FOSBE 2022: Foundations of Systems Biology in Engineering

Systems biology has been established in recent years as an interdisciplinary point of convergence where molecular biology, high-throughput experimentation, mathematical and statistical modeling, and computational sciences meet to advance fundamental understanding of living systems. In parallel, research into the potential of personalized and precision medicine has highlighted the need for machine learning techniques to accurately link drug therapies to individual patients. To mutually advance these fields, better communication channels between engineers, systems biologists, pharmaceutical scientists, and medical professionals are needed. The 9th International Conference on the Foundations of Systems Biology in Engineering (FOSBE 2022), to be held at the Royal Sonesta Cambridge, Massachusetts, 28-31 August 2022, is intended to address this need by bringing together the synthetic biology and personalized medicines communities. Meeting participants will consist of experts in the areas of systems biology and drug development, early-career investigators, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students; speakers and session chairs represent a nearly even mix of academic and industrial researchers. FOSBE conferences provide ample time for informal gatherings, providing a constructive atmosphere for brainstorming and creative thinking among the attendees. This workshop was partially supported by the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamics and the Engineering of Biomedical Systems Programs of the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems. Systems biology has been for years at the forefront of innovation in the context of biological modeling. Under the umbrella of dynamic systems analysis, computation systems biology models have evolved from few variables and few equations to large multi-scale systems. The emergence of big data and machine learning present exceptional opportunities for moving the frontiers even further. FOSBE 2022 will explore the connections between systems biology and the emerging field of quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) which aims to integrate systems biology, systems pharmacology, systems physiology, and data science. FOSBE will examine the opportunities offered by big data in the context of translational personalized approaches. The conference is structured to enhance sharing of updates on scientific advances as well as charting the path forward in terms of fundamental modeling and computational tools, efforts towards translating these advances to practical applications, and education and student training requirements. To break barriers and increase communication between academia and industry, FOSBE 2022 participants will represent each in equal proportions. The increased participation from the industry will ensure that a strong bidirectional communication channel is established to ensure that the latest academic advances are presented to the industry, and the latter articulates the translational needs and gaps. Special emphasis will be placed on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, with a panel discussion dedicated to DEI. To ensure dissemination of results conference organizers have established a collaboration with Frontiers in Systems Biology (where the conference Chair serves as the Special Editor in Chief) so that a special issue of the journal is devoted to dissemination of key FOSBE 2022 outcomes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.