Arjun Khakhar, Nicholas J Bolten, Jennifer Nemhauser, Eric Klavins
An engineering framework for synthetic multicellular systems requires a programmable means of cell-cell communication. Such a communication system would enable complex behaviors, such as pattern formation, division of labor in synthetic microbial communities, and improved modularity in synthetic circuits. However, it remains challenging to build synthetic cellular communication systems in eukaryotes due to a lack of molecular modules that are orthogonal to the host machinery, easy to reconfigure, and scalable...
April 15, 2016: ACS Synthetic Biology