Project description
Engaging bacteria in the creation of synthetic protocells
The engineering of artificial cellular systems with lifelike properties such as minimal metabolism, sensing, replication, gene expression and compartmentalisation represents an ideal strategy to understand the transition into proto-living manifestations of physical matter. The EU-funded PROTOBAC project aims to design a complex multi-component protocell based on the controlled sequestration and disruption of compartmentalised living bacterial colonies. The resulting protocells will be bound by an assemblage of bacterial membrane lipids and loaded with several functionally active metabolic and genetic components. The complexity of the bacteria-derived protocells will be increased via the introduction of biological organelles, which are expected to produce the first example of a protoeukaryote.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
Coordinator
BS8 1QU Bristol
United Kingdom
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