We are pleased to announce that the Interdisciplinary Program of Bioengineering at Seoul National University will host the 2025 Bio-Convergence Forum: Synthetic Biology Forum as follows:
This forum is designed to promote startup initiatives and technology commercialization through interdisciplinary collaboration in the bio field. It also aims to facilitate networking and collaboration among researchers by sharing current research trends and projects.
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Date & Time: Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 14:00~15:00
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Venue: Room 808, Building 302, College of Engineering, Seoul National University
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Invited Speaker: Dr. Jungchan Lee (Senior Research Scientist, KIST)
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Participants: Pre-registered SNU faculty and affiliates
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Registration Link: https://forms.gle/neCyYtKUie6tqadY8
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Contact: ljh5544@snu.ac.kr / +82-2-880-2884
Spatial metagenomics for mapping out microbiome micron-scale spatial hubs by SAMPL-seq
Microbial communities play crucial roles in human and environmental health. However, their emergent properties often arise not from individual bacteria but from spatially structured sub-assemblages that drive ecosystem dynamics and microbial interactions. These spatial niches influence key processes such as pathogen colonization, antibiotic resistance, and nutri-ent cycling, making their study essential for addressing infectious diseases, antimicrobial re-sistance, and climate-driven ecosystem shifts. Despite their importance, most spatial analysis approaches fail to resolve fine-scale microbial organization. Conventional bulk metagenomics and 16S sequencing lose spatial context, while imaging-based methods, though powerful, re-main low-throughput and require extensive probe design. To overcome these limitations, we de-veloped Split-And-pool Metagenomics PLot-sampling sequencing (SAMPL-seq), a high-throughput spatial metagenomics technique that captures microbial co-localization at the micron-scale. In this talk, I present the comprehensive SAMPL-seq method for the human and animal gut microbiome, as well as its application to complex environmental samples such as soil, bio-film, and mold-contaminated ecosystems. This method details sample preparation into micron-scale particles that retain spatial structure, split-and-pool metabarcoding for tens of thousands of particles, and in situ amplification of barcoded microbial rRNA for deep sequencing analysis. In addition, I introduce computational algorithms for microbial co-localization analysis and robust spatial association mapping, enabling the identification of fine-scale bacterial interaction patterns.
We look forward to your active participation in this forum and hope it serves as a valuable platform for convergence and innovation in biotechnology.
Sincerely,
Interdisciplinary Program of Bioengineering, Seoul National University