IEM Distinguished Lecturers Seminar: Towards photosynthetic synthetic cells
*** Drinks and pizza at 11:45 in the lobby of BM 5202 ***
Abstract
Nature relies on cells. Not one cell but a diversity of those. At the industrial level, they transform raw matter ; at the medical level they are responsible for diseases but also body repair processes and treatments ; at the global scale they modify the climate and environment. But they cannot be fully controlled, nor adapted to our needs. A tailored assembly of new forms of living systems would therefore be a groundbreaking step forward with massive potential for Next Gen Biotech. However, the paradigm of the XIXth century that ‘only cells make cells’ remains currently valid. Over the past years, we propose a construction approach of synthetic cells, making use of the miniaturization capabilities offered by microfluidics. In this context, we mimic metabolic activity - the trademark of cells - in synthetic compartments. Here, the integration of light harvesting units with synthetic metabolic pathways led to the creation of re-engineered chloroplast-like systems functioning under out of equilibrium conditions.
Bio
Jean-Christophe Baret is physicist and professor at the University of Bordeaux, based at the Centre de recherche Paul Pascal (CRPP), a joint research unit of the CNRS and the university of Bordeaux. His research sits at the intersection of soft matter physics, chemistry, and bioengineering, with a strong focus on microfluidics. His team develops microfluidic systems to assemble and control microscopic compartments that mimic the behavior of living cells, including metabolic activity and out-of-equilibrium dynamics. This research aims to better understand the fundamental principles of life by recreating cellular functions from non-living components. Since joining the CRPP in 2014, he has led interdisciplinary research programs bridging physics, chemistry, and biology, and has coordinated major collaborative initiatives such as the “Frontiers of Life” research network. He is also a member of the Institut Universitaire de France and has contributed to both academic research and innovation, including the founding of the microfluidics-focused startup Emulseo.
Abstract
Nature relies on cells. Not one cell but a diversity of those. At the industrial level, they transform raw matter ; at the medical level they are responsible for diseases but also body repair processes and treatments ; at the global scale they modify the climate and environment. But they cannot be fully controlled, nor adapted to our needs. A tailored assembly of new forms of living systems would therefore be a groundbreaking step forward with massive potential for Next Gen Biotech. However, the paradigm of the XIXth century that ‘only cells make cells’ remains currently valid. Over the past years, we propose a construction approach of synthetic cells, making use of the miniaturization capabilities offered by microfluidics. In this context, we mimic metabolic activity - the trademark of cells - in synthetic compartments. Here, the integration of light harvesting units with synthetic metabolic pathways led to the creation of re-engineered chloroplast-like systems functioning under out of equilibrium conditions.
Bio
Jean-Christophe Baret is physicist and professor at the University of Bordeaux, based at the Centre de recherche Paul Pascal (CRPP), a joint research unit of the CNRS and the university of Bordeaux. His research sits at the intersection of soft matter physics, chemistry, and bioengineering, with a strong focus on microfluidics. His team develops microfluidic systems to assemble and control microscopic compartments that mimic the behavior of living cells, including metabolic activity and out-of-equilibrium dynamics. This research aims to better understand the fundamental principles of life by recreating cellular functions from non-living components. Since joining the CRPP in 2014, he has led interdisciplinary research programs bridging physics, chemistry, and biology, and has coordinated major collaborative initiatives such as the “Frontiers of Life” research network. He is also a member of the Institut Universitaire de France and has contributed to both academic research and innovation, including the founding of the microfluidics-focused startup Emulseo.
Practical information
- General public
- Free