Keywords

cell-free, DNA origami, minimal cells, nanomachines, nucleic acid circuits, protein evolution, synthetic biology, synthetic enzymatic pathways

Abstract

Cell-free synthetic biology offers an unprecedented level of control and freedom of design for understanding, harnessing, and expanding the capabilities of natural biological systems. Inspired by advances in synthetic biology projects in vivo, recent years have witnessed the emergence of cell-free systems not only as a testing ground for our ability to engineer and analyze biology, but also as technologies capable of efficient and scalable synthesis of complex biological products. Dominant efforts in the field include: programmable nucleic acid circuits; nanomachines; cell-free protein synthesis; cell-free metabolic engineering; and minimal cells. The goals are understanding why nature’s designs work the way they do, accelerating design–build–test loops for engineering biology, and conducting biochemical transformations for the rapid and efficient synthesis of a wide variety of complex products.

Original Publication Citation

Arnaz Ranji, Jeffrey C. Wu, Bradley C. Bundy, Michael C. Jewett, Chapter 15 - Transforming Synthetic Biology with Cell-Free Systems, Editor(s): Huimin Zhao, Synthetic Biology, Academic Press, 2013, Pages 277-301, ISBN 9780123944306, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394430-6.00015-7.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2013-03-29

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Language

English

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Department

Chemical Engineering

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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