On Biochemical Constructors and Synthetic Cells

Overview

Journal Interface Focus

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 Aug 14

PMID 37577005

Authors

Sebastian J Maerkl

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Is it possible to build life? More specifically, is it possible to create a living synthetic cell from inanimate building blocks? This question precipitated into one of the most significant grand challenges in biochemistry and synthetic biology, with several large research consortia forming around this endeavour in Europe (European Synthetic Cell Initiative), the USA (Build-a-Cell Initiative) and Japan (Japanese Society for Cell Synthesis Research). The mature field of biochemistry, the advent of synthetic biology in the early 2000s, and the burgeoning field of cell-free synthetic biology made it feasible to tackle this grand challenge.

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