AUNAB - Aarhus University Network on Artificial Biology

Aarhus University Seal

The Aarhus University Network on Artificial Biology (AUNAB) is an interdisciplinary research network (IRN) bringing together scientists with an interest in the engineering of life - here symbolized as a merge of a cogwheel and a cell in the logo of the Artificial Biology conference. The network has a broad topic area spanning fundamental and applied research e.g., molecular design, evolution, cell mimicry, origin of life, soft robotics, biotechnology and medicine. AUNAB is supported by the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Aarhus University but also brings together researchers from Faculties of Technical Sciences, Health, and Arts. AUNAB arranges annual symposia, workshops, research meetings, and the international conference on Artificial Biology. On this homepage you can discover upcoming events, news, funding opportunities, and job postings. For more information about the research topic and publications of the network, click here.

Upcoming events

Workshop on engineering life in science, literature and art

10 Jun
Tuesday 10 June 2025, at 09:30 AIAS

Workshop on the "Historical perspectives on engineering life in science, literature and art" by Kristian Hvidtfelt Nielsen, Christoffer Basse Eriksen, Pernille Leth-Espensen & Mads Rosendahl.

AUSBI Annual Symposium 2025

2 Jul
Wednesday 2 July 2025, at 09:00 Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies (AIAS), building 1631-1632, Aarhus University

The annual symposium is a full-day dedicated to sharing of interdisciplinary science with focus on methods and expertise available to researchers at Aarhus University.

 

This year, we will have both exciting invited speakers, as well as junior research focus talks and poster session, and of course plenty of time for networking in the program.

 

All researchers and students at Aarhus University, who are interested in structural biology and biophysics, from the sub-molecular to cellular scale…

Recent news

Special Issue on Artificial Biology Published in Advanced Biology

- Knowledge exchange

The Special Issue “Artificial Biology – Assemble, Imitate, Adapt” has just been published in Advanced Biology by Wiley. The issue accompanies the international conference ArtBio2024 and showcases both invited and contributed work within the growing interdisciplinary field of bottom-up synthetic biology.

Interdisciplinary Research Team Awarded Grant from Independent Research Fund Denmark

- Awards

An international team of researchers has received funding from Independent Research Fund Denmark for the project ‘Biomimetic Neural Network-Like Materials with Adaptive Learning (BIONIMAL)’

 

Transmembrane Activation of Catalysis and Protein Refolding in Synthetic Cells by Enzymes and Nanozymes

- Research news

The design of artificial cells is a focal point of intense research efforts. One characteristic that remains particularly hard to engineer is the responsive behavior in artificial cells. It requires the design of molecular mechanisms to receive, interpret, and react to external environmental or biochemical stimuli. This challenge is specifically addressed herein and the design of artificial cells that respond to the external chemical messenger by the activation of intracellular catalysis is…

Receptor-Mediated Transmembrane Activation of Protein Folding in Synthetic Cells

- Research news

An article from the Zelikin lab just published in Bioconjugate Chemistry has been selected as the American Chemical Society Editor´s Choice (the one article chosen each day from the entire ACS portfolio to be highlighted for quality and/or broad interest).

Distinct Network Morphologies from In Situ Polymerization of Microtubules in Giant Polymer-Lipid Hybrid Vesicles

- Research news

Creating artificial cells with a dynamic cytoskeleton, akin to those in living cells, is a major goal in bottom-up synthetic biology. In this study, we demonstrate the in situ polymerization of microtubules encapsulated in giant polymer-lipid hybrid vesicles (GHVs) composed of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and an amphiphilic block copolymer. The block copolymer is comprised of poly(cholesteryl methacrylate-co-butyl methacrylate) as the hydrophobic block and either…

Revised 27.02.2025
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Fie Noer Christensen