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Dutch researchers develop a simple technique to build containers for synthetic cell engineering
14 / 11 / 2022
Many scientists in Europe and around the world have taken up the challenge of building cells from scratch, that is, synthetic cells. Some are trying to mimic as closely as possible the processes that occur in living cells, to understand their inner mechanisms. Others are trying to find the ...
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Artificial cells support tissue regeneration in mice
03 / 11 / 2022
A team of Israeli researchers recently succeeded in forming new blood vessels in mice using synthetic cells, particles built from scratch that mimic some of the functions of living cells, in this case, their ability to turn on a specific gene to make RNA and proteins. This is the ...
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Interview with Prof. Gijs Wuite: " Starting a company is a great way for a scientist to make an impact”
17 / 10 / 2022
To elucidate the fundamental question of “What is life?”, researchers are attempting to assemble synthetic cells from scratch. Many technologies are being developed along the way and promise both scientific and societal benefits. A recent example is the Acoustophoresis method, created by Gijs Wuite, professor of physics of life ...
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Researchers turn to bacteria to mimic the complex structure and function of living cells
13 / 10 / 2022
A team of researchers from the University of Bristol has harnessed the potential of bacteria to help build complex artificial cells with lifelike functionality. They recycled the components of living bacteria; including genes, transcription-translation machinery, enzymes, and membrane lipids; into viscous micro-droplets while managing to keep most of the ...
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Interview with Dr. Yuval Elani - ‘The cell membrane is more than just a capsule’
25 / 08 / 2022membranes
Dr. Yuval Elani is Group Leader at Imperial College, UK, in the department of Chemical Engineering. He and his team of about 20 scientists work in the field of bio-inspired technology, which means taking inspiration from biological systems and concepts to build new types of technologies. In the interview he ...
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Royal DSM takes a lab tour on synthetic cell research
05 / 07 / 2022
On July 4, a delegation from Royal DSM, a Dutch multinational corporation active in the fields of health, nutrition and bioscience, visited the campus of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands (TU Delft). During the visit to the Bionanoscience Department, they participated in a lab tour led by ...
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A new form of inter-cell communication is possible with bioluminescence
01 / 07 / 2022
The authors of a publication in the prestigious journal Nature Communications were inspired by living organisms such as fireflies to build a minimal cell that emits light and uses it to communicate with natural cells. “Imagine if we could activate the production of therapeutic proteins in a patient’s body using ...
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How synthetic cells may contribute to a fair and sustainable future - the Future Panel on Synthetic Life gives its first recommendations
14 / 06 / 2022
The Future Panel on Synthetic Life gives its first recommendations Illustration: Rathenau Instituut At the European Synthetic Cell Initiative, we want to translate knowledge about synthetic cells into technological applications in a responsible way for a more sustainable world. We are therefore pleased to highlight the position paper recently published by ...
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A look back at the SynCell2022 conference
09 / 06 / 2022
SynCell2022, the International Conference on Engineering Synthetic Cells and Organelles conference is now over. It was great to see so many researchers from different disciplines come together and share their knowledge about synthetic cells. How long will it take to build a cell and where will the first applications be? ...
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Queen Máxima and European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel visit synthetic cell researchers at TU Delft
24 / 05 / 2022
The visit showcased the synthetic cell research conducted by the young talents of BaSyC and SynCellEU. On May 18, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, visited the campus of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands (TU Delft). The ...
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