The promising future of synthetic biology
Synthetic biology and its applications hold great promise for addressing global humanitarian needs including the goals of sustainable development, zero hunger, health and well-being, reduced inequality, and improved access to responsibly produced goods and services. Advances in recent years have demonstrated the potential for synthetic
biology to revolutionize technologies across a disparate applications including biocomputing, living materials, electronic interfacing, therapeutic genome editing, multiplexed diagnostics, and cellular recording, third-generation biorefineries, and living biotherapeutics.
Studies at Freeman Lab
Engineering synthetic cytoskeletons is essential for the bottom-up construction of artificial cells. the cellular cytoskeleton consists of hierarchical and dynamic polymers that function as scaffolding components of cells and drive vital processes, including cell division, motility and morphogenesis.
–Designer peptide-DNA cytoskeletons regulate the function of synthetic cells (Nature chemistry)
Biological helical assemblies sparked an interest in the design of artificial systems with controllable supramolecular helicity and chiral properties for applications in multiple fields. Various amyloid-derived peptide sequences have been examined for their ability to guide helical chirality.
–Uncovering supramolecular chirality codes for the design of tunable biomaterials (Nature communications)
How Synthetic Cells Will Improve Healthcare
A key feature of any future synthetic biological development will be the ability to function independent of continual intervention. Directives to achieve this independence will be environmental adaptability, shapeshifting, self-assembly, and the ability to successfully and seamlessly interact with natural biology.
At present, healthcare primarily involves visitation to clinics and offices. It involves invasive surgeries, continual injections and pill-taking. However, the vision we see with healthcare using synthetic cells will enable more precisely targeted therapy deployment, timed releases of drugs, the growth of disease-resistant tissues, fully functional organs. and fully integrated prosthetics.
The Freeman Lab is dedicated to the ethical advancement of these directives to improve the quality of life through advanced biomaterial processes.
Shaping
the Future of Synthetic Cells
Associated Publications
Designer peptide-DNA cytoskeletons regulate the function of synthetic cells
Margaret L. Daly, Kengo Nishi, Stephen J. Klawa, Kameryn Y. Hinton, Yuan Gao & Ronit Freeman
Nature Chemistry, 2024
Uncovering supramolecular chirality codes for the design of tunable biomaterials
Stephen J. Klawa, Michelle Lee, Kyle D. Riker, Tengyue Jian, Qunzhao Wang, Yuan Gao, Margaret L. Daly, Shreeya Bhonge, W. Seth Childers, Toluope O. Omosun, Anil K. Mehta, David G. Lynn, Ronit Freeman
Nature Communications, 2024
This research made possible in part through the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
