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This is a great and very important initiative towards the realization of a synthetic cell.
Anne Bernheim-Groswasser
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev -
We study molecular assemblies and cytoskeleton force generation using microinjection into GUVs
Marcelina Cardoso Dos Santos
CEA -
The Synthetic Cell initiative tackles one of the most fascinating questions: how can a bunch of inert molecules interact in a way that makes them come alive?
Guillaume Romet-Lemonne
CNRS - Institut Jacques Monod -
Building on understanding, understanding by building
Dolores Pérez-Sala
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, CSIC -
I write in strong support of this flagship proposal. This proposal addresses the most central and exciting question that we can ask about nature: "what is life?", or in other words: "how does a collection of nonliving molecules together generate a living cell?". The premise is that we can only truly understand life if we can recreate it from its component parts. Now is a perfect time to launch such an ambitious programme, because advances in the life sciences and in physics have converged on a detailed understanding of the component parts of life while chemistry has at the same time come to a point where (supra)molecular systems can be synthesized that are able to mimic key functions of biomolecules such as self-recognition and mechanochemical activity. This flagship proposal presents a unique opportunity to bring life sciences, physics and chemistry together and put Europe at the international forefront of synthetic biology. In addition to providing revolutionary new insights into the origins of life, building a synthetic cell would also open a multitude of applications. Synthetic cells can be used as factories for bioactive compounds, as test beds in drug development, and as building blocks for materials with life-like properties such as stimuli-response, adaptibility, and self-repair.
Gijsje Koenderink
Faculty of Applied Sciences, TU Delft -
I find this project extremely exciting and would like to express my strong support. I believe that scientists are now in the position to combine their individual expertise in a joint effort in order to reach goals that have seemed unrealistic year ago. I can only congratulate the "promoters" for starting the initiative!
Sarah Koester
University of Goettingen
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A new spin on making minimal cells
30 / 06 / 2021
The ability of a cell to separate its own matter from its surroundings is a basic requirement for life. A team of researchers at AMOLF and Delft University of Technology have managed to create a synthetic container, or lipid vesicle, that is able to hold a range of different ...
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Researchers discover how a cell’s armour can be both flexible and strong
06 / 05 / 2021
Medieval knights either had thick, cumbersome armour, or they could wear less protective armour and be flexible in combat – they couldn’t have both. Cells, on the other hand, do have it all. Researchers from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Leeds University, Institut Fresnel in Marseille, and Institut ...
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Charting the blueprints for future disease treatments through cell self-organisation
06 / 05 / 2021
Prize-winning ERC grantees Anna Akhmanova and Marileen Dogterom combined cutting-edge research in the fields of biophysics and biology to achieve a better understanding of how cells self-organise. Their findings could have far-reaching implications for our ability to manipulate cells and treat diseases such as cancer. In recent years, researchers have ...
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