A new research collaboration aims to enhance synthetic cell regenerative therapies, clear up pollution and produce foods, fuels and bioplastics.
The work will address a key bottleneck in Synthetic Cell (SynCell) development: their limited ability to sustain function over time due to constraints in biochemical energy management.
With improved energy management, SynCell technology holds immense potential across various fields from medicine to environmental sustainability: enabling advanced drug delivery and regenerative therapies; in environmental remediation, breaking down pollutants and toxins; and in industry they could drive innovation in biotechnology, leading to more efficient and sustainable production methods for biofuels, synthetic materials and food production.
Researchers from Imperial, University of Cambridge and the Institute of Science Tokyo have been awarded a prestigious £2 million grant to carry out this work from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
The three-year initiative, Japan-UK SYNERGY, will be co-led by Professor Oscar Ces and Dr James Hindley from the Department of Chemistry, Dr Yuval Elani from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Professor Lorenzo di Michele from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. This funding is part of the ambitious International Science Partnership Fund, which aims to foster global collaboration among researchers and innovators to tackle the major challenges of our time.
By integrating breakthroughs in biomembrane engineering, nucleic acid nanotechnology, crystal biomaterials and cell-free protein synthesis, the team aims to design and develop Bio-Energy modules that can be incorporated into a variety of synthetic cell structures, including DNA condensates, lipid vesicles and microgel compartments, thus enhancing the viability of synthetic cells for real-world applications.
Unlocking the Potential of SynCells
Synthetic cells, often described as microrobots built from the bottom-up, mimic key biological functions such as movement, sensing and synthesis.
Professor Oscar Ces, Head of the Department of Chemistry, explains: “SynCell technologies have the potential to revolutionise healthcare, biomanufacturing and environmental remediation. Translation of SynCell technologies is, however, hampered by their inability to function for extended periods of time due to challenges with generating, transforming, and storing energy.
"Tackling the urgent “energy bottleneck” in SynCell science is a really exciting challenge and this project will directly address that by bringing together world-leading expertise in the UK and Japan”.
Strengthening International Collaboration
The Japan-UK SYNERGY project marks the first phase of a broader ambition to establish a UK-Japan SynCell Alliance, fostering a long-term international research network dedicated to the design, standardisation and application of synthetic cell technologies. Additionally, the project will promote knowledge sharing by connecting two national synthetic cell communities: fabriCELL Centre for Synthetic Cell Research at Imperial and the Japan Society for Cell Synthesis Research (JSCSR). This collaboration will provide opportunities for the development of early career researchers, ensuring that the next generation of scientists can both contribute to and benefit from advancements in this field.
Dr James Hindley, one of the team leaders from Imperial College London, highlighted the significance of the collaboration: “This project combines UK and Japan-based expertise in SynCell engineering to create a unique, world-leading research consortium. By developing new molecular technologies for energy management, we aim to unlock the potential of SynCell materials for diverse applications from healthcare to environmental remediation.”
By pioneering solutions for energy management in synthetic cells, this project paves the way for groundbreaking advances in biotechnology, positioning the UK and Japan at the forefront of SynCell research and innovation. With sustained innovation and international cooperation, synthetic cells may soon transition from lab research to transformative real-world applications.
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Saida Mahamed
Department of Chemistry
