ReviewiScience2025
Synthetic cells by the numbers.
Review in iScience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Automated synthetic cell-based screening for designed proteins with emergent functions.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Environmental Impact of Synthetic Cell Technology: Review of Life Cycle Assessment Data for Feedstocks and Production Methods.Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology · 2026Review
- The biophysical properties of the bacterial nucleoid are dynamic, heterogeneous, and responsive to perturbations of cellular processes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Can we build a living cell from non-living molecular components? This foundational question drives the field of synthetic cell engineering, having already reconstituted key cellular processes within synthetic environments, and now advancing toward their integration into systems of increasing complexity. At this stage of gradual complexification, it is essential to construct a general quantitative picture of synthetic cells that can clarify the capabilities and limitations of current systems and help guide future design efforts. Here, we adopt the "by the numbers" approach to provide a quantitative and intuitive overview of synthetic cell properties. Focusing on liposome-based systems, we compile and contextualize numerical estimates from the literature and use them to reason about the structural, biochemical, and functional characteristics of these synthetic constructs. Through this quantitative lens, we aim to highlight both the current performance achieved and the key challenges that remain in the path toward building autonomous synthetic cells.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.