Projects per year
Abstract
Developing molecular communication platforms based on orthogonal communication channels is a crucial step towards engineering artificial multicellular systems. Here, we present a general and scalable platform entitled ‘biomolecular implementation of protocellular communication’ (BIO-PC) to engineer distributed multichannel molecular communication between populations of non-lipid semipermeable microcapsules. Our method leverages the modularity and scalability of enzyme-free DNA strand-displacement circuits to develop protocellular consortia that can sense, process and respond to DNA-based messages. We engineer a rich variety of biochemical communication devices capable of cascaded amplification, bidirectional communication and distributed computational operations. Encapsulating DNA strand-displacement circuits further allows their use in concentrated serum where non-compartmentalized DNA circuits cannot operate. BIO-PC enables reliable execution of distributed DNA-based molecular programs in biologically relevant environments and opens new directions in DNA computing and minimal cell technology.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 369-378 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Nature Nanotechnology |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 4 Mar 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2019 |
Research Groups and Themes
- Bristol BioDesign Institute
- BrisSynBio
Keywords
- SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'DNA-based communication in populations of synthetic protocells'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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BrisSynBio: Bristol Centre for Synthetic Biology
Woolfson, D. N. (Principal Investigator)
31/07/14 → 31/03/22
Project: Research
Profiles
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Professor Stephen Mann
- Soft Matter, Colloids and Materials
- School of Chemistry - Professor of Chemistry
Person: Academic , Member