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Recent Advances in Artificial Cells With Emphasis on Biotechnological and Medical Approaches Based on Microencapsulation
Published in Max Donbrow, Microcapsules and Nanoparticles in Medicine and Pharmacy, 2020
As emphasized by the author in his 1972 monograph:5 “It should not be too surprising that artificial cells have many medical, biotechnological and other applications. After all, its counterpart biological cells are the important basic functional units of all human, animal and living organisms.” It was also emphasized at that time that “Artificial cell is a concept. The artificial cells prepared are physical examples for demonstrating this concept. There is no doubt that modification of the present system or completely different systems can be made available to further demonstrate the feasibility of artificial cells...” Indeed, since that time there have been many extensions and modifications. With the increasing importance of biotechnology, one looks forward with anticipation to extension and modification of the artificial cell field. This will result in new applications in medicine, biotechnology, and other areas.
Synthetic Biology: From Gene Circuits to Novel Biological Tools
Published in Tuan Vo-Dinh, Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine, 2017
Nina G. Argibay, Eric M. Vazquez, Cortney E. Wilson, Travis J.A. Craddock, Robert P. Smith
Similar to gene circuits expressed in vivo, artificial cells have the potential of providing a greater understanding of the mechanisms occurring in natural cells, and may allow the development of new biological technologies, including the sustained synthesis and delivery of pharmaceuticals. However, expression of a gene circuit encapsulated within a biomimetic membrane is limited by the lack of a constant supply of nutrients and the accumulation of waste products. While the low permeability of biomimetic membranes allows for the spatial restriction of transcription/translation machinery and components, as well as the gene circuit, it also reduces the replenishment of nutrients across the membrane. As such, gene expression and protein synthesis often do not extend for >2 h. To solve this issue, Noireaux and Libchaber extended gene expression by expressing the gene encoding α-hemolysin from Staphylococcus aureus in artificial cells (Noireaux and Libchaber 2004). The authors hypothesized that expression of α-hemolysin would create nonspecific pores directly into the biomimetic membrane, facilitating the movement of nutrients and waste into and out of the artificial cell, respectively, thus serving to extend the time allowing for gene expression. Note that addition mechanisms to increase permeability, such as the use of channel proteins, have also been performed (Pohorille and Deamer 2002).
Design of artificial cells: artificial biochemical systems, their thermodynamics and kinetics properties
Published in Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2022
Adamu Yunusa Ugya, Lin Pohan, Qifeng Wang, Kamel Meguellati
The stepwise progress in development of artificial cells is due to a major progress in other areas such as polymer chemistry, bio-material, biotechnology, genomics and molecular biology. It is expected that unlimited progress in the area of artificial cells is foreseen due to the important progress in other fields. Artificial cells are now made in many dimensions (nano, micro, macro and molecular dimensions). The surface of the enormous potential of artificial cells is touched in spite of the unlimited variations of the artificial cell membranes and their contents. The new developments and expansion of ‘artificial cells’ to be concealed under various new names such as polymersome, bioencapsulation, polymer tethered lipid, nanotubules, nanocapules, conjugate hemoglobin etc. The interdisciplinary field of artificial cells needs researchers from other fields to come together and move the field ahead which will result in the progress of the ‘artificial cells’ beyond one vision. The principle of artificial cells play an important role in the field of enzyme and gene therapy, blood substitutes, drug delivery, regenerative medicine, genome editing, nanomedicine, hemoperfusion, nano-computers, nano-robotics, nano-sensors, agriculture, aquatic culture, cells and stem cell therapy.