Henrike Niederholtmeyer
Technical University of Munich, Germany
Research in Henrike Niederholtmeyer’s lab focuses on cell-free synthetic biology.
”We develop cell-free expression systems to rapidly characterize genetic constructs, and design microfluidic tools for custom experiments. The lab has contributed to synthetic cell efforts by building various types of programmable compartments based on porous polymer capsules or phase separated condensate droplets. Most projects in the lab aim to engineer self-assembly and self-organization processes at different length scales.”
Synthetic multicellularity. ”Our lab has previously engineered various signaling modes and a perfusion platform to maintain synthesis capabilities of large synthetic cell communities. Next, we envision synthetic developmental programs that lead to the formation of self-organizing spatial patterns and specialized cell functions.”
Condensate-based synthetic cells. ”We are interested in engineering phase separated condensate compartments based on proteins, peptides, RNA or other self-assembling molecules. Our goal is to give condensate-based compartments increasingly life-like functions by implementing internal reactions that lead to growth, divisions and self-regulation, while being encoded in heritable genetic information.”
For more information, visit Henrike Niederholtmeyer’s website.
| Main area(s) | Sub-area(s) |
|---|---|
| Information processing and evolution of synthetic cells | Synthetic signaling Design of minimal multicellular systems |
| Enabling technologies for synthetic cells | Cell-free protein expression Droplet-based microfluidics Condensate-based Synthetic Cells |