7-8 March: BioENGINE Africa Curriculum Sprint - develop content for diagnostics development using synthetic biology

BioENGINE Africa Curriculum Sprint - develop content for diagnostics development using synthetic biology

7-8 March 2022, 10:00 GMT until late GMT

Join us via Zoom or in person at Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Room 275D - MDL2 (Bay D), Imperial College London

What is it? BioENGINE is a curriculum being developed by researchers in UK, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia that aims to equip researchers across disciplines with essential skills to meet real-world challenges through adoption of engineering approaches such as design, build and test cycles to the development of diagnostics for local priorities in human, animal, plant and environmental health. It focuses on building knowledge alongside practical skills that can be taught in any molecular biology lab with minimal reagents.

How can I help? We’re looking for content authors and reviewers to develop 20 modules that form a coherent curriculum for biosensor development using synthetic biology but can also be broken apart into standalone training content. If you’re not a synthetic biologist, no problem! We need copy editors, people who are good at graphic design, video editors and more.

What is a curriculum sprint? The BioENGINE team is getting together to produce as much content as we can in the course of two intensive and focused days of hybrid in-person and online meetings. You are very welcome to join us! There will be work sessions, feedback sessions and some synbio socialising interspersed. We hope to have the basic course ready to go by the end of the two days, although more content will be added on an ongoing basis.

How do I get involved?

  1. Check out the project introduction and sign up to the Reclone newsletter so we can keep you informed even if you can’t join us right now.

  2. Sign up as a Workshop Attendee

  3. Add your name next to modules that you’d be interested to contribute to on the Module List

  4. Join us according to the Workshop Schedule on 7-8 March

Hi All

Thanks to all who helped out with the BioENGINE course writing sprint yesterday. It was incredibly productive and it’s really exciting to see so much excellent synthetic biology and diagnostic/biosensor design content come together!

If you would like to join today we’ll be going until at least 17:00 UTC on this Zoom according to our sprint schedule, you can see the curriculum and module status here, look through the folders of course material and sign up to help out by writing your name on the module list. We’ll be putting out a formal call for reviewers soon!

Today work is happening on:

  • Module 1: Introduction to synbio: Paul and Richard have a partial draft, additions and review welcome
  • Module 2: Introduction to biosensors: Karen and Richard have a partial draft and are continuing to expand it
  • Module 4/5/7: In silico design: Geoff, Jenny and Fernan worked on various pieces of this and need to regroup to decide how to split the content and possible streamline the activities.
  • Module 6/9: DNA assembly: Fernan and Ariel have a first draft together, the template has focused on goldengate but can be expanded to Klenow/Gibson and other assembly standards if anyone is keen to do so.
  • Module 8: Working with DNA and bacterial chassis systems: Masue and Prince have ben incredibly productive with this and expect to finish today so reviewers needed!
  • Module 10/11: CRISPR Dx: this was one of the best developed modules coming into the sprint and Akash, Minette, Cordellia and Niels have taken another pass at consolidating the theory, they’ll review this with Ana today and then move onto the practical module.
  • Module 19: Human centred design and responsible innovation: Samuel and Margaret outlined this yesterday and started drafting, they expect to have a complete draft today.
  • Module 20: Biosensors for impact: Godfrey made a great outline yesterday to be expanded - support welcome!

Jenny