Our long-term goal is to construct a cell – the basic unit of life – starting from separate biochemical building blocks. Inspired from various modern organisms and viruses, we are trying to recapitulate the essential biological functions of a living cell in vitro. The core architecture of our synthetic cell consists of a lipid vesicle compartment containing the machinery to convert a DNA program into messenger RNAs and proteins. Based on this scaffold, we aim at reconstituting four cellular modules: genomic DNA replication, compartment growth through lipid synthesis, vesicle division, and replication of the protein synthesis machinery. I will present our results on these different fronts and will discuss the challenges to integrate these four modules into a functioning synthetic cell model capable to self-reproduce and evolve.
This research is primarily curiosity driven. However, the creation of an artificial cell will not only revolutionize our understanding of life’s fundamental nature; it will also open a new era for biotechnological and medical applications.
Christophe Danelon, TU Delft
