• Research objectives

    Toward creating life-like artificial cells and beyond

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    One question that excites many researchers in synthetic biology is that – can we build a cell from scratch? With the development in the relevant areas of research, there has been an increasing drive attempting to create models that mimic a living biological cell. Some of the critical questions behind the drive are – Are we able to produce molecules efficiently as a cell does? How can we effectively understand what happens in biochemical pathways? Moreover, can we use the knowledge of the deviations from the pathways that cause diseases to mediate them? Indeed, the attempt to build a system that could answer these questions, although it may sound simple on the scale of a single cell, has been a great challenge.

  • Ongoing projects

    Current challenges and research efforts

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    • A. Boundary-forming technologies require biocompatibility and simplicity. 
    • B. Efficiency and context-dependency of cell-free systems need to be improved in order to be long-lasting and to be compatible within the compartmentalized environment. 
    • C. Compartmental boundary design needs to be more sophisticated to resemble that of a living biological cell. 
    • D. AC system needs further development to reach the complexity of a living biological cell.