ReviewJournal of microbiology and biotechnology2026
Bottom-Up Synthetic Biology for Artificial Cell Design: From Scaffold Materials to Functional Integration.
Review in Journal of microbiology and biotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
Cells are extraordinary biochemical systems that have evolved over billions of years into highly sophisticated units of life. Bottom-up synthetic biology seeks to reconstruct cell-like systems from non-living molecular components, producing artificial cells that capture essential cellular features while bypassing the complexity and fragility of living organisms. This approach offers a unique perspective on the organizational principles underlying cellular life and provides a platform for diverse biotechnological applications. In this review, we survey recent advances in bottom-up artificial cell design, covering five principal scaffold materials including the newly prominent coacervate-based and hybrid hierarchical compartments, and four canonical functional categories: cascade metabolism, protein synthesis, division, and energy production. We further discuss the expanding application landscape spanning industrial biocatalysis, therapeutic protein delivery, biosensing, and origins of life research. Finally, we critically evaluate the key technical limitations currently facing the field, including module compatibility, operational stability, and regulatory challenges, and outline the directions that must be pursued to advance artificial cells toward practical realization.
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