SynBERC:COG/Report

=Single Assemblies=
 * Define:

By synth company

 * How big of an order can we put together?

Distributed

 * In house? Partnership with NEB-type/Qiagen company?

=Library Assemblies=
 * Define:
 * Less concern for turn-time

Grid (individual variants are separate)
=Other issues=

Biobricks? Or other?
=Notes from retreat= Jason R. Kelly 09:27, 18 September 2007 (EDT): These are just my notes, please feel free to add.
 * Should consider distributed vs. centralized approach
 * QIAcube could be backbone for distributed approach
 * folks would like to see the comparison between projected synthesis costs and assembly going forward 5 years.
 * synthesis companies haven't been receptive to making combinatorial libraries of pre-existing components
 * in proposing path forward should consider options ranging like NSF grants, VCs, partnering with synth companies, partnering with equip manufacturers (qiacube), etc.
 * There was suggestion that if we had a guaranteed order size, we could possible convince synth companies to add a pipeline for assembly. so could work to get a larger group together.
 * Good to continue working on both process optimization issues (e.g. work going on at Registry) as well as alternative assembly approaches that are still "in the lab".
 * We need estimates of how much SynBERCers currently clone and how that would scale given drops in assembly cost and turn-around time

=To do= How do we evaluate the different approaches to automated construction?


 * 1) Decentralized approach
 * 2) *We make cloning easier by using some automation combined with "normal" individual cloning approaches. For example, each lab buys a Qiacube to partially automate minipreps and restriction digests.  Then ligations and transformations are done by hand at the bench.
 * 3) Centralized academic facility
 * 4) *We find the resources to start an assembly facility similar to how sequencing facilities are set up on campus
 * 5) Partnership with DNA synthesis company
 * 6) *We work with a DNA synthesis company so that they can offer commercial automated cloning services. How do we ensure that such a partnership wouldn't fall apart as soon as a big synthesis order comes along?  Automated cloning may be too small a market and/or too large a problem for DNA synthesis companies to tackle right now?