Synthetic life on a chip

Siddharth Deshpande, Cees Dekker*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)
38 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In this article, we argue that on-chip microfluidic systems provide an attractive technology when it comes to designing synthetic cells. We emphasize the importance of the surrounding environment for both living systems in nature and for developing artificial self-sustaining entities. On-chip microfluidic devices provide a high degree of control over the production of cell-like synthetic entities as well as over the local microenvironment that these soft-matter-based synthetic cells experience. Rapid progress in microfluidic fabrication technology has led to a variety of production and manipulation tools that establish on-chip environments as a versatile platform and arguably the best route forward for realizing synthetic life.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)559-566
JournalEmerging Topics in Life Sciences
Volume3
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

Accepted Author Manuscript

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