Presentation Information
[2ASPR-22]Lightning Talks by ECRs No.5
○Yusei Kudo (Institute of Science Tokyo)
Living cells take up energy and materials from the environment and use them to drive non-equilibrium chemical reactions internally, thereby synthesizing their own components and enabling growth and division. Reproducing and controlling this kind of autonomy in artificial molecular systems is directly relevant to understanding the operating principles of life, and it also provides a design foundation for future autonomous molecular systems.
I am currently working on the construction of artificial cells that exhibit the autonomous behaviors characteristic of living systems, using DNA nanotechnology as a basis. I focus on DNA droplets formed through the self-assembly of DNA nanostructures. These droplets possess the remarkable feature that molecular recognition and chemical reactions can be programmed through the design of base sequences. Specifically, by amplifying the constituent DNA nanostructures through enzymatic reactions and coupling their replication with droplet growth, I aim to construct artificial cells capable of growth, division, and information replication.
Through the ASPIRE project, from July 16 to September 13, 2026, I plan to stay in the laboratory of Professor Lorenzo Di Michele in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge, UK, to carry out collaborative research aimed at constructing artificial cell systems equipped with energy storage functions. This laboratory is an internationally leading research center in the fields of DNA nanotechnology, self-assembling materials, and artificial cells. Conducting research in such an environment will be an important opportunity to re-examine my own work from a global perspective and to develop it to a more advanced level.
Through this visit, I hope to extend DNA-nanotechnology-based artificial cell research from the new perspective of energy storage, while also actively building an international research network.
I am currently working on the construction of artificial cells that exhibit the autonomous behaviors characteristic of living systems, using DNA nanotechnology as a basis. I focus on DNA droplets formed through the self-assembly of DNA nanostructures. These droplets possess the remarkable feature that molecular recognition and chemical reactions can be programmed through the design of base sequences. Specifically, by amplifying the constituent DNA nanostructures through enzymatic reactions and coupling their replication with droplet growth, I aim to construct artificial cells capable of growth, division, and information replication.
Through the ASPIRE project, from July 16 to September 13, 2026, I plan to stay in the laboratory of Professor Lorenzo Di Michele in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge, UK, to carry out collaborative research aimed at constructing artificial cell systems equipped with energy storage functions. This laboratory is an internationally leading research center in the fields of DNA nanotechnology, self-assembling materials, and artificial cells. Conducting research in such an environment will be an important opportunity to re-examine my own work from a global perspective and to develop it to a more advanced level.
Through this visit, I hope to extend DNA-nanotechnology-based artificial cell research from the new perspective of energy storage, while also actively building an international research network.
Comment
To browse or post comments, you must log in.Log in