There are several advances made in flow cytometry in recent years, including new sorting techniques using DEP. And the development of microfluidic devices.  Some examples of modern flow cytometry methods for cell sorting include Label-free sorting, Mass cytometry, and Image stream cytometry. We will show case Image stream cytometry that combines the speed and sensitivity of flow cytometry with the ability to capture high-resolution images of individual cells. These images can be used to analyze the cells in greater detail and to identify specific features or structures within the cells. In addition, image stream cytometry is a powerful tool for cell analysis, as it allows researchers to combine the quantitative data provided by flow cytometry with the visual information provided by microscopy. It can be used to study a wide range of cell types and phenomena, including cell signaling, cell migration, and cell-cell interactions. Image stream cytometry is also well suited for high-throughput cell analysis, as it can process thousands of cells per second and generate a large amount of data in a short amount of time. Experts in the modern flow cytometry will be presenting and available to discuss on various cytometers including Amnis ® ImageStream ® cytometery, and Microfluidic devices and its advantages over traditional cytometer.

Part 1:
Despite its usefulness, genome editing is not always easy to implement, especially when there are crop-specific considerations. A critical part of genome engineering is first mastering the methods for plant tissue culture and transformation. Therefore, the first half of this workshop will cover the best practices for these critical steps. We will address how to increase success for working with established systems and how to develop systems for new species. The PlantGENE Steering Committee will lead the discussion, with workshop attendees being strongly encouraged to share their knowledge. Prior to the workshop, a survey will be sent to solicit ideas for discussion items that are of the greatest interest to attendees.

Part 2:
The second half will focus on using state-of-the-art CRISPR genome engineering tools in plants.  It will start with design, construction, and application of multiplexed CRISPR-Cas9 and base editing systems.  Next the focus will shift to the design, construction, and application of CRISPR-Combo systems to boost plant genome editing through simultaneous gene activation. These presentations will cover the backgrounds and principles of the technologies, with details provided on vector design and construction, optional assessment in protoplasts, and analysis of transformed protoplasts and stable lines for identification of edited events. All the vectors, analysis tools, and data sets used in the workshop are publicly available.

Determining optimal formulations and conditions for improved in vitro growth is often done by testing one ingredient or set of conditions at a time. Design of Experiment (DoE) methodology is a particularly useful set of techniques that allows simultaneous testing of multiple compounds, processes, or environmental conditions in multiplex systems. The principles and statistics behind DoE are complex, and proper experiment design and data analysis rely on computer programs designed specifically for DoE applications. In this workshop, two topics will be presented.  First, the principles and tools to apply DoE to mixture and mixture-amount experiments will be discussed.  Second, we will demonstrate how to set up and use the free open-source R statistical software for DoE.

This session will focus on diversity and inclusion in the STEM workspace and education environments. A panel of speakers will share their experiences in these environments and provide advice and resources to help bring awareness to diversity and inclusion in STEM. The session will conclude with an open Q&A forum to digest the discussed topics.

Extreme climate variations happen more frequently due to climate change, and agriculture faces these enormously fluctuating conditions accompanied by unpredictable abiotic and biotic stresses. The unfavorable environments and dwindling resources such as farmland and gene pools because of the ever-increasing global population and rapid urbanization are one of the most difficult challenges of this century. Classical breeding approaches such as hybridization breeding and mutation breeding have been extensively used for developing climate-resilient crops. At the same time, there have been many successful attempts to improve crop resilience through advanced biotechnology techniques and molecular genetics approaches. This session aims to update the research progress on the application of various biotechnology strategies to improve the stress-resilience of crops; the presentation topics will cover the basic understanding of the mechanism underlying the responses to environmental stresses (temperature, light, drought and salinity etc.) and practical application of novel technologies for improving plant performance in the changing environments.

Organoids provide an invaluable tool to explore organ-specific, and importantly, species-specific questions. This is due to their ability to self-organize and accurately recapitulate defining tissue phenotypes. Further, organoids can now be directed to preserve region-specific characteristics of an organ system, via preservation of the source tissue or through directed differentiation. This model has become an essential translational tool to understand both basic biology and disease, having important implications not only in human but also in the welfare of agricultural livestock. This session will share exciting insights into three diverse systems: human brain, microbiota-host interactions in pig intestine, and human pediatric lung development.

Several consequences of climate change are unpredictable weather patterns, extremes in temperature and inconsistent rainfall. These conditions create stress on food production systems and require adaptation to provide the necessary food and fiber for an ever-growing population.  One strategy to address the challenges of climate change is to increase crop diversity to improve the resiliency of food systems in these regions. This session will explore the current state of enabling technologies for crop improvement in under-utilized food crop species in regions most impacted by climate change, Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia.  Speakers will focus on strategic crops for food security in these regions such as: cassava, tef, cowpea, mung bean, yams, banana, ground nuts, pearl millet, potatoes and sorghum.  Speakers will discuss current capabilities, identify technology gaps and explore future opportunities for improving the impact of these under-utilized food crops.

It is clear that people want to learn about science, but when research articles are filled with jargon and acronyms, it can be easy to get lost in an unwelcoming vocabulary that seems to require experience in a niche subject. Breaking down the hurdles to better communicate science to the non-scientific community has an important and powerful role: empowering, encouraging, and educating. How can scientists make their work as clear as possible? How can a bigger audience be reached? How can a message be accurately conveyed? This year’s student luncheon speaker from Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science will shine light on common mistakes scientists make when writing a paper for a broad audience. Learn how to strengthen communication skills, simplify without losing information, and write outside the mindset of a scientist.

Tissue culture micropropagation is invaluable for the rapid clonal production of elite plant genetics. As new climatic and biotic challenges arise it is increasingly important to be able to identify novel techniques and crops in which to meet these demands. Plant tissue culture is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of 21st century horticulture, forestry, conservation, medicinal, and agriculture industries. In this section we will cover up-to-date research, technologies, and applied knowledge for a number of different specialty crops.

Chemoprevention involves the abrogation or delay in the onset of cancer using synthetic therapeutics, healthy diets, and diet- or supplemental-based natural products. Three strategies include prevent cancer from beginning, prevent precancerous cells evolving into malignant cells, and prevent cancer from redeveloping in cancer survivors. Compounds that block the initiation or promotional stages of cancer are generally termed as blocking agents or suppressing agents, respectively. Chemopreventive agents would ideally be effective without significant adverse side effects, and are preferably affordable and readily available. In vitro bioassays have become invaluable in identifying compounds, often plant and fungal based, with chemopreventive properties. In this symposium we have three speakers. Dr. Kensler, Fred Hutchinson, is exploring the use of broccoli derived compounds that induces the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway for preclinical cancer chemopreventive models. Dr. James Varani, University of Michigan, is using human colon organoids to screen a wide array of natural products for chemopreventive activity, and Dr. Brad Upham, Michigan State University, is using gap junctional intercellular communication bioassays in stem cell models to screen a wide array of natural products to prevent or reverse the effects of environmental carcinogens or oncogenes.

Abstract:
Dysregulated vascularization is a common feature of various diseases such as cancers, obesity, atherosclerosis, and others. Despite the recognition of this phenomenon, we have not yet fulfilled the potential of controlling vascularization to enhance human health. Bioengineering, as a discipline, provides two important benefits to help achieve this goal: 1) precise tools and techniques that can quantitatively evaluate tissue and vascular microenvironments, and 2) systems-based methods that integrate data and provide predictive insights. These approaches offer innovative platforms for drug discovery and clinical translation. In this presentation, we will discuss the progress of our research team in measuring and controlling vascular signals. Additionally, we will demonstrate how applying systems biology approaches can improve labor and delivery outcomes in women’s health.

About Dr. Imoukhuede
Princess Imoukhuede is the Hunter and Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair and Professor in Bioengineering at University of Washington and a leader in systems biology research, engineering education, and academic diversity initiatives. She was an associate professor of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University (WU) in St. Louis, where she served as the Director of Diversity Initiatives for the McKelvey School of Engineering. Before joining WU, she was recognized with a Distinguished Promotion Award to Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She earned her SB in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and pursued graduate study in Bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where she was the first Black woman awarded a Bioengineering PhD and was only the second Black woman to earn a PhD from Caltech’s Division of Engineering and Applied Science. She completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins where she earned the prestigious United Negro College Fund/Merck Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Her collaborative research efforts are impactful and productive with 170 conference proceedings and peer reviewed manuscripts, over 70 invited lectures, 1 patent, and 2 recently filed provisional patents. She has earned numerous awards, including the 2017 NSF CAREER Award, 2018 IMSA Distinguished Leadership Award, 2018 Young Innovator in Nanobiotechnology, 2019 AIChE Journal Futures Series, and 2020 University of Pittsburgh Graduate Women in Engineering Network High Impact Innovation and Inspiration Award. She is a Fellow of both the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering Society, and in 2020, she was named one of the 1,000 “inspiring Black scientists” by Cell Mentor. Her lab pioneers both quantitative biological measurements and computational biological models to delineate signal transduction directing vascular signaling and analyzing oxytocin receptor variants with translational implications to cancers and cardiovascular diseases and women’s health.

CRISPR is a powerful genome editing technology that enables researchers to easily modify gene function and alter DNA sequences. This workshop will focus on introducing researchers to the principles behind CRISPR and the key differences between Plant and Animal CRISPR technology. Additionally, it will provide a chance to explore CRISPR through hands-on usage of gene editing tool kits from scientific companies. The workshop is aimed at teaching the key differences between Plant and Animal CRISPR, the computational analysis of the raw data, and proper usage of gene editing tools. There is no pre-requisite programming experience necessary. Resources will be made available to researchers prior to the workshop to introduce them to CRISPR. Gene editing tools will be available for students through participating exhibitors and Edvotek. Edvotek was the first company to focus on translating cutting-edge biotechnology for the teaching classroom. They work with educators globally to demystify science and foster the next generation of scientists through hands-on, active learning activities. For the best experience, students are required to familiarize themselves with CRISPR, prepare questions, and come ready to learn! 

​This plenary – dedicated to the memory of Michael Horn – will focus on “disruptive” in vitro work.  Speakers will address not only how the in vitro biology on a technical basis is created, but also how an idea is enabled through in vitro biology.  How this is further developed into such disruptive offers.  Our first speaker will be giving us an understanding on how in vitro technology can expand beyond a single cell to give relevant results that disrupt the industry of animal models and testing.  Moving toward true “organs/organisms on a chip”.  Our second speaker will present a concept to product perspective utilizing novel gene editing technology: from concept, to in vitro enabling technology, to product.  Our last speaker will focus on enabling disruptive in vitro technology to enter the market without making an “unintended” disruptive impact.  Taking an idea to market, especially when that involves steps of in vitro biology for introduction of new traits.  Here, the concern is assuring that the “disruption” is intended and focused especially when global trade is concerned, one needs to assure that proper stewardship considerations are in place.  We encourage all disrupters to be there and to be ready to engage in active Q&A

​Would you be interested in fishing in a flask? Since the establishment of RTG-2 in 1962, a variety of fish cell lines have been developed from a variety of species. Fish cell cultures are versatile and easy to use, making them ideal for a wide range of research applications. Speakers in this session will highlight the diverse uses of fish cell culture including fundamental invitrome organization, cell line development, applied virology and toxicology studies, and cellular agriculture.

Making transgenic and gene-edited plants typically involves delivery of DNA to cells using one of three standard methods—Agrobacterium, particle bombardment, or protoplast permeabilization—followed by selection and regeneration of stable transgenics in tissue culture to yield full plants with shoots and roots. As good as these approaches can be, researchers continue to work to develop alternative DNA-delivery methods to improve transformation efficiencies, eliminate or reduce the need for tissue culture, and/or allow for genotype-independent transformation. The advent of gene editing has also created a need for novel delivery methods, particularly for clonally propagated plants, that enable transgene-free editing. In this session, the invited speakers will share their experiences developing innovative approaches for gene and editing tool delivery to plant cells. The topics covered include DNA-free delivery of CRISPR editing tools to protoplasts using ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs), RNA-based delivery of Cas and gRNAs using plant RNA viruses, delivery of editing reagents using mobile RNAs and grafting, and DNA delivery using nanoclay particles.

The Plant Biotechnology Section is pleased to announce the 2023 Plant Biotechnology Student Oral Presentation Competition. Competition finalists were selected based on the quality of the abstracts. The abstract should address the following: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions. Where appropriate, the methods section should include a description of how reproducible results were ensured. A panel of judges will evaluate the presentations at the meeting. Criteria for the evaluation include experimental design, data analysis, proper interpretation of the results, originality of the study, technical difficulty, appearance and ability of the student to present it. Winners will be presented with a certificate and a cash award at the meeting. 

This competition encourages the exchange of scientific information between the presenters, attendees and judges. Additionally, it provides an invaluable opportunity for students and post-docs to practice and improve their presentation delivery and public speaking skills. The top three finalists were selected for this competition based on the quality of their abstracts, as well as the merit of their research and scientific findings. The oral presentations will be presented in-person at the meeting and a panel of expert judges will select the top presentation. Evaluation criteria will include experimental design, data analysis, proper interpretation of the results, originality of the study, technical difficulty, professionalism, the ability of the finalist to explain the research and answer questions, and importantly, adherence to the allocated time for the presentation. The Student and Post-Doctoral Oral Presentation Competition session serves to recognize and reward the research and achievements of outstanding students and post-docs. The three finalists will be presented with a certificate and a cash award during the 2023 SIVB Annual Meeting.

The use of artificial (or synthetic) seeds as a propagation technique relies on the successful propagation, conservation, encapsulation and delivery of plant cells, tissues, or organs in an artificial matrix. Synthetic seeds develop into whole plants in the proper in vitro or ex vitro environment, allowing sowing practices to be like conventional seeds, or further customized and optimized through the encapsulation components. Originally, synthetic seeds were produced mostly from somatic embryos, but the application has broadened to include shoot buds, cell aggregates, propagules, protocorms, meristems, etc. The synthetic seed technology has important high value applications in the fields of conservation, clonal propagation, mass production, automation, and custom-optimized seed prescription. This session will explore application of artificial seeds across diverse species and the methods to optimize artificial seed production at scale.

It is of no surprise that historical and current anthropogenic activities are not sustainable for the future of our planet. The power of both plant and animal in vitro technologies is key to improving sustainability through biotechnology. In this session, our speakers will showcase the ability to enhance carbon dioxide capture in plants that help to balance the planet’s carbon cycle, the use of plant cell culture to extract naturally derived compounds without conventional agricultural processes, and methods to produce cultivated meat in a serum-free environment that reduces the need for animal products.

The Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB) takes pride in showcasing some of the most innovative research topics in both plant and animal sciences. Our mission for the non-competitive oral presentations are to provide a platform for student researchers to achieve recognition and share their research work with their peers as well as academic and industry professionals, who can take their projects to the next level without the pressure of competing. This section is designated for those who are looking to gain experience in presenting scientific information, as well as for those who are developing effective scientific presentation skills.

Microorganisms are integral members of environmental and organismal ecosystems that are capable of mediating interconnectedness between soil, plants, livestock, and humans with the potential to influence health.  The goal of this plenary session “Microbiomes at the Intersection of One Health” is to offer a comprehensive overview of a wide range of microbes or microbiomes that mediate such links and that significantly impact plant, animal, and human health. These interactions will be illustrated through three presentations given by leaders in the fields of environmental microbiology and plant pathology, rumen microbiology and antibiotic resistance and finally human pathogen infection. Together, these presentations are expected to highlight how distinct microbiomes are inter-related and contribute health outcomes amongst plants, animals and humans.

Invertebrate cell cultures serve as invaluable tools in pharmaceutical, environmental and agricultural research programs, including in the development of highly beneficial products.  Marine invertebrate cell cultures are intimately involved in the discovery and isolation of unique medical components, as well as provide insights into ecological disturbances.  Insect cell cultures play an effective role in insecticide discovery programs in both screening assays and mode of action studies. In all cases, in vitro methodologies are constantly being upgraded to enhance the performance of these cell culture-based assays.  Our symposium will highlight some of the state-of-the-art methodologies involved in these advances, including 3D cell culture, single cell sequencing and other related molecular techniques. In the marine biology arena, one speaker will highlight how advances in sponge cell biotechnology are leading to the development of novel drugs.  Another presenter will outline the harnessing of invertebrate cells in ecotoxicity studies to determine the impact of specific pollutants on the marine ecosystem.  For the agricultural focus, our speakers will discuss the use of primary cultures from insect digestive tissues as model systems for both targeting insecticides as well understanding basic invertebrate biology.  We will follow up the presentations with a panel discussion to better integrate and synthesize the ideas brought forward by our speakers, as well as to broaden the scope of application and summarize key points.

Metabolomics is a great systemic approach to understand plant indigenous chemical status as well as the interaction with its environment. Being natural factories of chemical compounds, plants possess invaluable metabolism creating chemicals for human food, biofuel, and pharmaceutical uses. Dissection of these metabolic pathways not only help us to understand how plants became specialized in compound production, but sheds light on ways for scientists to engineer metabolic pathways to boost or enable the beneficial chemical production in plants. In response to environmental cues, plants employ an arsenal of compounds to help them adapt to biotic and abiotic stresses, interact with other organisms, and balance resources between development and defenses. This gains us insight on why plants are resilient to different environments and what contributes to a harmonious ecosystem allowing more sustainable agricultural production. As precise genome engineering tools such as CRISPR-Cas being readily accessible and versatile, the expansion of metabolic engineering research results in more productive plants for chemical and more resilient species for the changing environment. In return, efficient genome engineering requires to solve several bottlenecks such as plant regeneration and transformation steps of recalcitrant species, and plant metabolomics could potentially provide novel solutions.

Production tissue culture labs utilize the basic principles of micropropagation and transformation, but on a large scale to rapidly create large number plantlets with elite traits for the forestry, ornamental, and agricultural industries. The knowledge and protocols developed at the research level don’t always translate to large scale production and often must be optimized accordingly. Considering the complexity of simultaneously handling multiple genotypes/traits, tight production schedule, and repetitive nature of operation, special care is required to ensure smooth and successful production to fulfill customer orders. In this session, we will hear from tissue culture experts in both academia and industry on approaches to ensure the success of a production lab, including production scheduling, protocol optimization, process automation, data storage and inventory tracking.

Cannabis research has traditionally been prevented due to legal barriers and many biotechnologies that we take for granted in other crops simply do not exist for this species.  However, legalization in many states across the US and countries around the globe has spurred interest in this area and many modern technologies have now been developed despite the many challenges presented by this crop.  In this session, academic and industry leaders will present new technologies in the area of cannabis biotechnology with a focus on genetic manipulation.  These technologies include genetic transformation systems, gene silencing, and metabolic engineering.

Over the past several decades, there has been a marked increase in the number and complexity of cell and tissue-based bioassays being applied to a wide range of regulatory, developmental and safety applications. Examples include the federal agencies move to adverse outcome pathways in cultured human cells, 3D human tissue constructs and human iPSC-derived cell and tissue model systems. The protocols range from simple cytotoxicity assays to more refined systems for the prediction of hazard to complex systems that incorporate exposure kinetics and endpoint-specific measures to address risk. In this context, risk is defined as the demonstrated potential for an adverse outcome from an exposure. In vitro mutagenicity assays might be seen as predictors of hazard, rather than risk, since in vivo exposure is not modeled. Tissue construct models for predicting skin or eye irritation do incorporate exposure kinetics and so hold the promise of predicting risk (i.e., degree of irritation). This symposium will focus on test methods that are designed to predict hazard or risk, highlighting test guidelines falling under the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) international program. Particular emphasis will be placed on the development of quantitative predictions models that are used to translate the in vitro results into an in vivo prediction of hazard or risk. The prediction model is a key element in assay validation, and is predicated on establishing the reproducibility of the assay over time. Additionally, the test systems and assay endpoints should have mechanistic relevance in vivo. The discussion will include the importance of the prediction models developed with reference chemicals of known activity in vivo and the use of representative reference chemicals from different chemical classes and physical forms (solid/liquid) will be discussed. Presentations will address the historical drivers for the development of “modern” prediction models and real world experiences in building assay systems and resulting prediction models for regulatory applications.

Since the first demonstration of successful plant transformation in mid 1980s, significant improvement has been made in the development of transformation technologies. In addition to numerous cell biology innovations and process optimizations made over the past forty years, the evolution of transformation target explants from suspension cultures, to callus cultures, to immature embryos played a critical role in terms of efficiency, throughput, germplasm flexibility and feasibility for automation. However, as genome engineering and editing applications are becoming increasingly complex, trait integration and deployment costs have greatly increased, becoming prohibitive in many cases. Development and optimization of simplified, genotype-flexible transformation/editing systems continues to be a critical means to meet complex plant transformation/editing needs in the future. This session will focus on the development of novel transformation technologies using mature seed embryo as explants, expression of developmental genes and in planta systems to address these issues.

Working with cell/tissue cultures within a tightly controlled environment sounds simple. However, as every in vitro biologist knows, growth and morphogenic responses are complex, making genetic and/or epigenetic studies difficult to interpret. As an adjunct to whole tissue RNA sequencing analysis, single-cell RNA-sequencing and spatial transcriptomics technologies enable the study of high-resolution transcriptional activity as an aide in illuminating patterns otherwise masked by whole-tissue complexity. Such techniques have been pioneered in mammalian research but are increasingly being used effectively in plant research. Examples of single-cell and spatial transcriptome analysis will be provided illustrating the advantages of increased spatial resolution in understanding gene expression.

Biotransformation is chemical reactions catalyzed by cells, organs, or enzymes and represent an area of biotechnology that has received considerable attention. The use of biotransformation with in vitro plant cell culture and open cell systems has immense potential to produce compounds with a commercial interest and pathway engineering, especially considering the vast biochemical capability for producing secondary metabolites from plant sources. This symposium will highlight the application of different plant cells culture systems, such as intact cell suspensions and open cell suspension, enabling the systems in vitro for advanced applications.

Improvement of ornamental and horticultural crops by traditional plant breeding techniques has several limitations mainly caused by their high degree of heterozygosity, the length of their juvenile phase, incompatibility, and adaptation to the changing climate. On the other hand, crop improvement by new breeding technologies employs precision breeding tools and techniques to overcome some of the challenges encountered by traditional breeding. It’s now possible to precisely make gene specific modifications to express or suppress desired and undesired traits in a record time. This session will explore the impact of both traditional and emerging breeding technologies on accelerating breeding of woody, horticultural and ornamental species of commercial interest. Guest speakers with years of experience in content and practice of breeding technologies will share their experiences and address any question(s) from the audience during the session.

Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), also known as low laser light therapy, is a non-invasive technique that incorporates the use of red or infrared light. PBMT has significant health benefits, including pain reduction, wound healing,  and preventing cell death. Outcomes from PBMT are tissue specific as well as dependent on the wavelength and total energy applied.  New applications of PBMT are being uncovered and incorporated as single or adjuvant therapy.  This session will enlighten the audience with cutting-edge discoveries by leading experts on the successful application of PBMT in mammalian systems.