Building a community to engineer synthetic cells and organelles from the bottom-up

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Oskar Staufer, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research; Jacqueline A De Lora, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research; Eleonora Bailoni, University of Groningen; Alisina Bazrafshan, Emory University; Amelie S Benk, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research; Kevin Jahnke, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research; Zachary A Manzer, Cornell University; Lado Otrin, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems; Telmo Díez Pérez, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Judee Sharon, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Jan Steinkühler, Northwestern University; Katarzyna P Adamala, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Bruna Jacobson, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Marileen Dogterom, BaSyC Consortium, Delft; Kerstin Göpfrich, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research; Darko Stefanovic, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Susan R Atlas, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Michael Grunze, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research; Matthew R Lakin, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Andrew P Shreve, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Joachim P Spatz, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research; Gabriel P López, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-12-20
• Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021, Staufer et al
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.73556
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: eLife
• Volume: 10
• Grant/Funding Information: Max Planck Society Max Planck School Matter to Life to Joachim P Spatz.; National Science Foundation CBET-1841170 to Gabriel P López.; New Mexico Consortium to Gabriel P López.; This paper was supported by the following grants:
• Keywords: synthetic cells; organelles
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Employing concepts from physics, chemistry and bioengineering, 'learning-by-building' approaches are becoming increasingly popular in the life sciences, especially with researchers who are attempting to engineer cellular life from scratch. The SynCell2020/21 conference brought together researchers from different disciplines to highlight progress in this field, including areas where synthetic cells are having socioeconomic and technological impact. Conference participants also identified the challenges involved in designing, manipulating and creating synthetic cells with hierarchical organization and function. A key conclusion is the need to build an international and interdisciplinary research community through enhanced communication, resource-sharing, and educational initiatives.