As many of our readers know, last week SynBioBeta held its fifth annual San Francisco conference, and—as many of those who attended know—it was the largest and most successful yet. Attendees representing dozens of companies and firms came out to learn, make connections, and be a part of the cutting edge of the synthetic biology industry.Reflecting on the conference, SynBioBeta founder John Cumbers was pleased to see the progress that the industry continues to make, as demonstrated by the growing number of companies who represented themselves and participated. “It's great to see the industry continuing to mature and to see so many companies choosing SynBioBeta SF to make their announcements,” he said.Synthego CEO Paul Dabrowski, who attended the conference with his team, noted that the type of individuals and companies represented at SynBioBeta are what really set the conference apart. “The attendees represent a great cross section of the industry,” he commented. “They are a lot more visionary than any other biotech conference out there.”Conference speakers included several key figures in synthetic biologyMany attendees were thrilled to hear from some of the biggest names in synthetic biology and biotechnology throughout the two days spent at the South San Francisco Conference Center. Day 1 of the conference opened with a keynote address from Dr. Christopher Voigt of MIT, who described his lab’s development of genetic NOR gates as a tool for biological engineering. His subject matter was compelling and timely for an audience of labs and companies that are increasingly applying electrical engineering and computer science principles to the engineering of biological systems.The keynote speech on Day 2 was delivered by Dr. Dan Gibson of Synthetic Genomics, Inc., inventor and namesake of the Gibson assembly method of DNA synthesis. Dr. Gibson presented an overview of his team’s road to developing Gibson assembly and its application to accomplish what are widely considered some of the most impressive achievements in synthetic biology today: the engineering of the first synthetic cell and, later, a synthetic cell with the smallest genome of any organism known to man.In addition, attendees had the opportunity to listen to a discussion on imaginations of the future of synthetic biology between one of the field’s well-known founders, Dr. Drew Endy of Stanford University, and Stewart Brand of the Long Now Foundation. Their lively dialogue was a conference highlight for many, and ended with Mr. Brand calling for more efficient agriculture and green chemistry Dr. Endy calling for better, non-dystopian narratives around science.Rolando Perez is a member of Drew Endy’s lab at Stanford University who attended the conference. For Perez, the highlights of the conference were Dan Gibson’s keynote address and, of course, his principal investigator’s discussion on imagining the future of the industry. According to Perez, “The conference presented a good range of different aspects you should be thinking about if you’re working in the synbio space.” One topic he wishes had been discussed more was issues with the culture of the industry, especially issues of diversity.Panel discussions touched all corners of synthetic biologyAnother popular feature of the conference was the many panel discussions that took place over the two-day event. Panels covered a wide range of topics, from synthetic biology in agriculture, to navigating regulatory structures, to safeguarding the bioeconomy and biosecurity.The investor panel discussion was found to be compelling by conference attendees representing synthetic biology startups. Members of recent startups welcomed the opportunity to hear from panel participants coming from venture capital, industry, and academia.Dr. Christine Santos of Manus Biosynthesis expressed how particularly beneficial the investor panel was for her. “The investor panel featured some great back and forth discussion which highlighted that although everyone is looking for that next big opportunity, they still have very different interests and priorities,” she said. “My company, Manus Bio, is actively fundraising, so it was helpful to hear a variety of perspectives.”The panel discussion on safeguarding the bioeconomy, too, was particularly well-received by conference attendees. Panelists left conference attendees with the message that members of the synthetic biology research community must be vigilant and responsible in order to instill confidence in the industry and avoid the institution of regulations that might stifle its growth. Attendees and panelists alike expressed an interest in continuing the conversation about biosecurity within the community.Conference video recordings are available through SynBioBeta MembershipWhile the panel discussions and keynote speeches were certainly among the most popular sessions at SynBioBeta, every session had something valuable to offer to members of the synthetic biology community. Video from the conference is one of the many benefits available to SynBioBeta members. Join today to access, discounts and premium content such as video excerpts which will be coming soon.Overall, SynBioBeta SF 2016 left the impression that, for all of the progress that has been made up until this point, the future holds even greater things for the field of synthetic biology.