Towards the design of Synthetic Cells

物理学家理查德·费曼（Richard Feynman）常说：“我不能创造的东西，我就不理解。”细胞生物学的近代史是通过“还原论”实验方法在越来越简单和基本的水平上研究细胞的历史。本次研讨会的目的是利用这些知识来解决费曼格言，并开始构建合成细胞的过程，以更充分地了解它们的天然对应物的功能。这不仅有可能促进我们对生物学和再生医学的理解，而且还会对我们的食品安全和生物制造业产生重大影响。该项目将汇集来自不同研究领域的顶尖科学家，包括细胞和合成生物学、化学、物理、数学和生物工程，以规划合成细胞的构建。他们将解决许多不同的问题，包括“细胞功能所需的基因、蛋白质、细胞器和小分子的最小集合是什么？”以及“定义‘功能’的最小活动集是什么？”在会议结束时，与会者应该确定成功的关键障碍，以及集中精力可以显著推进该领域的机会。讲习班的成果将是会议进程的视频记录、一份强调障碍和机遇以及该领域现状的书面报告，以及一份利用讲习班开始的工作的未来合作计划。本次研讨会由分子和细胞生物科学部的细胞动力学和功能项目以及物理部的生命系统物理学项目共同资助。

The physicist Richard Feynman is often credited with the remark 'What I cannot create, I do not understand'. The recent history of cell biology is one in which cells have been studied at increasingly simpler and fundamental levels through 'reductionist' experimental approaches. The purpose of this workshop is to utilize that knowledge to address the Feynman dictum and begin the process of building synthetic cells to more fully understand the functions of their natural counterparts. This has the exciting possibility of not only advancing our understanding of biology and regenerative medicine, but also impacting significantly our food security and biomanufacturing industry.This project will bring together leading scientists from disparate fields of research including cellular and synthetic biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and bioengineering to plan the construction of synthetic cells. They will address many different questions including 'what is the minimum set of genes, proteins, organelles, small molecules necessary for a cell to function?' and 'what is the minimum set of activities that would define 'function'' among others? By the end of the meeting, the participants should have identified key barriers to success as well as opportunities where concentrated effort could significantly advance the field. They results of the workshop will be a video record of the proceedings, a written report highlighting obstacles and opportunities and the state of the field, and a plan for future collaboration to leverage the work started at the workshop.The workshop is jointly funded by the Cellular Dynamics and Function Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and the Physics of Living Systems Program in the Division of Physics.