Christophe Danelon
Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, INSA-TBI, France
“I was trained in chemistry and physics at the University of Toulouse, France, I obtained a PhD in biophysics and did a postdoc at the EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland. In 2010, I started my research group at the TU Delft, Netherlands. In 2023, I relocated the lab at the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, France, and I’m leading the French Synthetic Cell initiative SynCell FR. We have expertise in PURE system, lipid vesicles, synthetic genome assembly, fluorescence microscopy, directed evolution and active learning methods.”
“We propose to develop new technologies for the large-scale exploration of synthetic cells based on the expression of a DNA program with PURE system encapsulated in liposomes. We will combine multiplexed, continuous evolution experiments with active learning and laboratory automation to select synthetic genomes and PURE compositions with improved functionality. A multivariate optimisation strategy will be implemented for integration of cellular modules, such as genome self-replication and ribosome biogenesis. The proposed research will complement other ongoing projects in the lab, together forming a coherent program steered to build a cell using synthetic evolution.“
| Main area(s) | Sub-area(s) |
|---|---|
| Information processing and evolution of synthetic cells | Directed evolution of minimal cells Minimal chromosome/chromatin/nucleoid Autocatalytic reaction networks Synthetic lipid diversity |
| Enabling technologies for synthetic cells | Cell-free protein expression Phospholipid-based Synthetic Cells Directed evolution in synthetic compartments Artificial evolutionary dynamics |