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Bottom-Up Synthetic Biology Leads to Artificial Cells as Innovative Materials and Calls for the Adoption of Systemic Perspectives

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Proceedings of Fifth International Conference on Inventive Material Science Applications

Part of the book series: Advances in Sustainability Science and Technology ((ASST))

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Abstract

Relevant advancements in the field of synthetic biology have lead to the birth of a new nano-bio-technology based on a new “material”, i.e., the so-called artificial (or synthetic) cells. These terms refer to man-made cell-like systems, which are microcompartments whose size lie in the 0.2–20 µm range that mimic the basic function of biological cells. Artificial cells are generally built for basic science investigations (e.g., what are the minimal requirement for the emergence of life? How did life begin? What phenomena can be spontaneously generated by physico-chemical processes? How complex can an artificial cell be?), but several interesting scenarios can be envisioned in applied science too (e.g., smart drug delivery systems). Artificial cell technology is progressing rapidly, and new exciting reports appear monthly. However, theoretical descriptions of what actually artificial cells are, and how should we conceptually look at them are generally missing. In this contribution we would like to introduce the theme of the need of “systemic perspectives” in artificial cell research, and shortly present three areas for its implementation: (1) the internal reaction network, (2) the artificial cell/environment supra-system, (3) the complexity of artificial cells.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    However, more sophisticated processes are actually needed when adaptivity and plasticity are considered.

  2. 2.

    By metabolic closure we mean the dynamics of metabolic systems that produce all their own components; by organizational closure we mean that a certain system does not require external guidance or commands, i.e., its own dynamics is self-referential; by topological closure we mean that the system defines its own boundary in autonomous manner. Achieving these three forms of closure at their full extent—certainly a challenging task—implies that the system is autopoietic. On the other hand, it is possible to devise non-autopoietic systems which display these closures in partial, local, and limited (spatial/temporal) manner.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, Lecce, Italy

    Pasquale Stano

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  1. Pasquale Stano
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Correspondence to Pasquale Stano .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, PPG Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, India

    V. Bindhu

  2. Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    João Manuel R. S. Tavares

  3. Department of Electrical Engineering, Da-Yeh University, Changhua, Taiwan

    Joy Iong-Zong Chen

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Stano, P. (2023). Bottom-Up Synthetic Biology Leads to Artificial Cells as Innovative Materials and Calls for the Adoption of Systemic Perspectives. In: Bindhu, V., Tavares, J.M.R.S., Chen, J.IZ. (eds) Proceedings of Fifth International Conference on Inventive Material Science Applications. Advances in Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4304-1_22

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