Protocells and Prebiotic Systems

The de novo synthesis and self-assembly of molecules to establish the framework of living systems is a key target in the field of systems chemistry. The construction of synthetic cellular systems from scratch is one important such route to achieve this goal. This Special Collection on Protocells and Prebiotic Systems, guest edited by Dora Tang and Avinash J. Patil, showcases some of the most exciting work done in this field today. (D.Tang photograph copyright MPI-CBG). The de novo synthesis of molecules and their self-assembly to establish the framework of living systems is a key goal of systems chemistry. One route to achieving this is by building synthetic cellular systems from scratch which provides a gateway to understand and control emergence that arises from an integration of functional molecules and biological nanostructures at various length scales. Progress in this area can have significant impact for unravelling the origins of life, synthetic biology and future biomedical applications whilst providing fundamental insights into the mechanisms of biological systems. This Special Collection on Protocells and Prebiotic Systems brings together new and exciting work that is taking place in this field and demonstrates the extraordinary breadth of contributions required to make progress in this area: From prebiotic chemistry, to a survey of the molecular parts which can be used to design and build programmable cell-like compartments, engineer catalytic microreactors or create higher ordered architectures, to the emergence of adaptable systems where chemical environments can tune the physicochemical properties of soft materials. Furthermore, the capability to assimilate these properties to mimic fundamental biological processes such as chemical signaling; motility; energy transduction or cell growth and division are ever increasing. Whilst these examples are crucial for establishing minimal living systems, there are exciting prospects to exploit synthetic-cell-like compartments in wide-ranging applications including biomimetic materials; novel stimuli-responsive delivery platforms; biocatalysis; environmental remediation; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine; living materials and in adaptive integration to biological cells. The opinions expressed in this publication are the view of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of ChemSystemsChem, the Publisher, Chemistry Europe, or the affiliated editors. Dora Tang is currently a research group leader at the MPI-CBG, Dresden (Germany). Her multidisciplinary lab reimagines and translates the physical phenemona which drive out of equilibrium processes in cells to novel, robust and dynamic synthetic cellular systems. The minimal systems address questions in origin of life and modern biology. (Photograph copyright MPI-CBG). Avinash J. Patil is a faculty and group leader at the Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol (UK). His research interests cover the design and construction of artificial cells, smart microreactors, and functional hybrid nanomaterials by combining various aspects of biology, materials chemistry, and micro/nanofabrication techniques.