scholarly journals Self-Propulsion Strategies for Artificial Cell-Like Compartments

Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibon Santiago ◽  
Friedrich C. Simmel
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Biomedical Engineering ◽  
Recent Progress ◽  
Emulsion Droplet ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Droplet Motion ◽  
Active Particles ◽  
Artificial Cell ◽  
Catalytically Active ◽  
A Current

Reconstitution of life-like properties in artificial cells is a current research frontier in synthetic biology. Mimicking metabolism, growth, and sensing are active areas of investigation; however, achieving motility and directional taxis are also challenging in the context of artificial cells. To tackle this problem, recent progress has been made that leverages the tools of active matter physics in synthetic biology. This review surveys the most significant achievements in designing motile cell-like compartments. In this context, strategies for self-propulsion are summarized, including, compartmentalization of catalytically active particles, phoretic propulsion of vesicles and emulsion droplet motion driven by Marangoni flows. This work showcases how the realization of motile protocells may impact biomedical engineering while also aiming at answering fundamental questions in locomotion of prebiotic cells.

scholarly journals Microfluidics for Artificial Life: Techniques for Bottom-Up Synthetic Biology

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Supramaniam ◽  
Ces ◽  
Salehi-Reyhani
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Artificial Life ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Cellular Biology ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Artificial Cell ◽  
Central Tenet ◽  
Cell Synthesis ◽  
New Generation

Synthetic biology is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary branch of science that exploits the advancement of molecular and cellular biology. Conventional modification of pre-existing cells is referred to as the top-down approach. Bottom-up synthetic biology is an emerging complementary branch that seeks to construct artificial cells from natural or synthetic components. One of the aims in bottom-up synthetic biology is to construct or mimic the complex pathways present in living cells. The recent, and rapidly growing, application of microfluidics in the field is driven by the central tenet of the bottom-up approach—the pursuit of controllably generating artificial cells with precisely defined parameters, in terms of molecular and geometrical composition. In this review we survey conventional methods of artificial cell synthesis and their limitations. We proceed to show how microfluidic approaches have been pivotal in overcoming these limitations and ushering in a new generation of complexity that may be imbued in artificial cells and the milieu of applications that result.

Evolving protocells to prototissues: rational design of a missing link

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1159-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiksha Mantri ◽  
K. Tanuj Sapra
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Missing Link ◽  
Hierarchical Assembly ◽  
Artificial Cell

Realization of a functional artificial cell, the so-called protocell, is a major challenge posed by synthetic biology. A subsequent goal is to use the protocellular units for the bottom-up assembly of prototissues. There is, however, a looming chasm in our knowledge between protocells and prototissues. In the present paper, we give a brief overview of the work on protocells to date, followed by a discussion on the rational design of key structural elements specific to linking two protocellular bilayers. We propose that designing synthetic parts capable of simultaneous insertion into two bilayers may be crucial in the hierarchical assembly of protocells into a functional prototissue.

Hemoperfusion Based on Artificial Cells for Aluminium and Iron Removal, Immunosorption, Fulminant Hepatic Failure, Uremia, Poisoning and Metabolic Assists

1986 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 285-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.M.S. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Fulminant Hepatic Failure ◽  
Hepatic Failure ◽  
Activated Charcoal ◽  
Exchange Resin ◽  
Ion Exchange Resin ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Artificial Cell ◽  
Volume Relationship ◽  
Charcoal Hemoperfusion

The author reviewed artificial cells and their applications in hemoperfusion for chronic renal failure, poisoning, fulminant hepatic failure, removal of aluminium and iron, and metabolic assists. Other areas reviewed included artificial cells containing enzymes, multienzymes, immunosorbents, cell cultures and other areas. Artificial cells can be formed as membrane coated adsorbent or microencapsulated adsorbent, enzymes and cells (1-3). The large surface to volume relationship and the ultrathin membrane of artificial cells allows the rapid equilibration of metabolites (1-3). Artificial cells containing enzymes, ion exchange resin and activated charcoal have been used for hemoperfusion (4). The microencapsulated or membrane coated absorbents, enzymes, cells, immunosorbents and other material are prevented from releasing unwanted material into the circulation and prevented from adverse effects on blood cells. Because of the problem of charcoal in releasing emboli and depleting platelets (5) we first developed coated activated charcoal hemoperfusion for clinical application (6, 7). This has been used extensively in clinical studies. The artificial cell approach has also been applied to a number of other hemoperfusion approaches. The lack of space only allows this paper to summarize some of the approaches originated from this research centre.

scholarly journals Protein synthesis in artificial cells: using compartmentalisation for spatial organisation in vesicle bioreactors

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 15534-15537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuval Elani ◽  
Robert V. Law ◽  
Oscar Ces
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Protein Expression ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Spatial Organisation ◽  
Artificial Cell

Spatially segregated in vitro protein expression in a vesicle-based artificial cell, with different proteins synthesised in defined vesicle regions.

Autism: Historic View and a Current Biomedical Engineering Approach [Retrospectroscope]

IEEE Pulse ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Perez ◽  
Sergio E. Ponce ◽  
David J. Piccinini ◽  
Natalia Lopez ◽  
Max E. Valentinuzzi
Keyword(s):  
Biomedical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Approach ◽  
A Current

scholarly journals Nature of Catalytically Active Sites in the Supported WO3/ZrO2 Solid Acid System: A Current Perspective

ACS Catalysis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 2181-2198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu Zhou ◽  
Nikolaos Soultanidis ◽  
Hui Xu ◽  
Michael S. Wong ◽  
Matthew Neurock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Sites ◽  
Solid Acid ◽  
Acid System ◽  
System A ◽  
Current Perspective ◽  
Catalytically Active ◽  
A Current

scholarly journals Construction of membrane-bound artificial cells using microfluidics: a new frontier in bottom-up synthetic biology

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 723-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuval Elani
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Grand Challenges ◽  
New Frontier ◽  
Membrane Bound

The quest to construct artificial cells from the bottom-up using simple building blocks has received much attention over recent decades and is one of the grand challenges in synthetic biology. Cell mimics that are encapsulated by lipid membranes are a particularly powerful class of artificial cells due to their biocompatibility and the ability to reconstitute biological machinery within them. One of the key obstacles in the field centres on the following: how can membrane-based artificial cells be generated in a controlled way and in high-throughput? In particular, how can they be constructed to have precisely defined parameters including size, biomolecular composition and spatial organization? Microfluidic generation strategies have proved instrumental in addressing these questions. This article will outline some of the major principles underpinning membrane-based artificial cells and their construction using microfluidics, and will detail some recent landmarks that have been achieved.

scholarly journals Effect of Composition and Structure of Metal Oxide Composites Nanostructured on Their Conductive and Sensory Properties

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. N. Gerasimov ◽  
V. F. Gromov ◽  
M. I. Ikim ◽  
L. I. Trachtenberg
Keyword(s):  
Metal Oxide ◽  
Reaction Products ◽  
Active Particles ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Structure Of Metal ◽  
Catalytically Active ◽  
Reducing Gases ◽  
Oxide Composites ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The relationship between the structure and properties of nanoscale conductometric sensors based on binary mixtures of metal oxides in the detection of reducing gases in the environment is considered. The sensory effect in such systems is determined by the chemisorption of oxygen molecules and the detected gas on the surface of metal oxide catalytically active particles, the transfer of the reaction products to electron-rich nanoparticles, and subsequent reactions. Particular attention is paid to the doping of nanoparticles of the sensitive layer. In particular, the effect of doping on the concentration of oxygen vacancies, the activity of oxygen centers, and the adsorption properties of nanoparticles is discussed. In addition, the role of heterogeneous contacts is analyzed.

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