Japan_IPAP: Novel nanotechnologies for on-site expression and reconstitution of membrane-embedded machineries in synthetic cells

Japan_IPAP：用于合成细胞中膜嵌入机械的现场表达和重建的新型纳米技术

• 批准号: BB/X012565/1
• 负责人: Yuval Elani
• 金额: $ 19.62万
• 依托单位: Imperial College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FX012565%2F1
• 关键词: Japan_IPAP; Novel; nanotechnologies; site; expression

Cells are the building blocks of life. They have been sculpted over billions of years of evolution to perform some of the most complex tasks known to humankind. However, at their core, they can be thought of as a web of interacting molecules, albeit a very complex one. We can ask ourselves: what if we could create entirely artificial cells from scratch? Can we make life from inanimate matter? Achieving this ambitious objective will underpin disruptive applications and address some of the grand societal challenges of our time. Building a new biology will also transform our understanding of living systems.The ultimate aim of artificial cell research is to manufacture synthetic microrobots that possess the hallmark behaviours of cellular life, including the ability to move, harvest and covert energy, communicate with each other and with biological cells, adapt to the environment, replicate, make 'decisions', repair themselves, grow, divide, and even evolve. One of the key aims of the field is to engineer synthetic cells that are capable of making their own machinery from a genetic programme, which will allow them to be autonomous. This is critical if synthetic cells are to have applications beyond academic environments as therapeutic agents, tools in drug discovery, bioremediation, sensing and chemical manufacture. Proteins are the molecular machines that give cells their functions. The scientific community are now broadly able to engineer synthetic cells that can produce soluble proteins, such as the enzymes that catalyse chemical reactions. There is a whole other class of proteins that due to technological limitations, are out of reach when it comes to autonomous synthetic cell design: membrane proteins. This is a damaging bottleneck, as these proteins are responsible for diverse cellular behaviours, ranging from motility, communication and signalling through to energy generation, replication and cell-cell adhesion. In this project, by bringing together world-leading researchers in the UK and Japan, and combining our expertise in membrane biophysics, molecular biology, DNA nanotechnology and microfluidics, we will remedy this oversight. We will conduct the feasibility studies that enable the design and construction of synthetic cells that can generate their own membrane-based machinery. We will also organise activities to bring together vibrant communities in Japan and the UK in this space. This level of international cooperation and engagement is required if the scientific community is to achieve the grand challenge of engineering synthetic life.

细胞是生命的基石。经过数十亿年的进化，它们被雕刻出来，执行人类已知的一些最复杂的任务。然而，在它们的核心，它们可以被认为是一个相互作用的分子网络，尽管是一个非常复杂的网络。我们可以问自己：如果我们可以从头开始创造完全人工的细胞呢？我们能从无生命的物质中创造生命吗？实现这一雄心勃勃的目标将为颠覆性应用提供基础，并解决我们这个时代的一些重大社会挑战。人工细胞研究的最终目标是制造具有细胞生命标志性行为的合成微型机器人，包括移动、收集和转换能量，相互交流和与生物细胞交流，适应环境，复制，做出“决定”，自我修复，生长，分裂，甚至进化的能力。该领域的主要目标之一是设计能够通过遗传程序制造自己的机器的合成细胞，这将使它们能够自主。如果合成细胞要在学术环境之外作为治疗剂、药物发现工具、生物修复、传感和化学制造的应用，这一点至关重要。蛋白质是赋予细胞功能的分子机器。科学界现在能够广泛地设计合成细胞，这些细胞可以产生可溶性蛋白质，例如催化化学反应的酶。由于技术的限制，还有另一类蛋白质在自主合成细胞设计中是遥不可及的：膜蛋白。这是一个破坏性的瓶颈，因为这些蛋白质负责各种细胞行为，从运动，通信和信号传导到能量产生，复制和细胞间粘附。在这个项目中，通过汇集英国和日本的世界领先的研究人员，并结合我们在膜生物物理学，分子生物学，DNA纳米技术和微流体方面的专业知识，我们将纠正这一疏忽。我们将进行可行性研究，使设计和建造的合成细胞，可以产生自己的膜为基础的机器。我们还将组织活动，将日本和英国充满活力的社区聚集在一起。如果科学界要实现工程合成生命的巨大挑战，就需要这种程度的国际合作和参与。