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SUMMARY:A toolkit for manufacturing an artificial cell\, from scratch: mic
 rofluidics\, membrane design\, and biomolecular engineering - Dr Yuval Ela
 ni\, Imperial College London
DTSTART:20220812T130000Z
DTEND:20220812T140000Z
UID:TALK177152@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Marcus
DESCRIPTION:Artificial cells are structures that are constructed from the 
 bottom-up using both synthetic and biological components\, which resemble 
 biological cells in form and function (Figure below). They are used both a
 s simplified cell models\, and as smart microdevices with a range of poten
 tial applications in industrial and clinical biotechnology. However\, ther
 e are a lack of tools available for the construction of artificial cells t
 hat allow biomimetic architectures and behaviours to be dialled in a contr
 olled and reproducible fashion. This means that the capabilities of artifi
 cial cells cannot match their biological counterparts.\n\nIn this talk\, I
  will present some of our efforts to combat this. We have developed a tool
 kit for the construction of artificial cells of defined size\, content\, c
 ompartmentalisation\, and connectivity. These are based on microfluidic\, 
 optical tweezer\, and novel bio- membrane technologies. We are now moving 
 away from reproducing cellular architectures\, and towards mimicking biolo
 gical behaviours that can be considered the hallmarks of life (sense/respo
 nse\, communication\, motility\, metabolism\, signalling\, symbiosis etc.)
  We are also exploring how artificial cells can be interfaced with the bio
 logical cells to form a new class of hybrid living/synthetic organisms (ce
 llular bionics).
LOCATION:Maxwell Centre\, Rayleigh Seminar Room
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