Recent Publications
Tardigrade-Derived Strategy for Low-Cost Storage of Cell-Free Expression Lysates
Meckelburg, M., Banlaki, I., Gaizauskaite, A. & Niederholtmeyer, H. Tardigrade-Derived Strategy for Low-Cost Storage of Cell-Free Expression Lysates. 2026.03.29.715078 Preprint at doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.29.715078 (2026).
The diversity of tardigrade-derived protective proteins is a treasure trove for cell-free synthetic biology, in particular for making CFES more accessible and portable.
RNA-Based Communication in Heterogeneous Populations of Cell Mimics
Lehr, F.-X., Banlaki, I., Bumüller, E., Mercier, T. & Niederholtmeyer, H. RNA-Based Communication in Heterogeneous Populations of Cell Mimics. ACS Synth. Biol. 15, 574–585 (2026)
RNA regulators offer a promising path for building complex, orthogonal circuits due to their low resource demands and design flexibility. In this study, we explore their potential as signalling molecules in communication between synthetic cells.
Controlled protein synthesis and spatial organisation in microfluidic environments
Gaizauskaite, A., Crean, E. E., Banlaki, I., Kalkowski, J. L. & Niederholtmeyer, H. Controlled protein synthesis and spatial organisation in microfluidic environments. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 96, 103389 (2025).
Performing cell-free expression (CFE) in tailored microfluidic environments is a powerful tool to investigate the organisation of biosystems from molecular to multicellular scales. By defining spatial organisation at different scales and sustaining nonequilibrium conditions, microfluidic environments play a key role in the quest to ‘boot up’ the biochemistry of life.