The aim for the Summer School "Challenges of Synthetic Biology: From Theory to Practice" (iSSSynBio) is to provide interested students with a comprehensive and in-depth insight, both in theory and practice, into a current research topic in the vibrant field of Synthetic Biology. Synthetic biology is a young and interdisciplinary field of life sciences in which scientists aim developing biological systems with novel properties. The benefits of Synthetic Biology range from basic research to a wide variety of applications. During the two-week iSSSynBio Summer School (13.07.2025 – 25.07.2025), the participants work together with a team of students from the University of Hamburg under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Michael Kolbe on a current research project in synthetic cell biology. As part of their studies, the students learn how to plan, evaluate, document and process scientific experiments, search for and analyze literature, hold discussions with other scientists working in the research field and deal with the ethical issues of modern biomedical research. All work is carried out in teamwork in line with modern research projects, in which students plan work independently, draw up work plans, discuss results and strategies and keep record of their progress. Besides laboratory work and seminars, the students are going to spend a retreat weekend near Hamburg, where they will delve deeper into topics such as bioethics, techniques in biochemistry and concepts of synthetic biology.
