# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Log (May 2, 2009)

• Researchers discussed microfluidic reactors and their advantages, noting they have low thermal mass and high surface area-to-volume ratio, allowing for experimentation with exothermic reactions and potential applications in DNA synthesis, virus production, and high-throughput combinatorial chemistry.

• Directed evolution was explored as a technique for developing organisms with novel properties, with specific interest in evolving polymerase that works at varying temperatures and potentially creating plants that produce industrial chemicals like benzene or ethylene.

• Participants shared resources on cellular morphogenesis, including notes on how microorganisms develop their shapes, with reference to specific genes (mreB, mreC, mreD, rodA, etc.) that control microbial morphology.

• The group discussed Sonneborn's work creating a two-mouthed paramecium with a single cytoplasm, demonstrating fundamental principles of cellular topobiology and morphogenesis.

• Several papers by Babak A. Parviz were shared, covering topics like micro-scale metal contacts for self-assembly, DNA extension on conductive surfaces, and electronic DNA sequencing approaches.

• The closure of Codon Devices, a synthetic biology company co-founded by George Church, Jay Keasling, and Drew Endy that had raised $11 million in financing, was noted as significant industry news.