Project description
Engineering basic system for copying information polymer template
The central dogma of molecular biology states that information is directionally transferred from a nucleotide sequence of DNA into a sequence of synthesised RNA and then into a sequence of amino acids in the protein. Many structural aspects of this whole machinery were studied in detail, but we do not understand basic principles of reliable directional copying of polymer templates and were not able to build a simple synthetic copying system. The EU-funded RESSPICAC project will explore minimal models of copying applying principles of thermodynamics of small fluctuating systems and the thermodynamics of information processing to elucidate these principles. The research is going to translate this knowledge into the construction of minimal copying systems using non-biological synthetic DNA, providing insights into analogous processes in living organisms.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
ERC-2019-STG
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Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting GrantHost institution
SW7 2AZ London
United Kingdom
Beneficiaries (1)
SW7 2AZ London