRAM

Sunday 4th May

10.00 - Welcome: introduction to school – John McCaskill

10.30 - Scientific background: Strategies for building an artificial cell – John McCaskill

11.30 - Introductory lecture - Protocells : a crucible for multidisciplinary research on the origin of complexity and the nature of life: Strategies for building an artificial cell – Steen Rasmussen

Lunch

14.30 - Rasmussen et al minimal protocell: Protocell visions – Steen Rasmussen

Monday 5th May

9.30 - Lecture - Physical self-assembly and the origin of mesoscale complexity: Theoretical background – Ricard Sole

Lunch

14.30 - Hands On Lab

Tuesday 6th May

9.30 - Evolvable electronic chemical cells and programmable chemistry for ICT: Theoretical background – John McCaskill

Lunch

14.30 - From tilings to correlations - from circuits to vesicles: Theoretical background – Ruedi Fuechslin

16.30 - First interdisciplinary workshop: interdisciplinary discussions

Wednesday 7th May

9.30 - Evolutionary computing: Introduction to evolutionary computing – Richard Walker

Lunch

14.30 - Lecture: Clays and the assembly of artificial cells - new experimental results: Key protocell functionalities – Martin Hanczyk

16.00 - Engineering a replication cycle in artificial cells: Key protocell functionalities - Martin Hanczyk

Thursday 8th May

9.30 - Dynamical systems and the complex systems route to complexity: Theoretical background – Kristian Lindgren

Lunch

14.30 - Engineering smart artificial cells - protocells that interact with and change their environment – Martin  Hanczyk

Friday 9th May

9.30 - Lecture: A computational approach to what is life: Theoretical background – Barry McMullin

Lunch

14.30 - Lecture - Lancet et. al aggregate protocell: Protocell visions – Doron Lancet

Saturday 10th May

9.30 - Lipid synthesis and self-assembly for protocells: Protocell visions – Pier Luigi Luisi

Lunch

14.30 - Lecture - Luisi-Szostak minmal protocell: Key protocell functionalities– Pier Luigi Luisi

Sunday 11th May

OFF

Monday 12th May

9.30 - Tutorial - Genetic algorithms and evolutionary computation, Chemical Genetic Algorithms: Tools – Norman Packard

Lunch

14.30 - Lecture - Combinatorial experimental designs and statistical models: Tools – Irene Poli

Tuesday 13th May

9.30 - Lecture - Micro-fluidics as a tool for designing artificial cells: Tools – Patrick Wagler

Lunch

14.30 - Evolutionary self organization of digital systems: Tools – Uwe Tangen

Wednesday 14th May

9.30 - Morphological computation at various scales – Rolf Pfeifer and Peter Eggenberger

Lunch

14.30 - Tutorial Handson onLab - Working with vescicles: Tools

Thursday 15th May

9.30 - Systems chemistry: From self-replication to systems chemistry – Gunter von Kiedrowski

Lunch

14.30 - Systems chemistry: From systems chemistry to nano-cell-alternatives - Gunter von Kiedrowski

Friday 16th May

9.30 - Lecture – Synchrionization in protocell models: Protocell visions - Roberto Serra

11.00 - Interdisciplinary workshop

Lunch

14.30 - Seminar -  Social and ethical impact of protocells: The Scientific, social and technological impact of protocells – Emily Parke

Saturday 17th May

9.30 - A roadmap to protocells: Protocell visions – Norman Packard

Lunch

14.30 - Lecture - Applications of artificial cells - a view to the future: The Scientific, social and technological impact of protocells  - Richard Walker