Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Risks and Opportunities in Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biology is shaping how we respond to future pandemics through innovations like gene synthesis and mRNA vaccine development. This course outlines key techniques in the field while examining the ethical and technical challenges involved in moving breakthroughs from research to real-world application.
What you will learn
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In this course you will learn the promises and challenges of synthetic biology, particularly in the context of preventing future pandemics.
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Beyond synthetic biology for use in humans you will also learn about the use of synthetic biology in animal agriculture and how it could also be used to prevent zoonotic transmission.
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You will examine the ethical considerations surrounding cutting-edge technologies like CRISPR/Cas9 and gain insights into the national and geopolitical discussions surrounding the responsible use of synthetic biology to address public health concerns.
Course content
Synthetic Biology
Learn the fundamentals of synthetic biology. Examine the opportunities CRISPR/Cas9 provides for synthetic biology. Explore the potential challenges, geopolitics ethical considerations tied to the utilization of synthetic biology, including decision points for policymakers.
mRNA: Preparing for the Next Pandemic
Explore the advantages and disadvantages of mRNA technology as a rapid and effective solution for future pandemics.
Future Risks For Zoonotic Transformation & Viral Evolution
Examine the factors contributing to zoonotic transmission and the emergence of new viruses, including the role of economic, political and environmental factors in the spread of zoonotic diseases. Explore potential solutions to reducing the risk of zoonotic transmission.
Your Course Director
David Umulis
Senior Vice Provost for Purdue University in Indianapolis
David M. Umulis is senior vice provost and chief academic officer for Purdue University in Indianapolis, the University’s first comprehensive urban campus and a direct extension of the Purdue West Lafayette flagship campus. Umulis reports directly to Provost Patrick Wolfe and interfaces with all areas in the Provost’s Office to prepare, launch and support Purdue University in Indianapolis. Umulis joined the Purdue faculty in 2008, and is an impactful research leader, a widely respected mentor to young faculty colleagues and an administrator with a proven track record. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and Showalter Foundation, among others. Umulis serves on numerous grant review panels and boards including the European Science Foundation and government review panels at the NIH and NSF. He currently serves as associate editor of the field-leading journal PLoS Computational Biology.
Umulis is a member of the Purdue University Teaching Academy and has received the outstanding teacher award in agricultural biology and engineering, the Teaching for Tomorrow Award, the 2021 Henry T. Yang Award for Leadership in Service from Purdue’s College of Engineering, and the 2011 Richard L. Kohls Early Career Award. Concurrent with his role in the Provost’s Office, Umulis also serves as PI and Director of the NSF EMBRIO Institute, an integrative multidisciplinary institute led by Purdue and composed of six other universities. The NSF EMBRIO Institute uses engineering, imaging, AI and organismal biology to uncover mechanisms of wound healing and cellular defense. Prior to becoming senior vice provost, Umulis served as the Dane A. Miller head of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, where he led the Weldon School to advance discovery and translation in biomedical imaging, neuroengineering, instrumentation, computational biomedicine, and engineered biomaterials.