Towards Production of an Artificial Chloroplast Containing Cell

Executive Summary

We will identify genes necessary for supporting independent chloroplast cultivation outside of cells and develop algal cell-free protein expression lysates, aiding in the eventual goal of making a minimal, or artificial, chloroplast containing cell. This minimal system can serve as a chassis for grafting on metabolic pathways, improving photosynthetic yields or generating high-value biomolecules, such as specialized lipids or biofuel precursors.

Publications, Presentations, and Patents

Steven Hoang-Phou, Chao Liu, Congwang Ye, Mariam Mohagheghi, Nicholas N. Watkins, Nikki M. Hammond, Emma Laurence, Ted Laurence, and Matthew A. Coleman,“Microfluidic encapsulation of biological materials enables rapid kinetics and screening approaches” (Poster Presentation, Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution, and Design -SEED - 2023 Conference, Los Angeles, CA, June 1, 2023).