Progress 01/15/23 to 01/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Participants of all status were targeted including graduate students, post docs, assistant professors, associate professors, professors, research scientists, research directors, editors/journalists. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The 2023 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Chloroplast Biotechnology wasa 2-day meeting that took place preceding the associated Gordon Research Conference (GRC). This meeting was an opportunity for graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and other scientists with similar level of experience to present and discuss cutting-edge research in the field in a relaxed and enthusiastic atmosphere. The seminar hosted a keynote speaker that served as a mentor throughout the seminar. This seminar selected junior scentists and allowed them the opportunity to present their work, practice in conference presentation, receive feedback on their research and network with similar status participants prior to the associated GRC and translated throughout the conference week. The GRC also hosted a Power Hourthat was designed to address the diversity and inclusion in the scientific workplace by providing a safe environment for informal and meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages. The program supported the professional growth of all members of our communities, including ethnicity, race and/or gender identity by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Chloroplast Biotechnology were held at the Ventura Beach Marriott in Ventura, California from March 25-31. 2023. The meeting covered a variety of scientific topics and the content presented was highly rated by participants. The Conference was well-attended with 99 participants. Scientists from academia represented 89% of the participants while attendees from government accounted for 1%, attendees from industry totaled 1% and those from academic/industrial accounted for 9%. The meeting also attracted a strong mix of young investigators and senior scientists. Students and post-docs accounted for 42% of all attendees. Approximately 36% of the participants at the 2023 meeting were women.The Seminar was well-attended with 33 participants. Students and post docs combined accounted for 96% of all attendees. The remaining participants served as mentors during the program and informal networking opportunities. The 2023 Gordon Research Conference and Seminar on Chloroplast Biotechnology presented novel research in all areas relevant to engineering chloroplasts to either improve existing functions or provide them with new ones. The technologies discussed covered the entire range from subtle tweaks in plastid metabolism to complete redesign of the plastid genome, and will include all aspects of modifying organellar genomes, proteomes or metabolomes needed for applications in agriculture, industrial biotechnology or the pharmaceutical sector. Target products covered included, for example, biopharmaceuticals (vaccines and therapeutic proteins), industrial enzymes, green chemicals and next-generation biofuels. Chloroplasts are key organelles in the energy biology of plants and improving their photosynthetic efficiency (for example through gains in the transduction of light energy or carbon fixation) is a major goal of many research groups around the world. Recent progress in this research, particularly through the transfer of molecular solutions from algae and cyanobacteria, has been impressive. In parallel, the engineering of novel functions into chloroplasts to make use of their prodigious metabolic and protein synthesis capabilities is also at an exciting juncture. The genetic transformation of plastids is now routine in many plants and algae, so the focus is moving to synthetic biology solutions based on expression of multiple genes under sophisticated control circuits. Indeed, the relatively small and well-understood plastid genome is now a prime target for ambitious projects in several countries aimed at design and synthesis of novel genomes with enhanced traits. The basic science underpinning these advances (genome structure and replication, control of gene expression, protein synthesis and import, assembly of protein complexes, protein quality control and turnover, plastid metabolism, metabolite transport) will be covered where relevant to these biotechnological applications. This conference was designed to attract attendees from both academia and the biotechnology industry and is intended to catalyse discussion and collaboration between researchers in the public and private sectors.?

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Conference Program GRC-https://www.grc.org/chloroplast-biotechnology-conference/2023/ GRS-https://www.grc.org/chloroplast-biotechnology-grs-conference/2023/

Progress 01/15/23 to 01/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:All data will be supplied in the final report to be submitted at the close of the award dates. Participants of all status were targeted including graduate students, post docs, assistant professors, associate professors, professors, research scientists, research directors, editors/journalists. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The accomplishments will be provided during the final report detailiing how the goals were met at the conference.

Publications