Designing and assembling artificial cells (ACs) is a core direction in bottom-up synthetic biology. Here, the advancements in the past 3 years in engineering ACs with focus on compartmentalization and surface modifications with the aim for their integration in semi-synthetic tissue are outlined. Compartmentalization in vesicles, coacervates and hydrogels are discussed for encapsulated catalysis or cytoskeleton formation including the use of components of mammalian cells to increase the ACs’…

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for the advancement of diagnostic and therapeutic platforms. These platforms rely on the rapid development of molecular binders that should facilitate surveillance and swift intervention against viral infections. In this study, we have evaluated by three independent research groups the binding characteristics of various published RNA and DNA aptamers targeting the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. For this comparative analysis, we have…

Receptors are lipid bilayer-resident molecules that perform a myriad of functions in a cell, from recognition to signaling and solute internalization, and are typically based on proteins. Herein, artificial receptors are engineered based on small organic molecules, toward chemical, non-genetic engineering of cells. Specifically, artificial internalizing receptors are designed for selective targeting and cell-specific drug delivery. The artificial receptors are shown to afford nanomolar potency…